WhatsApp

Connect your AI Bot Kit chatbot to WhatsApp Business so customers can chat with the same trained bot directly from WhatsApp. Replies, lead capture, and human handover all work -- including a per-conversation takeover so an agent can step in.

What you need

• A business phone number that's eligible for WhatsApp Business API

• A Meta Business account (the embedded signup flow takes you through verification)

• A paid plan (Basic, Essential, or Business)

You do not need a Meta developer account or BSP approvals up front -- AI Bot Kit handles delivery through Pinnacle, our WhatsApp BSP.

How to connect

1. Open your chatbot and go to INTEGRATIONS in the left sidebar.

2. Click Connect on the WhatsApp card.

3. The Pinnacle embedded-signup iframe opens. Sign in with your Meta Business account, pick the phone number you want to use, and approve the requested permissions.

4. Once connected, the card shows Connected status.

5. Toggle Enable WhatsApp to start receiving messages. You can pause delivery at any time without losing the connection.

Note: Records created before the toggle was added are treated as enabled by default.

When connected, you'll see:

• Connected status -- "Your WhatsApp channel is active. Messages are being processed by your AI agent."

• Feature bullets:

  • End-to-end encrypted -- Secure messaging via WhatsApp

  • Instant replies -- Your bot responds in real time

  • 2B+ users on WhatsApp -- Reach customers on the world's most popular messaging app

• Share with your customers -- A wa.me link and QR code customers can use to start chatting

• Disable WhatsApp toggle -- Turn delivery on/off without disconnecting

What happens when a customer messages you

1. Pinnacle delivers the message to /api/whatsapp/callback. The webhook verifies the HMAC-SHA256 signature.

2. The message is parsed (text or media), the session ID is wa_<phone-number>, and it's enqueued for the RAG engine.

3. The chatbot generates a reply. HTML and tool markers are stripped (WhatsApp doesn't render HTML), then the reply is sent back via Pinnacle.

4. Both messages appear in your dashboard's Conversations view with a WhatsApp source badge.

If the chatbot's per-session AI toggle is off, the message is stored but no AI reply is sent -- you can reply manually as the owner. See Live Chat & Human Takeover.

The 24-hour customer-service window

WhatsApp (Meta) only allows free-form messages within 24 hours of the customer's last inbound message. AI Bot Kit tracks last_inbound_at per conversation:

• If you try to reply manually after the 24-hour window, the composer is disabled with a tooltip explaining why.

• The owner-send API returns 409 WA_WINDOW_CLOSED if attempted out-of-window.

• Once the customer messages again, the window reopens automatically.

Frequently Asked

Can I use my existing WhatsApp number? Yes, if it's not currently registered with the WhatsApp Business API on another BSP. The embedded signup flow detects this and guides you through migration.

Do messages count against my Monthly AI Messages quota? Yes. Every assistant reply on WhatsApp is counted exactly the same as a website widget reply.

What about media (images, voice notes)? Inbound media is logged. The chatbot replies with text only by default; rich responses are on the roadmap.

Can I disconnect? Yes. Toggle Enable WhatsApp off to stop delivery. Use the Disconnect action to remove credentials. Existing conversation history is preserved.