WhatsApp

At a glance

Availability: Experimental (how to enable).
Auth: API key.
Connection: The key from WHATSAPP_ACCESS_TOKEN is sent as the Bearer prefixed Authorization header.
Docs: https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/cloud-api/get-started

Set these per environment. See Connect an integration.

Variable	Required	Description
`WHATSAPP_ACCESS_TOKEN`	Yes	Meta access token with whatsapp_business_messaging and whatsapp_business_management permissions (use a System User token in production) Docs.
`WHATSAPP_PHONE_NUMBER_ID`	Yes	Phone number ID of the business phone number (from WhatsApp > API Setup in the Meta app dashboard); pass it as the phoneNumberId parameter of messaging tools Docs.
`WHATSAPP_BUSINESS_ACCOUNT_ID`	No	WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) ID, needed to list message templates; pass it as the wabaId parameter Docs.

Create a Meta app with the WhatsApp product: Sign in at https://developers.facebook.com (a free Meta developer account works), create a Business-type app, and add the WhatsApp product. Meta provisions a free test phone number and sandbox automatically.
Get a test token and phone number ID: In WhatsApp > API Setup, copy the temporary access token and the Phone number ID for the test number. Add up to 5 verified recipient numbers for sandbox testing. Set WHATSAPP_ACCESS_TOKEN and WHATSAPP_PHONE_NUMBER_ID.
Note your WhatsApp Business Account ID: The WABA ID is shown in WhatsApp > API Setup (and in Meta Business Suite). Set it as WHATSAPP_BUSINESS_ACCOUNT_ID if you want to list message templates.
Create a permanent token for production: Temporary tokens expire after about 24 hours. For production, create a System User in Meta Business Suite, grant it the whatsapp_business_messaging and whatsapp_business_management permissions, generate a non-expiring token, and use it as WHATSAPP_ACCESS_TOKEN.

Free-form text messages are only delivered within 24 hours of the customer’s last message; outside that window you must send an approved template.
Use the internal phone number ID in API calls, not the E.164 phone number.
New templates must be approved by Meta before they can be sent; check status with the List Message Templates tool.

Tool	Access	Description
Send Text Message	Write	Send a free-form text message to a WhatsApp user (only within 24 hours of their last message; otherwise use a template)
Send Template Message	Write	Send an approved message template to a WhatsApp user; required to start conversations outside the 24-hour customer service window
Send Media Message	Write	Send an image, document, video, or audio message to a WhatsApp user by public URL or uploaded media ID (subject to the same 24-hour window as text messages)
Get Media URL	Read	Get a short-lived download URL and metadata for a media ID, e.g. to retrieve an image or document a customer sent inbound
Update Business Profile	Write	Update the business profile (about, address, description, email, websites, vertical) shown to customers for a business phone number
Mark Message as Read	Write	Mark an inbound WhatsApp message as read so the customer sees read receipts after the agent processes it
Get Business Profile	Read	Read the business profile (about, address, email, websites) shown to customers for a business phone number
List Message Templates	Read	List the message templates on a WhatsApp Business Account so an agent can pick an approved template name and language before sending

Send a WhatsApp message to a customer following up on their recent inquiry.
List my approved WhatsApp message templates and summarize what each one is for.
Show my WhatsApp business profile and suggest improvements to the description and website links.