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@sbolel
Last active June 1, 2025 14:57
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Instagram Comment Activity Deleter: Automate the deletion of all your Instagram comments from the 'Your Activity' section. Perfect for quick digital clean-up.
/**
* This script automates the process of deleting your own Instagram comments.
* It deletes comments in batches to avoid hitting rate limits or breaking the page.
*
* WARNING: This function directly manipulates the DOM and depends on the current HTML
* structure of Instagram's website to work. If Instagram implements changes to the
* activity page layout, structure, or functionality, this script may break or cause
* unexpected behavior. Use at your own risk and always review code before running it.
*
* How to use:
* 1. Navigate to the Instagram comments page by going to:
* https://www.instagram.com/your_activity/interactions/comments
* 2. Open the developer console in your web browser:
* - Chrome/Firefox: Press Ctrl+Shift+J (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Option+J (Mac)
* - Safari: Enable the Develop menu in Safari's Advanced preferences, then press Cmd+Option+C
* 3. Copy and paste this entire script into the console and press Enter to run it.
*
* How to navigate to the comments page on instagram.com:
* 1. Log in to Instagram on a desktop browser.
* 2. Go to your profile by clicking on the profile icon at the bottom right.
* 3. Click on "Your Activity" in the menu.
* 4. Select "Interactions" and then "Comments".
* 5. Follow the usage steps above to run this script.
*/
;(async function () {
// Constants
/** @const {number} - The number of comments to delete in each batch. */
const DELETION_BATCH_SIZE = 3
/** @const {number} - The delay between actions in milliseconds. */
const DELAY_BETWEEN_ACTIONS_MS = 1000
/** @const {number} - The delay between clicking the checkboxes in milliseconds. */
const DELAY_BETWEEN_CHECKBOX_CLICKS_MS = 300
/** @const {number} - The maximum number of retries for waiting operations */
const MAX_RETRIES = 60
/**
* Utility function that delays execution for a given amount of time.
* @param {number} ms - The milliseconds to delay.
* @returns {Promise<void>} A promise that resolves after the specified delay.
*/
const delay = (ms) => new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, ms))
/**
* Utility function that waits for an element to appear in the DOM before resolving.
* @param {string} selector - The CSS selector of the element to wait for.
* @param {number} [timeout=30000] - The maximum time to wait in milliseconds.
* @returns {Promise<Element>} A promise that resolves with the found element.
* @throws {Error} If the element is not found within the timeout period.
*/
const waitForElement = async (selector, timeout = 30000) => {
const startTime = Date.now()
while (Date.now() - startTime < timeout) {
const element = document.querySelector(selector)
if (element) return element
await delay(100)
}
throw new Error(`Element with selector "${selector}" not found within ${timeout}ms`)
}
/**
* Utility function that clicks on a given element.
* @param {Element} element - The element to click.
* @throws {Error} If the element is not found.
*/
const clickElement = async (element) => {
if (!element) throw new Error('Element not found')
element.click()
}
/**
* Waits for the "Select" button to reappear after the page loads more comments
* following the deletion of a batch of comments when the "Select" button
* is hidden while a spinner indicates that more comments are loading.
* @returns {Promise<void>} A promise that resolves when the select button reappears.
* @throws {Error} If the select button is not found after maximum retries.
*/
const waitForSelectButton = async () => {
for (let i = 0; i < MAX_RETRIES; i++) {
const buttonCount = document.querySelectorAll('[role="button"]')?.length
if (buttonCount > 1) return
await delay(1000)
}
throw new Error('Select button not found after maximum retries')
}
/**
* Deletes the currently selected comments.
* @returns {Promise<void>} A promise that resolves when the comments are deleted.
*/
const deleteSelectedComments = async () => {
try {
const deleteButton = await waitForElement('[aria-label="Delete"]')
await clickElement(deleteButton)
await delay(DELAY_BETWEEN_ACTIONS_MS)
const confirmButton = await waitForElement('button[tabindex="0"]')
await clickElement(confirmButton)
} catch (error) {
console.error('Error during comment deletion:', error.message)
}
}
/**
* Deletes all user comments by selecting comments in batches.
* @returns {Promise<void>} A promise that resolves when all comments are deleted.
*/
const deleteActivity = async () => {
try {
while (true) {
const [, selectButton] = document.querySelectorAll('[role="button"]')
if (!selectButton) throw new Error('Select button not found')
await clickElement(selectButton)
await delay(DELAY_BETWEEN_ACTIONS_MS)
const checkboxes = document.querySelectorAll('[aria-label="Toggle checkbox"]')
if (checkboxes.length === 0) {
console.log('No more comments to delete')
break
}
for (let i = 0; i < Math.min(DELETION_BATCH_SIZE, checkboxes.length); i++) {
await clickElement(checkboxes[i])
await delay(DELAY_BETWEEN_CHECKBOX_CLICKS_MS)
}
await delay(DELAY_BETWEEN_ACTIONS_MS)
await deleteSelectedComments()
await delay(DELAY_BETWEEN_ACTIONS_MS)
await waitForSelectButton()
await delay(DELAY_BETWEEN_ACTIONS_MS)
}
} catch (error) {
console.error('Error in deleteActivity:', error.message)
}
}
// Start the deletion process
try {
await deleteActivity()
console.log('Activity deletion completed')
} catch (error) {
console.error('Fatal error:', error.message)
}
})()
@gerwld
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gerwld commented Sep 13, 2024

