How I Reverse Engineered Instagram to Export DMs - No API Key Needed

Key takeaways

• You don't need an Instagram API key to fetch DM data - the auth tokens you need are already in the page.
• Instagram uses random CSS classes to prevent scraping. Use CTRL+F in the Elements tab to find patterns that are truly unique.
• Always start with a working browser script before touching the Chrome extension. If it works in DevTools, wiring it up is the easy part.
• Redundancy in UX is a feature - adding the download button in both the popup and injected into the page removes friction.
• Use a setInterval to re-inject UI when the user navigates between conversations. Lightweight and reliable.