๐งจ Buildathon RFP: Unlocking Instagram DMs with AI
Hosted by Gala Labs - Powered by Build Club
๐ฐ $10,000 in cash prizes
๐
Submission deadline: Friday 27 June 11:59PM PST
Gala Labs has open-sourced a new MCP (Multi-Channel Protocol) server that gives developers direct access to Instagram DMs via LLMs. You can now send messages to any Instagram account programmatically โ unlocking a powerful new playground for AI automations, agents, and communication workflows.
To celebrate, weโre launching a global Buildathon to see what the most creative minds can do with this stack.
๐ What You Can Build
Using the Instagram DM MCP server, build a project that leverages programmatic DMs in a new, useful, or ridiculous way.
Some build ideas from Gala Labs:
AI Dating Coach: slides into DMs with perfect pickup lines
Manychat Competitor: automates your entire Instagram sales funnel
Relationship Builder: maintains parasocial relationships for creators
Multi-agent chaos system: chains DMs with other channels like email, voice, or search
Youโre welcome to go even further โ remix, extend, or integrate with other tools.
๐ Prize Pool
$10,000 in total cash prizes, three cash prizes up for grabs:
$5k - Breaking the internet (go viral AF)
$2.5k - Technical Sorcery (coolest technical implementation)
$2.5k - Holy Sh*t Award (make our jaws drop)
Winners will be selected by the Gala Labs team and expert advisors.
๐ฅ How to Submit
All entries must be submitted via Campus platform on Build Club
To enter:
Go to this challenge page and connect your project
Create a new project
Include your GitHub repo (template repo here)
Add a demo video or screenshots if possible
Use โGala Labs Instagram Buildathonโ in your project name or description
Post your project on Twitter/X
Tag @gala_labs
Ensure your Build Club project is set to public
๐ Tech Stack & Resources
MCP Server GitHub Repo: https://github.com/trypeggy/instagram_dm_mcp
Built with Node.js and supports any LLM (OpenAI, Claude, etc.)
Easily composable with other APIs, agents, or workflows
More features dropping throughout the week โ stay tuned
๐ Key Dates
Deadline: Friday 27 June 11:59PM PST
Winners announced: The following week via @gala_labs and Build Club
๐ฏ Why Gala Labs Built This
Most automation platforms today are boring, expensive, or over-engineered. Gala Labs built this Instagram DM MCP server to explore what happens when developers are given direct access to high-signal messaging channels โ with no artificial limitations.
We believe some of the most exciting applications of LLMs will come from real-time messaging, social interfaces, and agentic behavior.
Now itโs your turn.
Judges:
Ebaad Ur Rehman
Annie Liao
Tanmay