Instagram Graph API Webhooks: Receiving reactions but real DMs (text) not firing in Development Mode. Need Help!

Hey everyone,

I’m building a custom Node.js/TypeScript backend hosted on Render to receive and handle Instagram direct messages for my app.

I am currently in Development Mode and hitting a very strange issue that is driving me crazy.

Here is my setup:

Created a Meta Dev App (Customize Use Case with Instagram API).
Generated an Instagram Access Token with all required scopes approved (instagram_business_manage_messages, etc.) and verified it on the Token Debugger.
Successfully added an approved Instagram Tester account.
Confirmed that "Allow Access to Messages" is turned ON in the Instagram mobile app settings for the receiver account.

The Problem:

When I trigger a dummy message via the Meta dashboard's "Test to Server" button, my Render backend successfully parses the payload and text content perfectly.
When my tester account reacts with an emoji (like 👍) to an existing message, my backend successfully receives the message_reactions webhook payload in real-time.
BUT, when the tester account sends a regular direct text message, absolutely nothing hits my server. No logs, no empty objects, just dead silence.

It seems like Meta is explicitly filtering out text messages in Development Mode while allowing reactions to pass through.

Is this a known restriction or a Catch-22 bug where text webhooks only fire once the app goes Live? Or am I missing some hidden permission? I really don't want to submit for App Review just to test standard text DMs.

Any help, insights, or bypass workarounds would be highly appreciated! Thanks.

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Instagram Graph API Webhooks: Receiving reactions but real DMs (text) not firing in Development Mode. Need Help!