Configure auto-pilot engagement

Read the current engagement config

Every project has a Social Engagement layer. Calling GET fetches the full config — every set field round-trips, including the advanced knobs (firstComment.strategy, replyToComments.tone, replyToComments.maxPerPostPerHour, replyToComments.ignoreCommentsMatching, replyToComments.escalateNegativeSentiment).

curl "https://api.layers.com/v1/projects/$PROJECT_ID/engagement" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $LAYERS_API_KEY"

{
  "enabled": false,
  "firstComment": {
    "targets": [],
    "commentTemplate": ""
  },
  "replyToComments": {
    "targets": [],
    "autoReplyDelay": "PT3M"
  }
}

Defaults are empty and enabled: false - nothing ships until you turn it on.

Enable first-comments

First-comments drop automatically after publish. Typical use: call-to-action that didn't fit the caption, app link, "DM for the recipe", etc.

curl -X PATCH "https://api.layers.com/v1/projects/$PROJECT_ID/engagement" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $LAYERS_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "enabled": true,
    "firstComment": {
      "targets": ["tiktok", "instagram"],
      "commentTemplate": "Grab the app - link in bio. First order is on us ☕️"
    }
  }'

const res = await fetch(
  `https://api.layers.com/v1/projects/${projectId}/engagement`,
  {
    method: "PATCH",
    headers: {
      Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.LAYERS_API_KEY}`,
      "Content-Type": "application/json",
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      enabled: true,
      firstComment: {
        targets: ["tiktok", "instagram"],
        commentTemplate: "Grab the app - link in bio. First order is on us ☕️",
      },
    }),
  },
);

import os
import requests

requests.patch(
    f"https://api.layers.com/v1/projects/{project_id}/engagement",
    headers={
        "Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['LAYERS_API_KEY']}",
        "Content-Type": "application/json",
    },
    json={
        "enabled": True,
        "firstComment": {
            "targets": ["tiktok", "instagram"],
            "commentTemplate": "Grab the app - link in bio. First order is on us ☕️",
        },
    },
)

commentTemplate is a literal string - no interpolation today. The same template drops under every post on every target platform. If you need per-post customization, pass firstCommentOverride on the schedule call instead.

If you see VALIDATION with data.field: "targets", you passed a platform the project doesn't have a distribution layer for. Run GET /v1/projects/:id and check layers[] - only platforms with a distribution layer can be engagement targets.

Enable auto-replies

Auto-replies respond to incoming comments on published posts, passing every reply through a moderation gate before it goes live.

curl -X PATCH "https://api.layers.com/v1/projects/$PROJECT_ID/engagement" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $LAYERS_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "replyToComments": {
      "targets": ["tiktok", "instagram"],
      "autoReplyDelay": "PT5M"
    }
  }'

autoReplyDelay is an ISO-8601 duration (PT30S, PT5M, PT1H) - short enough to feel responsive, long enough that replies don't stack up on the post's top shelf. PT3M is the default and works for most accounts.

Replies are LLM-generated, tuned to the project's brandContext.brandVoice, and filtered by a safety layer before posting. Nothing ships that fails moderation - the comment is silently skipped and logged for review. Escalating negative-sentiment comments to human review is planned.

Turn it off

Set enabled: false to stop everything. First-comments drop, auto-replies drop, in-flight replies cancel.

curl -X PATCH "https://api.layers.com/v1/projects/$PROJECT_ID/engagement" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $LAYERS_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{ "enabled": false }'

Use the master switch rather than emptying the targets arrays - it's faster to restore, and it keeps the config intact so you can re-enable without re-patching everything.