otinstaller · Social media

Install Instagram Monitor on Linux in one command

Instagram Monitor watches a public profile and records changes over time: new posts, follower count moves, bio edits, with optional notifications. It runs until you stop it.

Instagram Monitor in three lines

pipx install otinstaller
ot install instagram-monitor
ot run instagram-monitor -- u:jane_doe

Runs misiektoja/instagram_monitor (GPL-3.0, ★ 1.5k, otinstaller v0.0.4, registry updated Oct 13, 2026). otinstaller installs and runs it; it does not change or verify it.

What Instagram Monitor is for

Documenting changes to a profile during an investigation.
Alerts when a watched account posts.

Typed inputs for Instagram Monitor

otinstaller translates these prefixes into Instagram Monitor's own flags. Anything else after -- is passed through unchanged, so every original flag still works.

u:: username · ot run instagram-monitor -- u:jane_doe

Where the results go

Every run lands under ./results/instagram-monitor/<target>/ as a timestamped output file plus a .meta.json sidecar: the exact command, start and end time, exit code, and the SHA-256 of the output. Group runs with --case, compare the last two with ot diff instagram-monitor <target>, and pull indicators out with ot extract.

Before you run it

It never exits on its own, so --all and auto skip it. Run it in tmux or as a service.
Instagram throttles unauthenticated polling. Configure a dedicated account as the project documents.

Update, remove, inspect

ot info instagram-monitor      # inputs, flags, keys
ot example instagram-monitor   # sample output
ot update instagram-monitor    # move to the next tested version
ot remove instagram-monitor    # delete its virtualenv

Full reference for this tool: docs for instagram-monitor.

Pairs with

Instaloader

Instaloader downloads the public posts, stories, captions, and metadata of an Instagram profile into a folder.

Toutatis

Toutatis pulls the public and semi-public fields of an Instagram account: user ID, bio, follower counts, and the obfuscated email or phone Instagram shows on password reset.

Yark

Yark archives a YouTube channel: videos, titles, descriptions, thumbnails, and comments, and keeps a history so you can see what changed or was deleted between refreshes.

FAQ

Instagram Monitor with otinstaller, answered

How do I install Instagram Monitor on Kali or Ubuntu?

Install otinstaller once with pipx install otinstaller, run ot init, then ot install instagram-monitor. The tool lands in its own virtualenv under ~/.otinstaller/, pinned to a version that was tested on Ubuntu, so nothing touches your system Python. ot doctor flags a missing git or venv module.

Which inputs does Instagram Monitor take through otinstaller?

u: (username). otinstaller maps each prefix to Instagram Monitor's own flag. Everything after -- that is not a typed input is passed through unchanged, so the original flags still work.

Where does otinstaller save Instagram Monitor results?

Under ./results/instagram-monitor/<target>/ in the folder you run from, as a timestamped output file plus a .meta.json sidecar with the exact command, timing, exit code, and SHA-256. Add --case <name> to group runs, and ot diff instagram-monitor <target> to compare the last two.

Does Instagram Monitor need an API key or a login?

No key is required for the basic run. Optional keys, where the project supports them, go in ~/.otinstaller/.env and are passed only to tools that declare them.

Can I run Instagram Monitor together with other tools?

Not under --all. Instagram Monitor keeps running until you stop it, so ot run --all and ot auto skip it on purpose. Run it on its own, ideally inside tmux or as a service.