However, it doesn't loop and breaks out of the script without the select button being shown.

try to use absolute XPath, for me it fixed that problem

@viserys73
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it doesn't work for me i tried but it just give open the selection mode then it returns to viewing mode. can you give me the code with out any explanation like raw code?

@YigitS9
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YigitS9 commented Nov 27, 2024

Thank you Sinan, this was really helpful.

@sbolel
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sbolel commented Dec 2, 2024

@YigitS9 glad it helped!

@sbolel
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sbolel commented Dec 2, 2024

I'll add some context just in case you got the same error as I had - No more comments to delete. You have to switch your interface language to english. Otherways it wouldn't work because of the querySelectors values. Hope it helps someone.

By the way, huge thank you for that script, sbolel!

@gerwld thanks for the suggestion! and you're welcome, glad it helped!

@sbolel
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sbolel commented Dec 2, 2024

It would be cool to add some sort of a username whitelist to the script, so I can just delete the comments from people I don't follow.

@drHyperion451 i thought about the same thing, and i'd love to do that but it's a little tough. maybe in the future!

@BrysonQ50
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Hi there! Where does the script start? Line 24 or 25? Sorry I’m new to this.

@sbolel
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sbolel commented Dec 10, 2024

Hi there! Where does the script start? Line 24 or 25? Sorry I’m new to this.

line 25! the rest are comments.

Here's a minified version of it on one line:

