# How Comment Shield catches spam comments

> Comment Shield finds scam, spam and abusive comments on your posts and puts them in a review inbox. Nothing is hidden on its own: you hide, unhide or delete a comment with one click.

- Topic: Spam and comment safety
- Plans: Free: limited · Pro: included · Scale: included. Free: up to 50 blocked words. Deleting comments needs Pro or Scale.
- In the app: Open Comment Shield — https://app.replavia.com/comment-shield
- Last checked: 2026-10-29
- Web page: https://replavia.com/help/comment-shield

## What it does

Comment Shield reads new comments on your posts. It looks for scams, spam, abuse and words you have blocked. When it finds one, it puts the comment in a review inbox. Then you decide what happens.

> Replavia flags — you decide. Nothing is hidden or deleted on its own. A comment changes on Instagram only when you click.

## Review flagged comments

1. Open **Comment Shield** in the menu, then the **Moderation Inbox** tab.
2. Comments that need a decision are under **Needs review**.
3. For each comment, choose what to do:
   - **Hide on Instagram** hides it from public view right away. You can undo it.
   - **Unhide on Instagram** makes a hidden comment visible again.
   - **Delete on Instagram** removes it for good. This is on Pro and Scale only.
   - **Mark safe** clears a false alarm. Similar comments from that person stop being flagged.
4. Comments you acted on move to **Actioned / hidden**.

Hide and unhide are on every plan, including Free. Hide does the same job as delete and can be undone, so most people use hide.

## Read the risk score and the recommendation

Each flagged comment shows a reason, such as **Scam / fraud**, **Spam**, **Blocked keyword** or **Abuse / harassment**. It also shows a coloured **Risk** number.

- **The risk score** is how sure Comment Shield is that something is wrong. Higher means more sure.
- Everything in the inbox has already crossed your flagging level. So the line to act on is **Recommended**, which says what Comment Shield suggests you do.
- **Customer feedback — review recommended** means a normal complaint. It is shown to you, never hidden for you.

## Add your own blocked words

1. Open the **Rules** tab.
2. Give the rule a name, like “Crypto spam”. Leave the type as **Blocked keyword**.
3. Type the word or phrase to watch for.
4. Click **Add rule**.

Very short words can catch normal comments by mistake, so choose your words with care.

| Plan | Blocked words |
|---|---|
| Free | Up to 50 |
| Pro and Scale | Up to 500 active rules |

## Choose what it checks

Open the **Settings** tab. Change what you need, then click **Save settings**.

- **Enable Comment Shield** turns scanning on or off for your connected Instagram posts.
- **Mode**: pick **Safe** or **Strict**. Strict is tougher on spam and abuse. Criticism still stays visible in both.

Under **Detections**, each switch adds one kind of check:

| Switch | What it flags |
|---|---|
| **Blocked-keyword rules** | Comments that contain words from your **Rules** tab |
| **Repeated-keyword / spam-burst detection** | The same words or comment posted again and again in a short time, or across several posts |
| **Negative-comment detection** | Negative feedback, for review only. Pro and Scale. |
| **Internal blocklist** | Every new comment from people you blocked in Replavia |

Turn off a check that flags too many normal comments for your audience. You can switch it back on at any time.

## People you blocked

**Block in Replavia** sends a person’s future comments straight to review. It is not an Instagram block, and nothing changes for them. **Stop DM** does the same, and also stops your automations from sending that person a DM.

The **Blocked Users** tab lists everyone you blocked. Each row shows **DM stopped everywhere** or **DM allowed**, and the date. Click **Unblock** to remove someone.

A block covers every Instagram account you have connected, not only the one they commented on.

## Check what happened

The **Activity Log** tab records every scan, flag and action, such as **Comment flagged**, **Hidden by you** or **Marked safe**. An **Action failed** line means an action did not go through, so try it again. No comment text or personal data is kept in this log.

## Good to know

- To answer genuine questions under your posts, see [AI comment replies](https://replavia.com/help/ai-comment-replies).
- Getting flooded by bot comments on one post? See [Clean up scam and bot comments](https://replavia.com/help/clean-up-scam-and-bot-comments).
- Genuine criticism is never hidden, in any mode or on any plan. A normal complaint stays visible. At most, it is shown to you for review.
- Replavia cannot hide or delete comments on a live video. Instagram does not allow it.