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Abhishek Ruby
Abhishek Ruby

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I built a bot that gets Instagram reel freebies for you, for ₹0

#showdev #python #django #sideprojects

Every second reel in my feed ends the same way: "Follow me and comment GUIDE and I'll DM you the link."

So I follow. I comment. I wait for the DM. Then I do it again on the next reel. Five times a day, for a list of AI tools or a Notion template.

I wanted to skip that, so I built Askro.

What it does

You share a reel with @askro.ar on Instagram. A few minutes later, Askro DMs you whatever the creator is giving away: the links, the guide, the prompts, even the photos. You never follow anyone and never comment.

To try it: DM "hi" to @askro.ar, then share any reel (or paste its link). It's free, with 5 new reels per person per day while in beta.

How it works

Creators send their freebies through DM automations: you comment a word, their bot messages you. Those bots only talk to real Instagram accounts, so Askro uses one:

  1. A real Android phone in the cloud. Android runs in a Docker container on Oracle Cloud's free server, with the real Instagram app on it.
  2. It does the steps for you. It follows the creator, comments the right word, taps the bot's buttons ("Send me the link") and waits for the reply.
  3. It reads the reply and forwards it. Text, links behind buttons, and photos go back to you through Instagram's official messaging API.
  4. Results are saved per reel. If someone already asked for that reel, you get it instantly, with no extra comment on the creator's post.

Stack: Django, Postgres, gunicorn and Caddy on Oracle's Always Free ARM server, Android in Docker, and Instagram's messaging API. Total cost so far: ₹0.

The bugs that taught me the most

  • Instagram blocks screenshots in DMs. Inside a chat, every screenshot came back solid black. To forward a creator's photo, Askro now uses Instagram's own "Save" option and sends the saved file.
  • Some links reject old browsers. Notion bounced the phone's in-app browser to an "unsupported browser" page. Askro now watches the browser's very first request to learn the real link before the redirect.
  • The word is sometimes only in the video. One creator's caption never said what to comment; the video said "comment GIT". Askro now reads the comments: whoever the creator answered with "check your DMs" used the right word.
  • Plain links weren't tappable. Links sent as API text didn't always open, so every link now also arrives as a tappable button card.

Try it

DM "hi" to @askro.ar, then share the next reel that asks you to comment for a link. If it fails, tell me in the comments. Every failure has made it better so far.

https://askro.ullagecloud.com

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