Why did that reel blow up? Ask Claude.

Claude Code can browse your competitors' Instagram in your own Chrome, rank their reels, and explain why the winners worked. No scraper API and no transcript service. Here is the setup, the exact prompt, and the safety limits.

1. 01

   Install the extension

   Claude in Chrome, version 1.0.36 or newer.

2. 02

   Start Claude with Chrome

   Run claude --chrome and check with /chrome.

3. 03

   Log in yourself

   Type your own password on Instagram's page.

4. 04

   Run the prompt

   Start with 3 competitors, not 30.

5. 05

   Rewrite the winner

   Ask Claude to redo the top ideas in your tone.

1. What you need

• Google Chrome.
• The Claude in Chrome extension, version 1.0.36 or newer: claude.com/claude-in-chrome.
• Claude Code, and a paid Claude plan.

Do this today: check that your Claude plan includes Claude Code.

2. Connect Claude to Chrome

Update Claude Code, then start it with the Chrome flag.

claude update
claude --chrome

Type /chrome inside Claude Code to check the connection.

Do this today: run both commands and confirm /chrome says it is connected.

3. Log in yourself

Open Instagram in that Chrome window. Type your own password on the Instagram login page.

Do not paste your Instagram ID and password into the chat. The extension works in your own browser session, so once you are logged in, Claude can already see what you see. Passwords typed into a chat end up in your conversation history.

Do this today: log in, then close tabs you do not need, such as email and banking.

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4. Run the prompt

Paste this, with your own handles:

Use my logged-in Chrome. Visit these Instagram profiles one at a time: [handle1, handle2, ...].

For each profile, open the 10 most recent reels and record: link, post date, views, likes, comments, the first spoken or on-screen line (the hook), the format, and a one-line summary.

Rank the reels by views relative to that account's usual numbers. Show me the top 10 overall. Save everything to a CSV file and stop if Instagram shows any warning or login check.

Then add this:

Take the top 3 reels. Explain why each hook works, then rewrite each idea in my tone of voice: [describe your tone]. Keep each under 80 words.

Do this today: try it on 3 competitors, not 30.

5. Skills you can add

• claude-chrome: teaches Claude to control your logged-in Chrome.
• browser-ops: browser research rules, login checks and short read-only sessions.
• instagram-research: finds outlier reels and analyzes hooks. Needs an Apify account.
• reels-scripting: reverse-engineers a reel and writes a new script. Needs Apify and Gemini.

Read any third-party skill's SKILL.md before you install it.

Sources: Claude for Chrome, openskillindex.com Chrome integration guide, contextbolt.com Claude in Chrome notes.

Do this today: install one skill. Read it first.

6. Stay safe

• Instagram may flag fast browsing. Keep sessions short, and consider an account you can afford to risk.
• A logged-in browser carries risk. An agent in your session can reach anything you can reach.
• A web page can contain text meant to steer the AI. Do not let Claude act on instructions found on a page.
• Instagram does not show view counts the same way everywhere. Treat the ranking as a guide.
• Automated access may go against Instagram's terms of service. You use this at your own risk.

Do this today: set a limit. Short sessions, few profiles.

Get the free guide

The steps, the prompt and the skill links in one PDF.

Download the PDF

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