How Do I Let Claude Read My Instagram Analytics Without Letting It Post?

First ask whether "read-only" is enforced by the connection's permissions or only by instructions you give the model. For anything that isn't enforced by the connection itself, use Claude's per-tool permission settings to block or require approval on every tool that can post, schedule, edit or delete. If you want the bigger picture on how Planoly connects to Claude, start with Planoly's MCP hub.

You probably want Claude to look at your numbers before you trust it with your feed. That's a reasonable order of operations. The question is how you make that limit real.

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What Makes a Connector Read-Only?

A connector is read-only when the thing it uses to reach your account physically can't write. There are three places that limit can live, and they are not equal:

1. The credential. The access token or API key only has permission to read. If the model tries to post, the service says no. This is the strongest version.

2. The client. Claude (the app you're chatting in) is set to block or pause specific tools before they run. The credential could write, but the call never goes out without you.

3. The prompt. You tell the model "don't post." The credential can write, the tool is available, and the only thing standing in the way is the model following your instruction.

Why it works: a limit in the credential or client holds even when the model makes a mistake. A limit in the prompt only holds when the model gets it right.

One r/mcp thread put the difference plainly: "A bank-issued credential that can only read transactions is very different from an MCP server that has payment access but promises not to use it." Another reply: "Read only protects you if the back enforces it… check which one you're getting." Swap "bank" for "Instagram" and the same logic applies.

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Is Telling Claude "Don't Post" Enough?

Not on its own. An instruction is a request, not a control. Claude is good at following instructions, but if a write tool is connected and allowed, the only thing keeping it from running is the model's judgment in that moment.

Builders on r/mcp landed in the same place after watching an agent keep calling a tool it had been told was off-limits: "System instructions won't hold that line… The fix has to live in the client or middleware layer."

Here is where the Planoly Claude connector stands today. The connector can both read your post performance and put posts on your schedule, and it has no read-only mode or read-only scope. Planoly marks the tools that create, change or delete posts as destructive, so Claude asks before using them, but keeping Claude to reading is up to you: Claude's per-tool permission settings and your own instructions. One instruction worth adding to your prompt is "Do not publish, schedule, edit or delete anything." Keep in mind that it's an instruction, not a control, so it shouldn't be your only layer. Planoly's safety overview covers what the connector can do and how to use it safely.

Why it works: stacking an instruction on top of a client-side block means a single slip (a misread request, an ambiguous follow-up) doesn't turn into a live post.

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How Do I Lock Down the Tools That Can Post?

Claude lets you set permissions per tool on a connector, so you can leave the read tools open and put the write tools behind a gate.

1. Open the connector's tool list. Go to Claude's Settings, then Connectors, and open Planoly to see each tool it exposes.

2. Sort tools into read and write. Reading tools pull analytics, post performance and account details, such as list_post_performance, get_instagram_analytics, get_tiktok_analytics, get_linkedin_analytics, list_channels and list_post_groups. These can stay allowed. Writing tools create, edit, schedule or delete posts: create_post, update_post, set_post_group_schedule and delete_post_group. The tools that upload or change media also write, such as create_asset_from_url, request_asset_upload, confirm_asset_upload, request_content_media_upload and the media library tools.

3. Block or require approval on every write tool. Blocking means Claude can't call it at all. Requiring approval means Claude has to stop and ask you before each call.

4. Leave read tools on automatic. That way your analysis runs without a stream of approval prompts.

5. Add a "don't publish" instruction to your prompt. Something like "Do not publish, schedule, edit or delete anything." It's an instruction, not a control, so it's the second layer, not the only one.

Why it works: the block lives in the client, so it holds no matter how the conversation goes. That's the "guardrail in the client, not in the prompt" pattern builders keep asking for.

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What Can Claude See in My Instagram Analytics?

Through the Planoly connector, Claude reads post performance from the Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok and LinkedIn channels you've connected to Planoly (Facebook is scheduling only for now), so you can ask questions like "which posts from last month got the most saves?" or "how did carousels compare to Reels?" For Instagram, that includes views, reach, likes, comments, shares, saves, replies, reposts, Reel watch time and audience demographics.

It's worth being clear about what the connector doesn't do: it doesn't write your captions. You write and approve the posts. The connector reads how they performed and can put posts you've approved on the schedule, which is exactly the part you're choosing to gate.

A commenter in a thread about building MCP services for small businesses summed up why this order makes sense: "Read-only first. Most of the value is 'ask a question across five systems'." Analysis is where you'll get the early wins anyway.

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How Does This Fit With Other Permission Questions?

This post is about where the limit is enforced. If you're comparing connectors, our guide on what permissions a social media MCP server should ask for covers which access to expect in the first place. Our pieces on whether an MCP connector can post without asking first, and whether it's safe to let AI post to your social accounts, pick up once you're ready to loosen the gate.

Want to see the setup step by step? The Planoly Claude walkthrough covers connecting your account and finding the tool settings. If you're already set up with Claude, you can add Planoly directly from the Claude Connector Directory.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does the Planoly Claude connector have a read-only mode?

No. There's no read-only mode or read-only scope today. To keep Claude to reading, set the write tools to block or require approval in Claude's per-tool permissions, and add a "don't publish" instruction to your prompt as a second layer.

Is a read-only AI connector really read-only?

Only if the credential or the client enforces it. If the connector can write and you've only asked the model not to, it's read-only by promise, not by control.

Will blocking write tools stop Claude from analyzing my posts?

No. Analysis uses the read tools. Blocking the write tools only removes the ability to create, change, schedule or delete posts.

What's the difference between "block" and "require approval"?

Block means the tool can't run at all. Require approval means Claude pauses and asks you before each call, so you can review exactly what it's about to do.

Can I open up posting later?

Yes. Change the write tools' permission to require approval first, so every post still passes through you before it goes out.