Add WhatsApp Channel

Adds WhatsApp support via the native Baileys adapter (no Chat SDK bridge).

Install

NanoClaw doesn't ship channels in trunk. This skill copies the native WhatsApp (Baileys) adapter and its whatsapp-auth setup step in from the channels branch. No Chat SDK bridge.

Pre-flight (idempotent)

Skip to Credentials if all of these are already in place:

• src/channels/whatsapp.ts exists
• src/channels/whatsapp-registration.test.ts exists
• src/channels/whatsapp.test.ts exists
• src/channels/index.ts contains import './whatsapp.js';
• setup/whatsapp-auth.ts and setup/groups.ts both exist
• setup/index.ts's STEPS map contains both 'whatsapp-auth': and groups:
• @whiskeysockets/baileys, qrcode, pino are listed in package.json dependencies
• .claude/skills/add-whatsapp/scripts/wa-qr-browser.ts exists (ships with this skill)

Otherwise continue. Every step below is safe to re-run.

1. Fetch the channels branch

git fetch origin channels

2. Copy the adapter and setup steps

git show origin/channels:src/channels/whatsapp.ts                      > src/channels/whatsapp.ts
git show origin/channels:src/channels/whatsapp-registration.test.ts    > src/channels/whatsapp-registration.test.ts
git show origin/channels:src/channels/whatsapp.test.ts                 > src/channels/whatsapp.test.ts
git show origin/channels:setup/whatsapp-auth.ts                        > setup/whatsapp-auth.ts
git show origin/channels:setup/groups.ts                               > setup/groups.ts

3. Append the self-registration import

Append to src/channels/index.ts (skip if already present):

import './whatsapp.js';

4. Register the setup steps

In setup/index.ts, add these entries to the STEPS map (skip lines already present):

groups: () => import('./groups.js'),
'whatsapp-auth': () => import('./whatsapp-auth.js'),

5. Install the adapter packages (pinned)

pnpm install @whiskeysockets/baileys@7.0.0-rc.9 qrcode@1.5.4 @types/qrcode@1.5.6 pino@9.6.0

6. Build and validate

pnpm run build
pnpm exec vitest run src/channels/whatsapp-registration.test.ts

Both must be clean before proceeding. whatsapp-registration.test.ts is the one integration test: it imports the real channel barrel and asserts the registry contains whatsapp. It goes red if the import './whatsapp.js'; line is deleted or drifts, if the barrel fails to evaluate (so the channel genuinely would not register), or if @whiskeysockets/baileys isn't installed (the import throws) — so it also implicitly verifies the dependency from step 5.

End-to-end message delivery against a real WhatsApp number is verified manually once the service is running — see Credentials, Wiring, and Troubleshooting.

Credentials

WhatsApp uses linked-device authentication — no API key, just a one-time pairing from your phone.

Check current state

Check if WhatsApp is already authenticated. If store/auth/creds.json exists, skip to "Shared vs dedicated number".

test -f store/auth/creds.json && echo "WhatsApp auth exists" || echo "No WhatsApp auth"

Detect environment

Check whether the environment is headless (no display server):

[[ -z "$DISPLAY" && -z "$WAYLAND_DISPLAY" && "$OSTYPE" != darwin* ]] && echo "IS_HEADLESS=true" || echo "IS_HEADLESS=false"

Ask the user

Use AskUserQuestion to collect configuration. Adapt auth options based on environment:

If IS_HEADLESS=true AND not WSL → AskUserQuestion: How do you want to authenticate WhatsApp?

• Pairing code (Recommended) - Enter a numeric code on your phone (no camera needed, requires phone number)
• QR code in terminal - Displays QR code in the terminal (can be too small on some displays)

Otherwise (macOS, desktop Linux, or WSL) → AskUserQuestion: How do you want to authenticate WhatsApp?

• QR code in browser (Recommended) - Runs a small local HTTP server that renders the rotating QR as a PNG and auto-opens your default browser
• Pairing code - Enter a numeric code on your phone (no camera needed, requires phone number)
• QR code in terminal - Displays QR code in the terminal (can be too small on some displays)

If they chose pairing code:

AskUserQuestion: What is your phone number? (Digits only — country code followed by your 10-digit number, no + prefix, spaces, or dashes. Example: 15550000005 is a fictional test number.)

Clean previous auth state (if re-authenticating)

rm -rf store/auth/

Run WhatsApp authentication

For QR code in browser (recommended):

pnpm exec tsx .claude/skills/add-whatsapp/scripts/wa-qr-browser.ts

(Bash timeout: 150000ms)

The wrapper spawns setup/index.ts --step whatsapp-auth -- --method qr, parses each rotating QR from its WHATSAPP_AUTH_QR status blocks, and serves the current QR as a PNG on a local HTTP server (default port 8765, falls back to a free port). Flags: --clean (wipes store/auth/ before spawning) and --port N.

Tell the user:

A browser window will open with a QR code.

1. Open WhatsApp > Settings > Linked Devices > Link a Device
2. Scan the QR code in the browser
3. The page will show "Authenticated!" when done

For QR code in terminal:

pnpm exec tsx setup/index.ts --step whatsapp-auth -- --method qr

(Bash timeout: 150000ms)

The setup driver emits each rotating QR as a WHATSAPP_AUTH_QR status block; when run directly (not through setup:auto) the raw QR string is printed and your terminal must render it as ASCII. If your terminal can't render it readably, use the browser method above.

