tomevault-io WhatsApp Ultimate
Everything you can do in WhatsApp, your AI agent can do too.
This skill documents all WhatsApp capabilities available through OpenClaw's native channel integration. No external Docker services, no CLI wrappers — just direct WhatsApp Web protocol via Baileys.
Prerequisites
- OpenClaw with WhatsApp channel configured
- WhatsApp account linked via QR code (
openclaw whatsapp login)
Capabilities Overview
| Category | Features |
|---|---|
| Messaging | Text, media, polls, stickers, voice notes, GIFs |
| Interactions | Reactions, replies/quotes, edit, unsend |
| Groups | Create, rename, icon, description, participants, admin, invite links |
| History | Persistent SQLite storage, FTS5 full-text search, import historical exports |
Total: 22 distinct actions + searchable history
Messaging
Send Text
message action=send channel=whatsapp to="+34612345678" message="Hello!"
Send Media (Image/Video/Document)
message action=send channel=whatsapp to="+34612345678" message="Check this out" filePath=/path/to/image.jpg
Supported: JPG, PNG, GIF, MP4, PDF, DOC, etc.
Send Poll
message action=poll channel=whatsapp to="+34612345678" pollQuestion="What time?" pollOption=["3pm", "4pm", "5pm"]
Send Sticker
message action=sticker channel=whatsapp to="+34612345678" filePath=/path/to/sticker.webp
Must be WebP format, ideally 512x512.
Send Voice Note
message action=send channel=whatsapp to="+34612345678" filePath=/path/to/audio.ogg asVoice=true
Critical: Use OGG/Opus format for WhatsApp voice notes. MP3 may not play correctly.
Send GIF
message action=send channel=whatsapp to="+34612345678" filePath=/path/to/animation.mp4 gifPlayback=true
Convert GIF to MP4 first (WhatsApp requires this):
ffmpeg -i input.gif -movflags faststart -pix_fmt yuv420p -vf "scale=trunc(iw/2)*2:trunc(ih/2)*2" output.mp4 -y
Interactions
Add Reaction
message action=react channel=whatsapp chatJid="34612345678@s.whatsapp.net" messageId="ABC123" emoji="🚀"
Remove Reaction
message action=react channel=whatsapp chatJid="34612345678@s.whatsapp.net" messageId="ABC123" remove=true
Reply/Quote Message
message action=reply channel=whatsapp to="34612345678@s.whatsapp.net" replyTo="QUOTED_MSG_ID" message="Replying to this!"
Edit Message (Own Messages Only)
message action=edit channel=whatsapp chatJid="34612345678@s.whatsapp.net" messageId="ABC123" message="Updated text"
Unsend/Delete Message
message action=unsend channel=whatsapp chatJid="34612345678@s.whatsapp.net" messageId="ABC123"
Group Management
Create Group
message action=group-create channel=whatsapp name="Project Team" participants=["+34612345678", "+34687654321"]
Rename Group
message action=renameGroup channel=whatsapp groupId="123456789@g.us" name="New Name"
Set Group Icon
message action=setGroupIcon channel=whatsapp groupId="123456789@g.us" filePath=/path/to/icon.jpg
Set Group Description
message action=setGroupDescription channel=whatsapp groupJid="123456789@g.us" description="Team chat for Q1 project"
Add Participant
message action=addParticipant channel=whatsapp groupId="123456789@g.us" participant="+34612345678"
Remove Participant
message action=removeParticipant channel=whatsapp groupId="123456789@g.us" participant="+34612345678"
Promote to Admin
message action=promoteParticipant channel=whatsapp groupJid="123456789@g.us" participants=["+34612345678"]
Demote from Admin
message action=demoteParticipant channel=whatsapp groupJid="123456789@g.us" participants=["+34612345678"]
Leave Group
message action=leaveGroup channel=whatsapp groupId="123456789@g.us"
Get Invite Link
message action=getInviteCode channel=whatsapp groupJid="123456789@g.us"
Returns: https://chat.whatsapp.com/XXXXX
Revoke Invite Link
message action=revokeInviteCode channel=whatsapp groupJid="123456789@g.us"
Get Group Info
message action=getGroupInfo channel=whatsapp groupJid="123456789@g.us"
Returns: name, description, participants, admins, creation date.
Access Control
DM Policy
Control who can DM your agent in openclaw.json:
{
"channels": {
"whatsapp": {
"dmPolicy": "allowlist",
"allowFrom": ["+34612345678", "+14155551234"],
"triggerPrefix": "Jarvis"
}
}
}
| Policy | Behavior |
|---|---|
"open" |
Anyone can DM |
"allowlist" |
Only numbers in allowFrom can DM |
"pairing" |
Unknown senders get pairing code prompt |
"disabled" |
No DMs accepted |
Group Policy
{
"channels": {
"whatsapp": {
"groupPolicy": "open",
"groupAllowFrom": ["+34612345678", "+14155551234"]
}
}
}
| Policy | Behavior |
|---|---|
"open" |
Responds to mentions in any group |
"allowlist" |
Only from senders in groupAllowFrom |
"disabled" |
Ignores all group messages |
Self-Chat Mode
{
"channels": {
"whatsapp": {
"selfChatMode": true
}
}
}
Allows messaging yourself (your "Note to Self" chat) to interact with the agent.
