InstaGist - Instagram Reel to Text Summary

Automatically generate text summaries (gists) from Instagram reels using n8n workflows.

Overview

InstaGist is an n8n-powered bot that:

1. Receives Instagram reel URLs via webhook
2. Downloads the video content
3. Extracts and transcribes the audio
4. Generates a concise text summary
5. Returns the gist to the user

Architecture

User Request (Instagram URL)
    ↓
n8n Webhook (receives URL)
    ↓
yt-dlp (downloads Instagram reel)
    ↓
FFmpeg (extracts audio)
    ↓
OpenAI Whisper API (transcribes audio)
    ↓
GPT-4/Claude API (generates summary)
    ↓
Response (text gist returned)

Technology Stack

• n8n - Workflow orchestration and automation
• yt-dlp - Instagram video downloader
• FFmpeg - Audio/video processing
• OpenAI Whisper - Speech-to-text transcription
• OpenAI GPT-4 / Anthropic Claude - Text summarization
• Node.js - Helper scripts (optional)

Prerequisites

1. Running n8n instance (self-hosted, cloud, or Render.com)
2. OpenAI API key or Anthropic API key
3. yt-dlp installed on n8n server (see deployment guides)
4. FFmpeg installed on n8n server (see deployment guides)

Project Structure

insta-gist/
├── README.md                           # This file
├── DEPLOY_TO_RENDER.md                 # Quick Render.com deployment guide
├── QUICKSTART.md                       # Local/self-hosted quick start
├── TROUBLESHOOTING.md                  # Common issues and solutions
├── Dockerfile                          # Custom n8n image with dependencies
├── docker-compose.yml                  # Local testing with Docker
├── render.yaml                         # Render.com auto-deployment config
├── .env.example                        # Environment variables template
├── docs/
│   ├── ARCHITECTURE.md                 # Detailed architecture docs
│   ├── SETUP.md                        # Local/self-hosted setup
│   ├── RENDER_DEPLOYMENT.md            # Complete Render.com guide
│   └── WORKFLOW_SETUP.md               # Step-by-step n8n workflow guide
├── n8n-workflows/
│   └── instagram-gist-workflow.json    # Main n8n workflow (import this)
└── scripts/
    ├── build-and-push.sh               # Build & push Docker image
    ├── check-dependencies.sh           # Verify yt-dlp & FFmpeg
    └── test-webhook.sh                 # Test the webhook

Quick Start

Choose your deployment method:

🚀 Render.com (Recommended)

• Quick Start: DEPLOY_TO_RENDER.md - Deploy in 10 minutes
• Detailed Guide: docs/RENDER_DEPLOYMENT.md

💻 Local/Self-Hosted

• Quick Start: QUICKSTART.md - 5-minute setup
• Detailed Guide: docs/SETUP.md

📚 Additional Documentation

• Architecture Details - How the system works
• Step-by-Step Workflow Setup - Build the workflow manually in n8n
• Troubleshooting Guide - Common issues and solutions
• Workflow JSON - Import this into n8n (advanced)

Features

• Download Instagram reels without authentication
• Extract audio and transcribe speech
• Generate concise summaries of video content
• Handle multiple formats and video lengths
• Error handling and retry logic

Limitations

• Instagram rate limiting may apply
• Private accounts require authentication
• Video length affects processing time
• Transcription quality depends on audio clarity

Future Enhancements

• Support for multiple languages
• Batch processing multiple videos
• Custom summary length preferences
• Integration with messaging platforms (Telegram, Discord)
• Caching to avoid reprocessing same URLs

License

MIT