Setup Guide

Get GoApus running in under 10 minutes

Follow each step in order — from installing the app to launching your first outreach session. The whole process takes less than 10 minutes if you have your API key ready.

Windows 10 or 11 64-bit required. No Mac version yet.

Google Chrome Must be installed. The agent uses Chrome to navigate Instagram.

Stable Internet Required continuously while the agent runs.

Active Instagram Account At least 2 weeks old. Warm up brand-new accounts manually first.

Step One

System Requirements

GoApus is a Windows desktop application. The four items in the checklist above are everything you need. If Chrome is not installed, download it at google.com/chrome before continuing — the agent cannot run without it.

Step Two

Installation

1

Download the GoApus installer (.exe file) from the link provided after purchase.
2

Double-click the installer and follow the on-screen steps. No special permissions or configuration needed.
3

Once installed, open GoApus from the desktop shortcut or the Start menu.

Windows Defender warning: On first run, Windows may show a security warning because the app is not yet code-signed. Click "More info" then "Run anyway" to proceed. This is expected for new Windows apps without an EV certificate — it does not mean the app is unsafe.

Step Three

First Launch & Instagram Login

When GoApus opens for the first time, it launches a Chrome browser window. Log in to Instagram through this window — the app controls Chrome to operate your account.

1

In the GoApus sidebar, click Dashboard.
2

If no Instagram account is connected, the app opens a Chrome window showing Instagram's login page.
3

Log in with your Instagram username and password as normal.
4

If Instagram asks for a verification code (SMS or email), enter it in the same browser window.
5

Return to GoApus. The top of the sidebar will show your Instagram username with a green dot — the account is connected.

Do not close the Chrome window while the agent is running. GoApus controls it automatically — closing it stops the agent.

Two-factor authentication (2FA): If your account has 2FA enabled, enter the code in the Chrome browser as usual. Instagram remembers the session after a successful login.

Step Four

LLM API Key Setup

GoApus uses an AI language model to write personalised DMs, classify leads, and power the Sales Agent inbox. You need at least one API key from one of these providers:

Recommended

Claude (Anthropic)

Best DM quality and most natural replies.
console.anthropic.com → API Keys

GPT

OpenAI

GPT-4o and GPT-4 models.
platform.openai.com → API Keys

Google Gemini

Gemini 1.5 Pro and Flash.
aistudio.google.com → Get API Key

How to add your key

1

Open GoApus and click Settings in the sidebar.
2

Click the AI tab.
3

Paste your API key into the field for your provider (Claude, OpenAI, or Gemini).
4

Select the matching provider in the Active model dropdown.
5

Click Save.

Billing note: API usage is billed directly by the provider — GoApus does not charge for AI usage. Claude's free tier works for testing; add a payment method at console.anthropic.com for active outreach sessions to avoid hitting rate limits.

Step Five

App Settings

Go to Settings in the sidebar. These caps prevent Instagram from flagging unusual activity. Start conservative and increase limits gradually over 2–3 weeks as the account warms up.

Action	Recommended starting limit
Likes per day	80 – 120
Follows per day	30 – 50
DMs per day	10 – 20
Comments per day	20 – 40

DM Pacing Automation tab

Sets the minimum gap between consecutive DMs. Start with 30–60 minutes between DMs — separate from the daily DM limit, this keeps your account's behaviour looking natural.

Auto-approve Automation tab

When enabled, the agent executes tasks automatically. Keep this off when starting out — review every action in the Task Queue before it runs so you understand exactly what the agent is doing.

Task Queue Sidebar

With Auto-approve off, all pending tasks appear here. Click Approve to execute or Reject to discard. The safest way to start — you see every action before it happens.

Data Saver Mode Browser tab

On a mobile hotspot or limited data plan? Enable this. It blocks images, videos, and third-party trackers from loading in Chrome — reduces data usage by 85–95% with no impact on agent functionality.

Step Six

Agent Instructions

Go to Instructions in the sidebar. This is the most important configuration step — the quality of every DM the agent sends depends on how specifically you define these five fields.

The more specific your instructions, the better the DMs. Generic instructions produce generic DMs that get ignored. Spend 5–10 minutes here — it pays off in every message the agent sends.

