> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://themochi-app.gitbook.io/documentation/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://themochi-app.gitbook.io/documentation/module-2-team-and-leads/excluding-personal-contacts.md).

# Excluding personal contacts

## Exclude Personal Contacts From Your Inbox

**What it is** — Excluded Contacts keeps specific Instagram accounts — friends, family, close friends, mutuals — completely out of Mochi. Add a username and that person's DMs never enter your pipeline or show up in a setter's inbox, for any role.

**Who can use it** — Creators and Managers, from the same screen where you manage your Instagram connection: **Settings > Socials**, on both web and iOS.

**Before you start** — Your Instagram account needs to be connected.

### Why you'd use it

Not every DM you get is a sales conversation. Personal accounts — your partner, close friends, family — still land in your Instagram inbox, and without exclusion those threads can end up visible to your setters too. Excluded Contacts keeps personal conversations private and out of your team's hands.

It also doubles as data hygiene. Mutuals, competitors, or anyone who DMs you outside your actual sales funnel would otherwise get counted as a "lead" and skew your pipeline numbers. Excluding them keeps your stats honest.

### How to exclude a contact

**Web**

1. Go to **Settings > Socials**.
2. Find **Excluded Contacts** on the same screen as your Instagram connection.
3. Enter the Instagram **username** of the person you want to exclude.
4. Save.

**iOS**

1. Go to **Settings > Socials**.

**Mid-chat shortcut**

You don't have to go to Settings at all. Open the conversation with the person you want to exclude, click the **eye icon** at the top of the chat, and confirm — they're added to Excluded Contacts on the spot, without leaving the thread.

### How excluded leads behave

An excluded contact never becomes a lead in Mochi — they're filtered out before they'd ever enter your pipeline. That means they're automatically left out of everything on the Leads page too: they won't appear in the table, can't be caught by a bulk assign, status change, or tag, and won't show up in a CSV export.

This is different from marking a lead **Unqualified**. Unqualified leads are real prospects who entered your pipeline and didn't work out — they still exist as a record you can review. An excluded contact never becomes a record in the first place.

**Excluded vs. Archive.** These solve different problems, and it's easy to reach for the wrong one. Archiving just hides a conversation you're finished with for now — the lead is still a real record, and the thread can resurface if they message again. Excluding someone is permanent: it removes them from Mochi entirely, for every role, and they don't quietly become a lead later even if they DM you again. Use Archive for leads you've wrapped up; use Excluded Contacts for people who should never be treated as a lead at all.

### Tips

* Add personal accounts *before* you connect Instagram and hand the inbox to your team, so nothing personal is ever exposed, even briefly.
* Think past "friends" — add any mutual, competitor, or account you know isn't a real prospect, so your funnel numbers only reflect actual leads.
* Revisit this list occasionally, especially after connecting a new personal account or if a teammate flags a conversation that shouldn't be there.

### Common mistakes & fixes

| Mistake                                                | Fix                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
| ------------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Forgot to exclude a personal contact before going live | Add them anytime — exclusion takes effect going forward                                                                                                                                                               |
| Assuming an excluded contact shows up as Unqualified   | It doesn't — excluded contacts never enter the pipeline at all, unlike Unqualified leads which are real records                                                                                                       |
| Confusing Excluded with Archive                        | Archive just hides a finished conversation and the lead can resurface; Excluded Contacts removes someone from Mochi permanently — use it for people who should never be a lead, not for leads you're simply done with |

### Limits & good to know

* Exclusion applies for every role — Creators, Managers, Setters, and Closers all lose visibility into an excluded contact's thread, not just setters.
* Managed from the same screen as your Instagram connection (Settings > Socials), not a separate settings page.

**Related:** Connect your Instagram, Invite your team & roles, The Leads page: work your pipeline