;(async function(){const DELETION_BATCH_SIZE=3,DELAY_BETWEEN_ACTIONS_MS=1000,DELAY_BETWEEN_CHECKBOX_CLICKS_MS=300,MAX_RETRIES=60;const delay=ms=>new Promise(resolve=>setTimeout(resolve,ms)),waitForElement=async(selector,timeout=30000)=>{const startTime=Date.now();while(Date.now()-startTime<timeout){const element=document.querySelector(selector);if(element)return element;await delay(100)}throw new Error(`Element with selector "${selector}" not found within ${timeout}ms`)},clickElement=async element=>{if(!element)throw new Error('Element not found');element.click()},waitForSelectButton=async()=>{for(let i=0;i<MAX_RETRIES;i++){const buttonCount=document.querySelectorAll('[role="button"]').length;if(buttonCount>1)return;await delay(1000)}throw new Error('Select button not found after maximum retries')},deleteSelectedComments=async()=>{try{const deleteButton=await waitForElement('[aria-label="Delete"]');await clickElement(deleteButton);await delay(DELAY_BETWEEN_ACTIONS_MS);const confirmButton=await waitForElement('button[tabindex="0"]');await clickElement(confirmButton)}catch(error){console.error('Error during comment deletion:',error.message)}},deleteActivity=async()=>{try{while(true){const [,selectButton]=document.querySelectorAll('[role="button"]');if(!selectButton)throw new Error('Select button not found');await clickElement(selectButton);await delay(DELAY_BETWEEN_ACTIONS_MS);const checkboxes=document.querySelectorAll('[aria-label="Toggle checkbox"]');if(checkboxes.length===0){console.log('No more comments to delete');break}for(let i=0;i<Math.min(DELETION_BATCH_SIZE,checkboxes.length);i++){await clickElement(checkboxes[i]);await delay(DELAY_BETWEEN_CHECKBOX_CLICKS_MS)}await delay(DELAY_BETWEEN_ACTIONS_MS);await deleteSelectedComments();await delay(DELAY_BETWEEN_ACTIONS_MS);await waitForSelectButton();await delay(DELAY_BETWEEN_ACTIONS_MS)}}catch(error){console.error('Error in deleteActivity:',error.message)}},start=async()=>{try{await deleteActivity();console.log('Activity deletion completed')}catch(error){console.error('Fatal error:',error.message)}};start()})();

@BrysonQ50
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Hi there! Where does the script start? Line 24 or 25? Sorry I’m new to this.

line 25! the rest are comments.

Thank you.

@fpsheaven
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The script works as long as you are carefull with it.
The main issue is that instagram will lock the API and you are really limited with issues like that.
I tried to modify it to call the API and load new content but you cant send API calls via the browser.
Infact, you can not do anything with the IG api if you are not a business account.
If i find a way to automatically fetch new data, i will fork the script and let you know.

@sbolel
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sbolel commented Dec 27, 2024

@fpsheaven yeah unfortunately you can't use the API to delete your own comments. That's why I went with the in-browser route. If you find a different approach, let me know!

@ArtOfficialIntelligence

It breaks for me after selecting 100 items, so I modified to stop at 100

!async function(){let e=e=>new Promise(t=>setTimeout(t,e)),t=async(t,a=3e4)=>{let r=Date.now();for(;Date.now()-r<a;){let o=document.querySelector(t);if(o)return o;await e(100)}throw Error(Element with selector "${t}" not found within ${a}ms)},a=async e=>{if(!e)throw Error("Element not found");e.click()},r=async()=>{for(let t=0;t<60;t++){if(document.querySelectorAll('[role="button"]').length>1)return;await e(1e3)}throw Error("Select button not found after maximum retries")},o=async()=>{try{await a(await t('[aria-label="Delete"]')),await e(1e3);await a(await t('button[tabindex="0"]'))}catch(r){console.error("Error during comment deletion:",r.message)}},l=async()=>{try{for(;;){let[,t]=document.querySelectorAll('[role="button"]');if(!t)throw Error("Select button not found");await a(t),await e(1e3);let l=document.querySelectorAll('[aria-label="Toggle checkbox"]');if(0===l.length){console.log("No more comments to delete");break}let i=0;for(let n of l){if(i>=100)break;await a(n),i++,await e(300)}await e(1e3),await o(),await e(1e3),await r(),await e(1e3)}}catch(c){console.error("Error in deleteActivity:",c.message)}};(async()=>{try{await l(),console.log("Activity deletion completed")}catch(e){console.error("Fatal error:",e.message)}})()}();

@jobbiecivanne
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Commenting in 2025! I am no coder but was wondering if you could offer some assistance in creating an adjustment to where it doesn't delete comments on posts from people that I follow or my posts? Is that something doable? Thanks!

@gabriellobato1987
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gabriellobato1987 commented Feb 14, 2025

This helped me SO MUCH, that i decided to create this account and share an IMPROVEMENT.

This script is based on the original in the post, BUT, there's some features.

