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Inbox

One place to triage every comment and DM from your connected accounts — read, draft AI-assisted replies, and clear the queue.

What Inbox is for

Every connected platform sends you DMs and comments. Switching between IG, LinkedIn, Facebook, and X to keep up with them is exhausting. Inbox pulls them all into one feed so you can clear them in one sitting.

For each item you can:

  1. Read the full message and any context (the post it was on, the sender's profile)
  2. Generate an AI reply that uses your brand voice
  3. Edit and send — or set the right automation up so future similar messages get handled automatically (see Inbox Automations)
  4. Mark items resolved or dismissed so the queue reflects real work left

This guide is the manual workflow. For rules that respond automatically, see Inbox Automations.

Before you start

  • Connect the accounts whose inbox you want to see (Workspace Settings → Social Connections).
  • (Optional) Fill out your Brand Profile so AI-drafted replies sound like you.

Step 1 — Open Inbox

  1. In the left sidebar, click 📥 Inbox.
  2. The page splits into three parts:
    • Filters on the left (by platform, by item type, by status)
    • Item list in the middle (the queue)
    • Detail panel on the right (opens when you click an item)

Step 2 — Triage the queue

The default view shows unresolved items sorted by most recent.

  1. Scan the list — each row shows: platform icon, sender name, item type (comment / DM / mention), short preview, and arrival time.
  2. Click any row to open the detail panel on the right.
  3. The detail panel shows: the full message, the post it was on (for comments), the sender's profile link, and earlier messages with this sender if any.

Step 3 — Draft and send a reply

  1. With an item open, click Draft reply at the bottom of the detail panel.
  2. Aidelly generates an AI draft that:
    • Uses your brand voice
    • References the post the comment was on (when applicable)
    • Matches the comment's tone (warm vs. transactional)
  3. Read the draft and edit anything.
  4. Click Send.
  5. Where the platform supports it (see Where replies send), the reply is sent through the platform and the item moves to resolved. On platforms that can't receive a reply from Aidelly, Send only marks the item handled and nothing is posted.

Brand voice tip: if AI replies sound generic, your Brand Profile needs more detail. See Brand Profile.

Where replies send

Not every platform lets Aidelly send a reply. This is what happens when you click Send in the Inbox.

PlatformSends from the Inbox?
InstagramYes, DMs and comments
YouTubeYes, comments
XYes, replies to mentions. X DMs can't be sent from Aidelly: you'll see an error, so reply on X and then mark the conversation handled
ThreadsYes, replies to comments
Google Business ProfileYes, review replies
Facebook PagesYes, comments and DMs, where Facebook inbox is enabled
LinkedInYes, comments only (no DMs), where LinkedIn inbox is enabled
Mastodon and othersNo. The item is marked handled and nothing is sent

The public API and MCP (aidelly_reply_to_inbox_item) are narrower than the Inbox. Through them, replies send on Instagram (DMs and comments), Mastodon, and Google Business Profile reviews. For any other platform the call succeeds with sent: false: the item is marked handled but no reply is posted. Calling it with an empty message also only marks the item handled (sent: false).

Step 4 — Send a manual reply

Sometimes AI isn't the right tool — a customer-service issue, a sensitive complaint, etc.

  1. With an item open, type your reply directly in the response box.
  2. Click Send.
  3. The item moves to resolved. As with drafted replies, the message is only delivered on the platforms in Where replies send.

Step 5 — Dismiss instead of replying

For spam, bots, or anything that doesn't need a response:

  1. With an item open, click Dismiss at the top of the detail panel.
  2. Optionally choose a reason (Spam, Bot, Resolved offline, Other).
  3. The item moves to dismissed and is hidden from the default view.

Step 6 — Force a sync

Aidelly syncs your inbox every few minutes via webhooks where supported. To force a fresh pull:

  1. Click Sync now at the top of the queue.
  2. Wait for the spinner to clear (usually 5–15 seconds).
  3. New items appear at the top.

Why this matters: for platforms without webhooks, the inbox polls on a schedule instead of updating instantly. Force-sync if you expect a message and don't see it.

Step 7 — Reach for automations when a pattern shows up

If you see the same kind of message three or four times, automate it.

  1. Click Automations in the tab strip at the top of the page.
  2. Or click Create rule from this item in the detail panel — Aidelly pre-fills the trigger based on the message you're viewing.
  3. See Inbox Automations for the full workflow.

Common pitfalls

  • The inbox feels overwhelming. Use filters: filter to just the platform with the biggest backlog, or just DMs (which are usually higher priority than public comments).
  • The AI draft references the wrong post. That happens when the platform's API doesn't link the comment to the original post cleanly. Edit the draft to fix the reference.
  • I sent a reply but nothing appeared on the platform. Check Where replies send. On platforms Aidelly can't reply to, Send only marks the item handled.
  • Replies fail to send. Most common cause: the connection re-auth expired. Reconnect under Workspace Settings → Social Connections.
  • My own comments show up in the inbox. Toggle "Hide comments from my connected accounts" in the filters.

What to do next

Related guides