Fix: Restored Instagram detection logic (updated site config for 2025) #2685
Add this suggestion to a batch that can be applied as a single commit.
This suggestion is invalid because no changes were made to the code.
Suggestions cannot be applied while the pull request is closed.
Suggestions cannot be applied while viewing a subset of changes.
Only one suggestion per line can be applied in a batch.
Add this suggestion to a batch that can be applied as a single commit.
Applying suggestions on deleted lines is not supported.
You must change the existing code in this line in order to create a valid suggestion.
Outdated suggestions cannot be applied.
This suggestion has been applied or marked resolved.
Suggestions cannot be applied from pending reviews.
Suggestions cannot be applied on multi-line comments.
Suggestions cannot be applied while the pull request is queued to merge.
Suggestion cannot be applied right now. Please check back later.
Summary
This pull request fixes the broken Instagram detection logic in Sherlock by updating the configuration for the site in data.json.
Changes Made
Updated url and urlMain for Instagram to point to the correct endpoints.
Changed errorType from "status_code" to "message" for accurate response parsing.
Added a proper urlProbe and user-agent to prevent proxy-site false positives.
Testing
✅ Ran local tests using:
python3 -m sherlock_project <username> --site Instagram --local
Confirmed accurate results with no false positives or failed requests.
✅ Ran full test suite with:
pytest tests -v
All tests passed successfully (25/25).
Motivation
Without this fix, Sherlock’s default Instagram detection uses an outdated configuration (imginn.com proxy), causing broken lookups.
This update restores native Instagram support for both local and remote usage.
Hacktoberfest
This is a meaningful contribution as part of Hacktoberfest 2025, improving Sherlock’s accuracy and usability for all users.
Thank you for maintaining such an amazing open-source project! 💜
Contributed by @StanleyOwarieta