1 - It forces the height of the DIV that contains the comments, DIV-> (_ab81) to be 10000px, that way it gets more comments at once, since the size matters to list the coments that will be deleted, in the original version you could get 3... maybe 20 if you edited it, because of the height of the DIV containing the comments.

Now it gets a lot of comments, and it deletes 99 comments at once (the limit is 100 on instagram if you are doing it manually).
You can set it to 99, but i strongly recommend to keep 40 (i did some tests and it works better with 40 or 50 comments deleted at once, because more comments equals to more time to reload the page and bring new comments, and also too many being deleted at once increases the risk of INSTAGRAM ERROR MESSAGE.

2 - If something goes WRONG (which happened a lot for me, an error message from instagram), the original script would end and thats it, you had to refresh the page to get new comments and run the script again.

3 - Sometimes the original script thinks its done, and breaks/end. It happens because no new comments are loaded in the page due to a delay from instagram, so now it waits longer, ignores the instagram 'wrong messages' and restart again from ZERO.

Now, it detects the WRONG message, and clicks "OK", to reload coments without refreshing the page, and ALSO restarts the script from ZERO, so you don't have to run it again mannually.

So basically, it makes the window bigger, to get more comments at once, the delay between actions is bigger to give enought time to load more content to delete, and then selects it, deletes it, like it did before, but if there's an error message, he says its ok, reload the page, the new comments, scroll down simulating ah human behavior to get more comments, delete, and repeat it all again.

Because the loop is almost infinite, you have to check on it sometimes to see if it's running without messages, because it may delete everything and keeps running forever, so you have to turn it off my closing the window, and them check if it is ok.

IT SAVES TIME, THANKS AGAIN FOR THE ORIGINAL ONE, I MADE THIS ONE WITH CHATGPT (since i'm not a developer, just know the basics about php/css/html).

ENJOY!

;(async function () {
// Constants
/** @const {number} - The number of comments to delete in each batch. */
const DELETION_BATCH_SIZE = 40

/** @const {number} - The delay between major actions in milliseconds. */
const DELAY_BETWEEN_ACTIONS_MS = 3000

/**

  • Now, the delay between each checkbox click is 100ms.
    */
    const DELAY_BETWEEN_CHECKBOX_CLICKS_MS = 100

/** @const {number} - The maximum number of retries for waiting operations. */
const MAX_RETRIES = 100

/**

  • Simple delay function.
  • @param {number} ms
  • @returns {Promise}
    */
    function delay(ms) {
    return new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, ms))
    }

/**

  • Slowly scrolls the page in 'steps' increments over a total duration of 'totalDurationMs'.
  • Example: slowScrollDown(10000, 10) → scrolls in 200 steps over 60s.
  • @param {number} [totalDurationMs=60000] Total time in ms (default = 60s)
  • @param {number} [steps=50] Number of increments
    */
    async function slowScrollDown(totalDurationMs = 10000, steps = 10) {
    const totalHeight = document.body.scrollHeight
    const stepHeight = totalHeight / steps
    const stepDelay = totalDurationMs / steps
// Start at the top
window.scrollTo(0, 0)

for (let i = 0; i < steps; i++) {
  // Scroll down another "stepHeight"
  window.scrollBy(0, stepHeight)
  // Wait for the duration of each step
  await delay(stepDelay)
}
// At the end, ensure it is at the bottom
window.scrollTo(0, document.body.scrollHeight)

}

/**

  • Waits until an element matching the selector is found, or fails after 'timeout' ms.
  • @param {string} selector
  • @param {number} [timeout=30000]
  • @returns {Promise}
    */
    async function waitForElement(selector, timeout) {
    if (timeout === undefined) {
    timeout = 30000
    }
    const startTime = Date.now()
    while (Date.now() - startTime < timeout) {
    const el = document.querySelector(selector)
    if (el) return el
    await delay(100)
    }
    throw new Error(
    'Element with selector "' + selector + '" not found within ' + timeout + 'ms'
    )
    }