Field 1

Account Description

Describe whose account this is and what they offer. Be concrete.

"This is the Instagram account of a freelance video editor who specializes in short-form content for e-commerce brands."

Field 2

Target Audience

Who should the agent reach out to? Name specific account types, industries, follower ranges. The agent uses this for lead classification.

"E-commerce brand owners, Shopify store owners, and marketing managers at product brands with 5,000–500,000 followers. They post about product launches, brand content, or social media."

Field 3

DM Style & Tone

How should the agent write DMs? Be specific about formality, length, and what to avoid.

"Casual, direct, and short. No emojis. No pitching immediately — open with a genuine compliment on their content or a question. Max 3 sentences for the first message."

Field 4

Value Proposition

What do you offer, in one or two sentences? The agent uses this to craft relevant openers.

"We help e-commerce brands grow on social media through high-quality short-form video edits. We've worked with 30+ brands and specialize in Reels and TikTok."

Field 5

Disqualifiers

Who should the agent skip? Prevents wasted outreach on irrelevant accounts.

"Skip accounts that are personal fitness pages, motivational quote accounts, or accounts with fewer than 1,000 followers."

Step Seven

Using the Assistant

The Assistant at the top of the sidebar is a chat interface powered by the same AI model. It has full context of your settings, instructions, and recent activity — and it can read and modify your configuration directly when you ask.

Update my target audience to focus on SaaS founders instead of e-commerce

What is the Lead Warmup feature and how do I set it up?

Why is the agent not sending DMs?

Show me my current DM daily limit and increase it to 25

Make my DMs sound less formal — rewrite my tone instructions

Use the Assistant as your first stop for any question. It can diagnose issues, update settings, and explain any feature in plain language.

Step Eight

Starting the Agent

Go to Missions in the sidebar. Missions tell the agent what outreach tasks to run. The four mission types form a pipeline — each handling a different stage of the lead journey.

Hashtag Scanner

Finds leads by scanning posts under your target hashtags

Lead Engagement

Automatically likes posts from leads in your list

Lead Warmup

Runs a timed like → follow → DM sequence over several days

Sales Agent

Monitors your DM inbox and replies automatically to leads who respond

Recommended first setup

1

Enable Hashtag Scanner with 3–5 hashtags your ideal clients post under.
2

Enable Lead Engagement to start warming up the leads the scanner finds.
3

Enable Lead Warmup and configure a 2–3 step sequence (like → follow → DM) in the sidebar.
4

Click Start Agent at the bottom of the sidebar. The status indicator next to your username turns green — the agent is working.

Monitor from the Dashboard: today's activity counts (likes, follows, DMs), the live Task Queue, and a browser view showing Chrome as the agent navigates. Click Stop Agent at any time — it finishes the current action and stops cleanly.

Troubleshooting

Common Questions

The app says Google Chrome is required but I have it installed.

Make sure Chrome is installed for all users, not just the current Windows account. Reinstall Chrome from google.com/chrome, choosing "Install for all users" during setup.

Instagram keeps asking me to verify my login.

This is normal for first-time logins or logins from a new computer. Complete the verification in the Chrome window GoApus opens. After a successful login, Instagram remembers the session and stops asking.

The DMs don't sound like me.

Edit your Instructions — specifically the DM style and tone and value proposition fields. The more specific and personal you make them, the more natural the DMs will sound. Ask the in-app Assistant to help you rewrite them.

The agent is running but no DMs are being sent.

Check four things: (1) Lead Warmup is enabled and has at least one DM step configured, (2) there are leads in your Leads list with warmup enabled, (3) your daily DM limit is above 0 in Settings, and (4) the DM pacing gap has elapsed since the last DM was sent.

Can I run GoApus on multiple Instagram accounts?

Currently GoApus supports one Instagram account per installation. Each account requires a separate installation on a separate computer or a separate Windows user profile.

You're all set

GoApus is running, your instructions are configured, and your first outreach session is live. Check the Dashboard daily to monitor activity — and use the in-app Assistant any time you have questions.

Contact Support if you need help