Tell the user:

1. Open WhatsApp > Settings > Linked Devices > Link a Device
2. Scan the QR code displayed in the terminal

For pairing code:

Tell the user to have WhatsApp open on Settings > Linked Devices > Link a Device, ready to tap "Link with phone number instead" — the code expires in ~60 seconds and must be entered immediately.

Run the auth process in the background and poll store/pairing-code.txt for the code:

rm -f store/pairing-code.txt && pnpm exec tsx setup/index.ts --step whatsapp-auth -- --method pairing-code --phone <their-phone-number> > /tmp/wa-auth.log 2>&1 &

Then immediately poll for the code (do NOT wait for the background command to finish):

for i in $(seq 1 20); do [ -f store/pairing-code.txt ] && cat store/pairing-code.txt && break; sleep 1; done

Display the code to the user the moment it appears. Tell them:

Enter this code now — it expires in ~60 seconds.

1. Open WhatsApp > Settings > Linked Devices > Link a Device
2. Tap Link with phone number instead
3. Enter the code immediately

After the user enters the code, poll for authentication to complete:

for i in $(seq 1 60); do grep -q 'STATUS: authenticated' /tmp/wa-auth.log 2>/dev/null && echo "authenticated" && break; grep -q 'STATUS: failed' /tmp/wa-auth.log 2>/dev/null && echo "failed" && break; sleep 2; done

If failed: logged_out → delete store/auth/ and re-run. timeout → ask user, offer retry.

Verify authentication succeeded

test -f store/auth/creds.json && echo "Authentication successful" || echo "Authentication failed"

Shared vs dedicated number

AskUserQuestion: Is this a shared phone number (personal WhatsApp) or a dedicated number?

• Shared number — your personal WhatsApp (bot prefixes messages with its name)
• Dedicated number — a separate phone/SIM for the assistant

If dedicated, add to .env:

ASSISTANT_HAS_OWN_NUMBER=true

Next Steps

If you're in the middle of /setup, return to the setup flow now.

Otherwise, run /manage-channels to wire this channel to an agent group.

Channel Info

• type: whatsapp
• terminology: WhatsApp calls them "groups" and "chats." A "chat" is a 1:1 DM; a "group" has multiple members.
• how-to-find-id: DMs use <phone>@s.whatsapp.net (e.g. 15550000005@s.whatsapp.net). Groups use <id>@g.us. To find your number: node -e "const c=JSON.parse(require('fs').readFileSync('store/auth/creds.json','utf-8'));console.log(c.me?.id?.split(':')[0]+'@s.whatsapp.net')". Groups are auto-discovered — check pnpm exec tsx scripts/q.ts data/v2.db "SELECT platform_id, name FROM messaging_groups WHERE channel_type='whatsapp' AND is_group=1".
• supports-threads: no
• typical-use: Interactive chat — direct messages or small groups
• default-isolation: Same agent group if you're the only participant across multiple chats. Separate agent group if different people are in different groups.

Features

• Markdown formatting — **bold**→*bold*, *italic*→_italic_, headings→bold, code blocks preserved
• Approval questions — ask_user_question renders with /approve, /reject slash commands
• File attachments — send and receive images, video, audio, documents
• Reactions — send emoji reactions on messages
• Typing indicators — composing presence updates
• Credential requests — text fallback (WhatsApp has no modal support)

Not supported (WhatsApp linked device limitation): edit messages, delete messages.

Troubleshooting

QR code expired

QR codes expire after ~60 seconds. The browser wrapper rotates automatically as long as it's running; if it was stopped, re-run with --clean:

pnpm exec tsx .claude/skills/add-whatsapp/scripts/wa-qr-browser.ts --clean

Pairing code not working

Codes expire in ~60 seconds. Delete auth and retry:

rm -rf store/auth/ && pnpm exec tsx setup/index.ts --step whatsapp-auth -- --method pairing-code --phone <phone>

Ensure: digits only (no +), phone has internet, WhatsApp is updated.

WhatsApp's pairing-code flow occasionally rejects valid codes with "Couldn't link device — An error happened. Please try again." This is a server-side rejection unrelated to the code itself; we've seen it happen twice in a row on fresh dedicated numbers. If you hit it more than once, switch to QR-browser auth — it has a noticeably higher success rate:

pnpm exec tsx .claude/skills/add-whatsapp/scripts/wa-qr-browser.ts --clean

"waiting for this message" on reactions

Signal sessions corrupted from rapid restarts. Clear sessions.

Run from your NanoClaw project root:

source setup/lib/install-slug.sh
systemctl --user stop $(systemd_unit)
rm store/auth/session-*.json
systemctl --user start $(systemd_unit)

Bot not responding

1. Auth exists: test -f store/auth/creds.json
2. Connected: grep "Connected to WhatsApp" logs/nanoclaw.log | tail -1
3. Channel wired: pnpm exec tsx scripts/q.ts data/v2.db "SELECT mg.platform_id, mg.name FROM messaging_groups mg JOIN messaging_group_agents mga ON mg.id=mga.messaging_group_id WHERE mg.channel_type='whatsapp'"
4. Service running: systemctl --user status "$(. setup/lib/install-slug.sh && systemd_unit)"

"conflict" disconnection

Two instances connected with same credentials. Ensure only one NanoClaw process is running.