/**

  • Clicks on an element.
  • @param {Element} element
    */
    async function clickElement(element) {
    if (!element) throw new Error('Element not found')
    element.click()
    }

/**

  • Checks if there is a "wrong" message on the screen; if so, clicks "OK" and scrolls to the top.
    */
    async function handleWrongMessage() {
    const possibleMessages = document.querySelectorAll('div, span, p')
    for (const msg of possibleMessages) {
    if (msg.textContent.toLowerCase().includes('wrong')) {
    const allButtons = document.querySelectorAll('button')
    for (const btn of allButtons) {
    if (/^(ok)$/i.test(btn.textContent.trim())) {
    await clickElement(btn)
    await delay(500)
    // Scroll to the top after clicking "OK"
    window.scrollTo(0, 0)
    break
    }
    }
    break
    }
    }
    }

/**

  • Waits until the "Select" button reappears after a deletion batch.
    */
    async function waitForSelectButton() {
    for (let i = 0; i < MAX_RETRIES; i++) {
    const buttonCount = document.querySelectorAll('[role="button"]').length
    if (buttonCount > 1) return
    await delay(1000)
    }
    throw new Error('Select button not found after maximum retries')
    }

/**

  • Deletes the selected comments. After "Delete" and "Confirm", scrolls to the top.
    */
    async function deleteSelectedComments() {
    try {
    const deleteButton = await waitForElement('[aria-label="Delete"]')
    await clickElement(deleteButton)
    // Wait a bit before clicking "Confirm"
    await delay(DELAY_BETWEEN_ACTIONS_MS)

    const confirmButton = await waitForElement('button[tabindex="0"]')
    await clickElement(confirmButton)
    // Scroll to the top after clicking "Delete" and "Confirm"
    window.scrollTo(0, 0)

    // Check for "wrong"
    await handleWrongMessage()
    } catch (error) {
    console.error('Error during comment deletion:', error.message)
    }
    }

/**

  • Main loop flow:
    1. Forces the ._ab81 element to 10000px height.
    1. Waits 30 seconds.
    1. Gradually scrolls down the page in 60s (increments of 200 steps).
    1. Clicks on "Select", selects 99 items, and deletes them.
    1. Infinite loop.
      */
      async function deleteActivity() {
      try {
      while (true) {
      // 1) Capture the 2nd button => "Select"
      const allButtons = document.querySelectorAll('[role="button"]')
      const selectButton = allButtons[1]
      if (!selectButton) {
      throw new Error('Select button not found')
      }

      // 2) Force the ._ab81 element to 10000px height.
      const targetDiv = document.querySelector('._ab81')
      if (targetDiv) {
      targetDiv.style.setProperty('height', '10000px', 'important')
      targetDiv.style.setProperty('overflow', 'hidden', 'important')
      }

      // 3) Wait 30 seconds before any action
      await delay(30000)

      // 4) Now the slow scroll occurs over 1 minute (60000ms) in 200 steps
      await slowScrollDown(10000, 10)

      // 5) Click on "Select"
      await clickElement(selectButton)
      await delay(DELAY_BETWEEN_ACTIONS_MS)

      // 6) Check for "wrong"
      await handleWrongMessage()

      // 7) Search for checkboxes
      const checkboxes = document.querySelectorAll('[aria-label="Toggle checkbox"]')
      if (checkboxes.length === 0) {
      console.log('No more comments to delete')
      return
      }

      // 8) Select up to 99
      for (let i = 0; i < Math.min(DELETION_BATCH_SIZE, checkboxes.length); i++) {
      await clickElement(checkboxes[i])
      await delay(DELAY_BETWEEN_CHECKBOX_CLICKS_MS)
      }

      // 9) Delete
      await delay(DELAY_BETWEEN_ACTIONS_MS)
      await deleteSelectedComments()
      await delay(DELAY_BETWEEN_ACTIONS_MS)

      // 10) Check for "wrong"
      await handleWrongMessage()

