WhatsApp Web MCP

A Node.js application that connects WhatsApp Web with AI models through the Model Context Protocol (MCP). This project provides a standardized interface for programmatic interaction with WhatsApp, enabling automated messaging, contact management, and group chat functionality through AI-driven workflows.

Overview

WhatsApp Web MCP provides a seamless integration between WhatsApp Web and AI models by:

• Creating a standardized interface through the Model Context Protocol (MCP)
• Offering MCP Server access to WhatsApp functionality
• Providing flexible deployment options through SSE or Command modes
• Supporting both direct WhatsApp client integration and API-based connectivity

Disclaimer

IMPORTANT: This tool is for testing purposes only and should not be used in production environments.

Disclaimer from WhatsApp Web project:

This project is not affiliated, associated, authorized, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with WhatsApp or any of its subsidiaries or its affiliates. The official WhatsApp website can be found at whatsapp.com. "WhatsApp" as well as related names, marks, emblems and images are registered trademarks of their respective owners. Also it is not guaranteed you will not be blocked by using this method. WhatsApp does not allow bots or unofficial clients on their platform, so this shouldn't be considered totally safe.

Learning Resources

To learn more about using WhatsApp Web MCP in real-world scenarios, check out these articles:

• Integrating WhatsApp with AI: Guide to Setting Up a WhatsApp MCP server
• Integrating OpenAI Agents Python SDK with Anthropic's MCP

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/pnizer/wweb-mcp.git
   cd wweb-mcp
   

2. Install globally or use with npx:

   # Install globally
   npm install -g .
   
   # Or use with npx directly
   npx .
   

3. Build with Docker:

   docker build . -t wweb-mcp:latest
   

Configuration

Command Line Options

Option	Alias	Description	Choices	Default
--mode	-m	Run mode	mcp, whatsapp-api	mcp
--mcp-mode	-c	MCP connection mode	standalone, api	standalone
--transport	-t	MCP transport mode	sse, command	sse
--sse-port	-p	Port for SSE server	-	3002
--api-port	-	Port for WhatsApp API server	-	3001
--auth-data-path	-a	Path to store authentication data	-	.wwebjs_auth
--auth-strategy	-s	Authentication strategy	local, none	local
--api-base-url	-b	API base URL for MCP when using api mode	-	http://localhost:3001/api
--api-key	-k	API key for WhatsApp Web REST API when using api mode	-	''

API Key Authentication

When running in API mode, the WhatsApp API server requires authentication using an API key. The API key is automatically generated when you start the WhatsApp API server and is displayed in the logs:

WhatsApp API key: 1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef

To connect the MCP server to the WhatsApp API server, you need to provide this API key using the --api-key or -k option:

npx wweb-mcp --mode mcp --mcp-mode api --api-base-url http://localhost:3001/api --api-key 1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef

The API key is stored in the authentication data directory (specified by --auth-data-path) and persists between restarts of the WhatsApp API server.

Authentication Methods

Local Authentication (Recommended)

• Scan QR code once
• Credentials persist between sessions
• More stable for long-term operation

No Authentication

• Default method
• Requires QR code scan on each startup
• Suitable for testing and development

Webhook Configuration

You can configure webhooks to receive incoming WhatsApp messages by creating a webhook.json file in your authentication data directory (specified by --auth-data-path).

Webhook JSON Format

{
  "url": "https://your-webhook-endpoint.com/incoming",
  "authToken": "your-optional-authentication-token",
  "filters": {
    "allowedNumbers": ["+1234567890", "+0987654321"],
    "allowPrivate": true,
    "allowGroups": false
  }
}

Configuration Options

Option	Type	Description
url	String	The webhook endpoint URL where message data will be sent
authToken	String (optional)	Authentication token to be included in the Authorization header as a Bearer token
filters.allowedNumbers	Array (optional)	List of phone numbers to accept messages from. If provided, only messages from these numbers will trigger the webhook
filters.allowPrivate	Boolean (optional)	Whether to send private messages to the webhook. Default: true
filters.allowGroups	Boolean (optional)	Whether to send group messages to the webhook. Default: true

Webhook Payload

When a message is received and passes the filters, a POST request will be sent to the configured URL with the following JSON payload:

{
  "from": "+1234567890",
  "name": "Contact Name",
  "message": "Hello, world!",
  "isGroup": false,
  "timestamp": 1621234567890,
  "messageId": "ABCDEF1234567890"
}

Usage

Running Modes

WhatsApp API Server

Run a standalone WhatsApp API server that exposes WhatsApp functionality through REST endpoints:

npx wweb-mcp --mode whatsapp-api --api-port 3001

MCP Server (Standalone)

Run an MCP server that directly connects to WhatsApp Web:

npx wweb-mcp --mode mcp --mcp-mode standalone --transport sse --sse-port 3002

MCP Server (API Client)

