When a Page comment stays public only.

Checks

Use this list in order.

• The Page is connected in Connected Accounts, not only the Instagram profile.
• The workspace is on Pro, Growth, or Business.
• The comment text matches the keyword.
• A next-post rule is still waiting if you have not opened Automations since you published.
• You have not already used the private reply on that comment.
• No second app owns the Messenger thread.

Check account, match, and delivery independently

First establish that the event belongs to a connected Facebook Page rather than a personal profile, Group, or Instagram account. Then confirm that the Page rule is enabled and applies to the intended post. A next-post rule attaches when you open Automations after you publish, or when a later comment arrives on a newer post. The workspace must have a Page-enabled entitlement on Pro or above. Keep the exact comment and keyword in your notes. A comment that looks close to the caption prompt can still fail the configured matcher, so compare saved settings rather than relying on memory.

A workflow to try

Post a fresh test comment from an independent profile on the correct Page post. Look for the public reply, then check Messenger and message requests for the private response. If the public response appears but the message does not, focus on private-reply eligibility, recipient settings, and the send result. If neither appears, focus on account access, rule matching, and scope. Test an inbound Messenger keyword separately to learn whether all Page messaging is affected or only comment-led entry.

Checks before you change the setup

A private reply already used on the same comment is not a clean second test. Create a new eligible interaction rather than repeatedly editing an old comment. Disable overlapping Business Suite and third-party responses for the test keyword so the result is attributable. If the first message works but a later reminder does not, check whether the person actually replied and opened the ordinary messaging window. Record an ownership error separately from a window rejection.

Escalate with paired success and failure evidence

Preserve one fresh comment test and one inbound Messenger test with their times and expected outcomes. Note whether either public or private step succeeded and whether requests were checked. Include the Page identifier and rule scope so support does not investigate an Instagram rule by mistake. If another app is connected, document what it handles before changing control. This evidence is more actionable than a report saying the bot is broken. Avoid posting several duplicate comments or creating overlapping replacement rules during diagnosis, since those changes can introduce additional eligibility and ownership problems that obscure the original failure.