      // 11) Wait for "Select" to appear again
      await waitForSelectButton()
      await delay(DELAY_BETWEEN_ACTIONS_MS)

      // 12) Check for "wrong" again
      await handleWrongMessage()
      }
      } catch (error) {
      console.error('Error in deleteActivity:', error.message)
      }
      }

// Infinite loop: if it ends or an error occurs, it restarts
while (true) {
try {
await deleteActivity()
console.log('Activity deletion completed')
} catch (error) {
console.error('Fatal error:', error.message)
}
// Wait 2s and restart
await delay(2000)
}
})()

@sbolel
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sbolel commented Feb 16, 2025

@gabriellobato1987 wow thanks for the contribution! I'm glad to hear this helped you out. I'll check out your changes and update the original with the diff. I'll also add a contributors line in the header comment block.

thanks again for putting in time to improve this.

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ghost commented Feb 19, 2025

Hey now it suddenly shows You havent commented anything thts wierd cuz it was at 6weeks before comments only i am new to it can u help ?

@gabriellobato1987
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Run the new code and let it running without intervene... it will load the comments, this message you saw is an error from instagram and it happens a lot, that's why the new script runs in a infinite loop.

@lwell
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lwell commented Feb 20, 2025

THANK YOU!! I've been looking for this for years. i let it run for 3 hours while I was working, and it worked flawlessly. Even though at one point Instagram glitched and the page stopped refreshing, it still managed to delete everything.

@Junklov2r
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I tried it in both chrome and firefox and it doesn't work at all ,doesn't select any of the boxes

this message keeps popping up ;

No more comments to delete VM140:93
Activity deletion completed VM140:116

@gabriellobato1987
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I tried it in both chrome and firefox and it doesn't work at all ,doesn't select any of the boxes

this message keeps popping up ;

No more comments to delete VM140:93 Activity deletion completed VM140:116

Did you use the first one or the new one a few comments bellow?
This error "No more comments to delete" its an error from Instagram, that's why the new version has a infinite loop, so it keeps running until instagram gets more comments.

@Junklov2r
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I tried it in both chrome and firefox and it doesn't work at all ,doesn't select any of the boxes
this message keeps popping up ;
No more comments to delete VM140:93 Activity deletion completed VM140:116

Did you use the first one or the new one a few comments bellow? This error "No more comments to delete" its an error from Instagram, that's why the new version has a infinite loop, so it keeps running until instagram gets more comments.

I tried both and it doesn't work at all, I left it running for about 2 hours, it doesn't select boxes and comments are not deleted

@65156
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65156 commented Feb 28, 2025

I get this error now

VM522:98 Error during comment deletion: Element with selector "button[tabindex="0"]" not found within 30000ms

any ideas?

@justaguy101-yup
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it does not seem to find the deletion button. I am a doctor so almost no knowledge about these stuff, I tried to fix it with AI but nope.

@bg2183
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bg2183 commented Mar 30, 2025

Hi there,
I'm getting the following error. Any workarounds?
Screenshot 2025-03-30 at 3 36 43 PM

@TungTungTungTungSahur
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Doesn't delete the comments, please fix.

@matthieulbrn
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Agree with Tung, the version doesn't work.

@braunglasrakete
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braunglasrakete commented Apr 14, 2025

After several tries, I got it fixed. I created a fork, feel free to give it a try.

@sociallyawkwardbats
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i'm having the same issue as justaguy and 65156 where it can't find the delete button

@braunglasrakete
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i'm having the same issue as justaguy and 65156 where it can't find the delete button

use my fork, it works mostly for now
https://gist.github.com/braunglasrakete/837a136af79b43f1de8af41170849601

@sociallyawkwardbats
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sociallyawkwardbats commented Jun 1, 2025

i'm having the same issue as justaguy and 65156 where it can't find the delete button

use my fork, it works mostly for now https://gist.github.com/braunglasrakete/837a136af79b43f1de8af41170849601

oh it works! thank you!!! but now it does the thing where it stops working because instagram takes loads of time to reload

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