Step 1: Install Claude Desktop

If you don't have Claude Desktop yet, download it first:

Download Claude Desktop
Claude Desktop is required because it supports MCP (Model Context Protocol), which is how this server connects to Claude. The web version of Claude at claude.ai does NOT support MCP yet.

Step 2: Add the WhatsApp MCP Server

1

Open Claude Desktop Settings

Click the gear icon in the top-right corner of Claude Desktop, or press Ctrl+, (Windows) / Cmd+, (Mac).

2

Go to Developer > Edit Config

In Settings, click "Developer" in the left sidebar, then click "Edit Config". This opens the file claude_desktop_config.json in your text editor.

3

Paste the configuration

Replace the file contents with this (or merge into existing config):

Free Tier (7 tools, no API key needed):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "whatsapp": {
      "type": "url",
      "url": "https://whatsapp-mcp-server.eosspirit.workers.dev/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Pro / Enterprise (43 tools, with API key):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "whatsapp": {
      "type": "url",
      "url": "https://whatsapp-mcp-server.eosspirit.workers.dev/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "X-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}
Where is the config file?
Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
Mac: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
4

Save and Restart Claude Desktop

Save the file, then completely close and reopen Claude Desktop. The WhatsApp tools will now be available.

Step 3: Start Using It

Just talk to Claude naturally. Here are some things you can ask:

"Send a text message to +56 9 1234 5678 saying the order is ready for pickup"

Sends a WhatsApp text message to the specified number.

"Show me my business profile"

Retrieves your WhatsApp Business profile info.

"List all my message templates"

Shows all approved/pending templates in your account.

"What's my phone quality rating?"

Shows if your number is GREEN (good), YELLOW (warning), or RED (at risk). PRO

"Show me messages from today"

Retrieves incoming messages received via webhooks. PRO

Step 4: Set Up Your Own WhatsApp Number (Optional)

The free and Pro plans use a shared test phone number provided by Meta. To use your own business phone number, you need a Meta Business Account:

1

Create a Meta Developer Account

Go to developers.facebook.com and sign in with your Facebook account.

2

Create an App

Click "Create App" > choose "Business" > name it anything (not "WhatsApp" — Meta blocks that). Select "Connect with customers via WhatsApp" as the use case.

3

Get Your Credentials

In the WhatsApp section of your app, you'll see:

  • Access Token — temporary (24h) or permanent (System User)
  • Phone Number ID — your registered number
  • Business Account ID — your WABA ID
4

Contact Us for Custom Setup

With the Enterprise plan, we configure your own phone number on our hosted server. Or you can self-host with your own credentials.

Troubleshooting

"Tool not found" or no WhatsApp tools appear

Make sure you saved the config file and fully restarted Claude Desktop (not just closed the window — quit the app completely). Check that the JSON is valid (no trailing commas, correct brackets).

"Authentication failed" error

If you're on the Pro/Enterprise plan, check that your API key is correct in the config. Make sure there are no extra spaces. You can verify your key at: https://whatsapp-mcp-server.eosspirit.workers.dev/billing/api-key?email=YOUR_EMAIL

"Rate limit exceeded"

Free tier: 100 requests/hour. Pro: 1,000/hour. Enterprise: 10,000/hour. Wait or upgrade your plan.

Pro tools not showing up

Make sure you added the "headers": {"X-API-Key": "..."} section in your config. Free tier only shows 7 tools. Pro/Enterprise shows all 35.

Messages not sending

The test phone number can only send to numbers that have been added as test recipients in the Meta Developer Portal. For production, you need your own verified business number.

"Message blocked" or "not in allowlist"

The anti-spam system blocked the message. If allowlist is enabled, add the recipient first:

Tell Claude: "Add +1234567890 to my allowlist" then try sending again.

Check your limits with: "Show my messaging safety status"

Anti-Spam Protection

Every outbound message passes through the MessageGuard before sending. This prevents bad prompts from turning into spam.

Protections include:

Quick setup:

  1. Tell Claude: "Enable my allowlist and add +1234567890"
  2. Now only that number can receive messages.
  3. Check your limits: "Show my messaging safety status"

AI Auto-Reply (Enterprise)

Enterprise customers can enable AI-powered automatic replies. When someone messages you on WhatsApp, the server calls an AI to generate and send a response automatically.

Supported providers (bring your own key):

Step 1: Get a free Groq API key

  1. Go to console.groq.com
  2. Sign up (free, use Google)
  3. Go to API Keys → Create API Key
  4. Copy the key (starts with gsk_)

Step 2: Configure via Claude

Tell Claude: "Configure auto-reply with Groq.
My API key is gsk_xxxxx.
System prompt: You are a friendly customer service agent
for my store. Answer in Spanish. Our website is https://mysite.com"

Step 3: Done!

Incoming WhatsApp messages now get automatic AI responses. The bot remembers conversations and respects business hours if configured.

Other useful commands:

Tell Claude: "Show my auto-reply status"
Tell Claude: "Disable auto-reply"
Tell Claude: "Clear conversation history for +1234567890"
Tell Claude: "Change provider to OpenAI with key sk_xxxxx"
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