Run an MCP server that connects to the WhatsApp API server:

# First, start the WhatsApp API server and note the API key from the logs
npx wweb-mcp --mode whatsapp-api --api-port 3001

# Then, start the MCP server with the API key
npx wweb-mcp --mode mcp --mcp-mode api --api-base-url http://localhost:3001/api --api-key YOUR_API_KEY --transport sse --sse-port 3002

Available Tools

Tool	Description	Parameters
get_status	Check WhatsApp client connection status	None
send_message	Send messages to WhatsApp contacts	number: Phone number to send to message: Text content to send
search_contacts	Search for contacts by name or number	query: Search term to find contacts
get_messages	Retrieve messages from a specific chat	number: Phone number to get messages from limit (optional): Number of messages to retrieve
get_chats	Get a list of all WhatsApp chats	None
create_group	Create a new WhatsApp group	name: Name of the group participants: Array of phone numbers to add
add_participants_to_group	Add participants to an existing group	groupId: ID of the group participants: Array of phone numbers to add
get_group_messages	Retrieve messages from a group	groupId: ID of the group limit (optional): Number of messages to retrieve
send_group_message	Send a message to a group	groupId: ID of the group message: Text content to send
search_groups	Search for groups by name, description, or member names	query: Search term to find groups
get_group_by_id	Get detailed information about a specific group	groupId: ID of the group to get
download_media_from_message	Download media from a message	messageId: ID of the message containing media to download
send_media_message	Send a media message to a WhatsApp contact	number: Phone number to send to source: Media source with URI scheme (use http:// or https:// for URLs, file:// for local files) caption (optional): Text caption for the media

Available Resources

Resource URI	Description
whatsapp://contacts	List of all WhatsApp contacts
whatsapp://messages/{number}	Messages from a specific chat
whatsapp://chats	List of all WhatsApp chats
whatsapp://groups	List of all WhatsApp groups
whatsapp://groups/search	Search for groups by name, description, or member names
whatsapp://groups/{groupId}/messages	Messages from a specific group

REST API Endpoints

Contacts & Messages

Endpoint	Method	Description	Parameters
/api/status	GET	Get WhatsApp connection status	None
/api/contacts	GET	Get all contacts	None
/api/contacts/search	GET	Search for contacts	query: Search term
/api/chats	GET	Get all chats	None
/api/messages/{number}	GET	Get messages from a chat	limit (query): Number of messages
/api/send	POST	Send a message	number: Recipient message: Message content
/api/send/media	POST	Send a media message	number: Recipient source: Media source with URI scheme (use http:// or https:// for URLs, file:// for local files) caption (optional): Text caption
/api/messages/{messageId}/media/download	POST	Download media from a message	None

Group Management

Endpoint	Method	Description	Parameters
/api/groups	GET	Get all groups	None
/api/groups/search	GET	Search for groups	query: Search term
/api/groups/create	POST	Create a new group	name: Group name participants: Array of numbers
/api/groups/{groupId}	GET	Get detailed information about a specific group	None
/api/groups/{groupId}/messages	GET	Get messages from a group	limit (query): Number of messages
/api/groups/{groupId}/participants/add	POST	Add members to a group	participants: Array of numbers
/api/groups/send	POST	Send a message to a group	groupId: Group ID message: Message content

AI Integration

Claude Desktop Integration

Option 1: Using NPX

1. Start WhatsApp API server:

   npx wweb-mcp -m whatsapp-api -s local
   

2. Scan the QR code with your WhatsApp mobile app

3. Note the API key displayed in the logs:

   WhatsApp API key: 1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef
   

4. Add the following to your Claude Desktop configuration:

   {
       "mcpServers": {
           "whatsapp": {
               "command": "npx",
               "args": [
                   "wweb-mcp",
                   "-m", "mcp",
                   "-s", "local",
                   "-c", "api",
                   "-t", "command",
                   "--api-base-url", "http://localhost:3001/api",
                   "--api-key", "1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef"
               ]
           }
       }
   }
   

Option 2: Using Docker

1. Start WhatsApp API server in Docker:

   docker run -i -p 3001:3001 -v wweb-mcp:/wwebjs_auth --rm wweb-mcp:latest -m whatsapp-api -s local -a /wwebjs_auth
   

2. Scan the QR code with your WhatsApp mobile app

3. Note the API key displayed in the logs:

   WhatsApp API key: 1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef
   

4. Add the following to your Claude Desktop configuration:

   {
       "mcpServers": {
           "whatsapp": {
               "command": "docker",
               "args": [
                   "run",
                   "-i",
                   "--rm",
                   "wweb-mcp:latest",
                   "-m", "mcp",
                   "-s", "local",
                   "-c", "api",
                   "-t", "command",
                   "--api-base-url", "http://host.docker.internal:3001/api",
                   "--api-key", "1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef"
               ]
           }
       }
   }
   