Trigger Prefix
{
"channels": {
"whatsapp": {
"triggerPrefix": "Jarvis"
}
}
}
Messages must start with this prefix to trigger the agent. Works in:
- Self-chat
- Allowed DMs
- Any DM where you (the owner) message with the prefix
JID Formats
WhatsApp uses JIDs (Jabber IDs) internally:
| Type | Format | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Individual | <number>@s.whatsapp.net |
34612345678@s.whatsapp.net |
| Group | <id>@g.us |
123456789012345678@g.us |
When using to= with phone numbers, OpenClaw auto-converts to JID format.
Tips
Voice Notes
Always use OGG/Opus format:
ffmpeg -i input.wav -c:a libopus -b:a 64k output.ogg
Stickers
Convert images to WebP stickers:
ffmpeg -i input.png -vf "scale=512:512:force_original_aspect_ratio=decrease,pad=512:512:(ow-iw)/2:(oh-ih)/2:color=0x00000000" output.webp
Rate Limits
WhatsApp has anti-spam measures. Avoid:
- Bulk messaging to many contacts
- Rapid-fire messages
- Messages to contacts who haven't messaged you first
Message IDs
To react/edit/unsend, you need the message ID. Incoming messages include this in the event payload. For your own sent messages, the send response includes the ID.
Comparison with Other Skills
| Feature | whatsapp-ultimate | wacli | whatsapp-automation | gif-whatsapp |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Native integration | ✅ | ❌ (CLI) | ❌ (Docker) | N/A |
| Send text | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Send media | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Polls | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Stickers | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Voice notes | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| GIFs | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Reactions | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Reply/Quote | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Edit | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Unsend | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Group create | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Group management | ✅ (full) | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Receive messages | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Two-way chat | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| External deps | None | Go binary | Docker + WAHA | ffmpeg |
Message History & Search (v1.2.0+)
OpenClaw now stores all WhatsApp messages in a local SQLite database with full-text search (FTS5). Never lose a conversation again.
How It Works
Live Messages (Baileys) ──┐
├──→ SQLite + FTS5 ──→ whatsapp_history tool
WhatsApp Exports (.txt) ──┘
- Live capture: Every new message automatically saved
- Historical import: Bulk import from WhatsApp chat exports
- Full-text search: Find any message by content, sender, or chat
Searching History
Use the whatsapp_history tool (available to your agent automatically):
# Search by keyword
whatsapp_history action=search query="meeting tomorrow"
# Filter by chat
whatsapp_history action=search chat="Family Group" limit=50
# Find what you said
whatsapp_history action=search fromMe=true query="I promised"
# Filter by sender
whatsapp_history action=search sender="John" limit=20
# Date range
whatsapp_history action=search since="2026-01-01" until="2026-02-01"
# Database stats
whatsapp_history action=stats
Importing Historical Messages
WhatsApp doesn't expose infinite history via API. To get older messages:
- Export from phone: Settings → Chats → Chat history → Export chat → Without media
- Save the .txt files somewhere accessible
- Import:
whatsapp_history action=import path="/path/to/exports"
Or import a single chat:
whatsapp_history action=import path="/path/to/chat.txt" chatName="Family Group"
Database Location
~/.openclaw/data/whatsapp-history.db
SQLite file with WAL mode for concurrent access.
Use Cases
- "What did I tell Sarah about the meeting?"
- "Find all messages mentioning 'deadline'"
- "Show my recent messages to the work group"
- "When did John mention the quarterly report?"
The agent can now answer these questions by searching your complete WhatsApp history.
Troubleshooting
Messages from family/friends not reaching agent
Symptom: You added someone to groupAllowFrom but their DMs don't work.
Fix: Add them to allowFrom too. groupAllowFrom only controls group message access, not DMs.
{
"allowFrom": ["+34612345678", "+14155551234"],
"groupAllowFrom": ["+34612345678", "+14155551234"]
}
Can't tell who sent which message in a DM
Symptom: All messages in a DM conversation show the same phone number.
Cause: Prior to OpenClaw 2026.2.1, DM messages showed the chat ID (the other person's number) instead of the actual sender.
Fix: Update to latest OpenClaw. The agent now correctly distinguishes between messages you send and messages the other person sends in the same conversation.
Voice notes won't play on WhatsApp
Symptom: Audio file sends but shows as unplayable.
Fix: Use OGG/Opus format, not MP3:
ffmpeg -i input.mp3 -c:a libopus -b:a 64k output.ogg
Then send with asVoice=true.
Architecture
Your Agent
↓
OpenClaw message tool
↓
WhatsApp Channel Plugin
↓
Baileys (WhatsApp Web Protocol)
↓
WhatsApp Servers
No external services. No Docker. No CLI tools. Direct protocol integration.
License
MIT — Part of OpenClaw
Links
- OpenClaw: https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw
- Baileys: https://github.com/WhiskeySockets/Baileys
- ClawHub: https://clawhub.com
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