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~30 min setup

Connect WhatsApp

Let users message Sandra on WhatsApp — text, images, and voice notes. Full AI conversations from their phone.

Capabilities

Text conversationsFull AI conversations via WhatsApp messages
Image understandingUsers send photos — Sandra uses vision AI to analyze them
Voice notesUsers send voice messages — Sandra transcribes and responds
Group chatsSandra participates in groups when mentioned
Identity linkingLink WhatsApp number to Sandra account for personalization
Prerequisites: A Meta Business Account, access to the Meta Developer Console, a phone number for Sandra, and Admin Portal access.

1. Create a Meta app

1
Go to developers.facebook.com/apps → Create App
2
Select Business → name it Sandra AI → connect your Business Account
3
From the app dashboard, click Add Product → find WhatsApp → Set Up

2. Configure a phone number

1
In the WhatsApp section → API Setup — you’ll see a test phone number (works for dev)
2
For production, click Add phone number and complete verification
3
Note the Phone Number ID from the API Setup page

3. Generate a permanent access token

The temporary token in API Setup expires in 24 hours. For production, create a System User Token:

1
Go to Business Settings → System Users
2
Click Add → create a system user named Sandra Bot with Admin role
3
Click Generate Token → select your app → add permissions: whatsapp_business_messaging, whatsapp_business_management
4
Click Generate Token and copy the token
⚠️ Save this token securely! It won’t be shown again.

4. Set up the webhook

Sandra receives incoming messages via a webhook from Meta.

1
In your Meta app → WhatsApp → Configuration → Webhook → click Edit
2
Callback URL: https://<your-sandra-url>/api/channels/whatsapp
3
Verify Token: A secret string you choose (e.g. sandra-whatsapp-verify-2026)
4
Click Verify and Save → subscribe to the messages webhook field

5. Configure Sandra

Option A: Environment variables

env
WHATSAPP_PHONE_NUMBER_ID=123456789012345
WHATSAPP_ACCESS_TOKEN=EAAxxxxxxx...
WHATSAPP_VERIFY_TOKEN=sandra-whatsapp-verify-2026
WHATSAPP_API_VERSION=v19.0

Option B: Admin Portal

1
Admin Portal → Settings → WhatsApp Channel
2
Enter Phone Number ID, Access Token, and Verify Token
3
Click Save

6. Verify

1
Send a WhatsApp message to your Sandra phone number
2
Sandra should respond within a few seconds
3
Try: a text message, a photo (Sandra will describe it), or a voice note (Sandra will transcribe and respond)

linkIdentity linking

Users can link their WhatsApp number to their Sandra account for personalized responses across all channels:

  1. 1. User messages Sandra on WhatsApp
  2. 2. Sandra offers to link their account
  3. 3. User provides their email address
  4. 4. Sandra sends a verification code to that email
  5. 5. User confirms the code on WhatsApp → linked!

Troubleshooting

Messages not received

Check that the webhook URL is correct, publicly accessible (HTTPS), and the "messages" field is subscribed.

Messages fail to send

Check the access token. WhatsApp requires users to message first — Sandra can only reply within 24 hours of the last user message.

Slow responses

WhatsApp messages go through Meta’s servers — expect 2–5 second round-trips. Voice notes add 1–3 seconds for transcription.

shieldSecurity notes

  • • All webhook payloads verified with HMAC-SHA256 signature validation
  • • Message deduplication prevents double-processing
  • • Access tokens encrypted at rest
  • • Voice notes transcribed in-memory — audio files are not stored

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