5. Restart Claude Desktop

6. The WhatsApp functionality will be available through Claude's interface

Architecture

The project is structured with a clean separation of concerns:

Components

1. WhatsAppService: Core business logic for interacting with WhatsApp
2. WhatsAppApiClient: Client for connecting to the WhatsApp API
3. API Router: Express routes for the REST API
4. MCP Server: Model Context Protocol implementation

Deployment Options

1. WhatsApp API Server: Standalone REST API server
2. MCP Server (Standalone): Direct connection to WhatsApp Web
3. MCP Server (API Client): Connection to WhatsApp API server

This architecture allows for flexible deployment scenarios, including:

• Running the API server and MCP server on different machines
• Using the MCP server as a client to an existing API server
• Running everything on a single machine for simplicity

Development

Project Structure

src/
├── whatsapp-client.ts     # WhatsApp Web client implementation
├── whatsapp-service.ts    # Core business logic
├── whatsapp-api-client.ts # Client for the WhatsApp API
├── api.ts                 # REST API router
├── mcp-server.ts          # MCP protocol implementation
└── main.ts                # Application entry point

Building from Source

npm run build

Testing

The project uses Jest for unit testing. To run the tests:

# Run all tests
npm test

# Run tests in watch mode during development
npm run test:watch

# Generate test coverage report
npm run test:coverage

Linting and Formatting

The project uses ESLint and Prettier for code quality and formatting:

# Run linter
npm run lint

# Fix linting issues automatically
npm run lint:fix

# Format code with Prettier
npm run format

# Validate code (lint + test)
npm run validate

The linting configuration enforces TypeScript best practices and maintains consistent code style across the project.

Publishing

The project uses GitHub Actions for automated publishing to npm. The workflow handles:

1. Version incrementing (patch, minor, or major)
2. Git tagging with version prefixed by 'v' (e.g., v0.2.1)
3. Publishing to npm with GitHub secrets

To release a new version:

1. Go to the GitHub repository Actions tab
2. Select the "Publish Package" workflow
3. Click "Run workflow"
4. Choose the version increment type (patch, minor, or major)
5. Click "Run workflow" to start the publishing process

This workflow requires an NPM_TOKEN secret to be configured in your GitHub repository.

Troubleshooting

Claude Desktop Integration Issues

• It's not possible to start wweb-mcp in command standalone mode on Claude because Claude opens more than one process, multiple times, and each wweb-mcp needs to open a puppeteer session that cannot share the same WhatsApp authentication. Because of this limitation, we've split the app into MCP and API modes to allow for proper integration with Claude.

Features

• Sending and receiving messages
• Sending media messages (images only)
• Downloading media from messages (images, audio, documents)
• Group chat management
• Contact management and search
• Message history retrieval

Upcoming Features

• Support for sending all media file types (video, audio, documents)
• Enhanced message templates for common scenarios
• Advanced group management features
• Contact management (add/remove contacts)
• Enhanced error handling and recovery

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Commit your changes
4. Push to your branch
5. Create a Pull Request

Please ensure your PR:

• Follows the existing code style
• Includes appropriate tests
• Updates documentation as needed
• Describes the changes in detail

Dependencies

WhatsApp Web.js

This project uses whatsapp-web.js, an unofficial JavaScript client library for WhatsApp Web that connects through the WhatsApp Web browser app. For more information, visit the whatsapp-web.js GitHub repository.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Logging

WhatsApp Web MCP includes a robust logging system built with Winston. The logging system provides:

• Multiple log levels (error, warn, info, http, debug)
• Console output with colorized logs
• HTTP request/response logging for API endpoints
• Structured error handling
• Environment-aware log levels (development vs. production)
• All logs directed to stderr when running in MCP command mode

Log Levels

The application supports the following log levels, in order of verbosity:

1. error - Critical errors that prevent the application from functioning
2. warn - Warnings that don't stop the application but require attention
3. info - General information about application state and events
4. http - HTTP request/response logging
5. debug - Detailed debugging information

Configuring Log Level

You can configure the log level when starting the application using the --log-level or -l flag:

npm start -- --log-level=debug

Or when using the global installation:

wweb-mcp --log-level=debug

Command Mode Logging

When running in MCP command mode (--mode mcp --transport command), all logs are directed to stderr. This is important for command-line tools where stdout might be used for data output while stderr is used for logging and diagnostics. This ensures that the MCP protocol communication over stdout is not interfered with by log messages.

Test Environment

In test environments (when NODE_ENV=test or when running with Jest), the logger automatically adjusts its behavior to be suitable for testing environments.