Odel
WhatsApp Web MCP Server

WhatsApp Web MCP Server

Local
@mario-andreschak23TypeScriptMITUpdated Yesterday

WhatsApp MCP via web.js or browserless Baileys: messages, media, chats, groups and contacts

View on GitHub

Very Important

Automation of Whatsapp Messages without Meta (Business-)API is against WhatsApp' Terms of Service! You take full responsibility for everything you do with this MCP-Server. It is possible that your account will be flagged/restricted.

MCP WhatsApp Web (TypeScript)

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for WhatsApp Web, implemented in TypeScript. This project is a TypeScript port of the original whatsapp-mcp repository.

With this MCP server, you can:

  • Search and read your personal WhatsApp messages (including media)
  • Search your contacts
  • Send messages to individuals or groups
  • Send and receive media files (images, videos, documents, audio)

image image

Features

  • TypeScript Implementation: Fully typed codebase for better developer experience and code reliability
  • Selectable WhatsApp Backend: Uses whatsapp-web.js by default, with an optional Baileys backend that runs without a browser
  • MCP Server: Implements the Model Context Protocol for seamless integration with AI assistants
  • Media Support: Send and receive images, videos, documents, and audio messages
  • Multiple Transport Options: Supports stdio and Streamable HTTP transports — even both at once from a single process (start with stdio and set MCP_HTTP_PORT to additionally expose http://127.0.0.1:<port>/mcp, or run HTTP-only with --http)
  • Flexible Authentication: QR code (as an MCP image tool), pairing code (request_pairing_code tool, or automatically printed to stderr at startup via WHATSAPP_PAIRING_PHONE_NUMBER), and an optional OAuth flow for HTTP clients (MCP_OAUTH=true) where the browser authorization page shows the WhatsApp QR code — unlinking WhatsApp revokes tokens so clients automatically re-authenticate

Architecture

This MCP server consists of:

  1. TypeScript MCP Server: Implements the Model Context Protocol to provide standardized tools for AI assistants to interact with WhatsApp
  2. WhatsApp Backend: A shared service interface selects web.js/Puppeteer or Baileys/WebSocket, handles authentication, and manages message sending/receiving
  3. Tool Implementations: Provides various tools for contacts, chats, messages, media, and authentication

Prerequisites

  • Node.js >= 22.0.0 (Node 22 or 24 recommended for the Baileys SQLite dependency)
  • npm or yarn
  • For the default webjs backend: Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge (auto-detected; needed for video/GIF codec support; other operations can use Puppeteer's bundled Chromium)
  • For baileys: install optional dependencies, including the native better-sqlite3 module. No Chrome, Edge, or Chromium is needed at runtime.

FFmpeg is bundled automatically via the ffmpeg-static npm package — no manual installation needed. You can point the FFMPEG_PATH environment variable at your own binary to override it.

Installation

Manual Installation

  1. Clone this repository

    git clone https://github.com/mario-andreschak/mcp-whatsapp-web.git
cd mcp-whatsapp-web

  2. Install dependencies

    npm install

  3. Build the project

    npm run build

  4. Configure environment variables (optional)

    Copy the example environment file and modify as needed:

    cp .env.example .env

    You can select the backend with WHATSAPP_BACKEND, adjust logging levels, pin the WhatsApp Web version, or override the auto-detected browser (BROWSER_EXECUTABLE_PATH) and ffmpeg binary (FFMPEG_PATH). WHATSAPP_HEADLESS=false shows the web.js browser window, and WHATSAPP_SESSION_DIR relocates its persistent profile. Use an absolute session directory to keep it consistent across working directories.

Choosing a backend

WHATSAPP_BACKEND=webjs is the default and preserves existing sessions and MCP tool names. It uses a dedicated persistent LocalAuth profile, not your personal Chrome profile. It now keeps the browser's native user agent and graphics defaults, omits Puppeteer's automation banner flag, and leaves the browser sandbox enabled. Containers that require disabling the sandbox can explicitly set WHATSAPP_NO_SANDBOX=true. These settings do not guarantee that automation is undetectable.

To use the optional Baileys backend, set these variables in your MCP client configuration or .env, then restart the server:

WHATSAPP_BACKEND=baileys
BAILEYS_SESSION_DIR=C:/path/to/your/baileys-sessions

BAILEYS_SESSION_DIR defaults to <working directory>/baileys-sessions; the example above should be replaced with your own absolute directory. Pair this backend separately with get_qr_code or request_pairing_code. The existing WHATSAPP_PAIRING_PHONE_NUMBER option also works. Baileys cannot reuse the web.js browser profile. You can switch back to webjs and resume its existing session.

Baileys and SQLite are pinned optional dependencies installed by normal npm install. If your package manager omitted them, run npm install --include=optional. SQLite uses a native addon; a supported prebuilt binary or a local native build toolchain is required. To avoid downloading Chromium when installing for Baileys or an existing system browser, use:

$env:PUPPETEER_SKIP_DOWNLOAD = 'true'
npm install --include=optional
npm run build

On macOS/Linux, the equivalent installation command is PUPPETEER_SKIP_DOWNLOAD=true npm install --include=optional. Selecting Baileys loads only its driver and never starts or cleans up browser processes. An unavailable backend produces an error; it never silently switches drivers or retries a send through another backend.

Baileys sessions and history

  • Credentials, Signal keys, contacts, chats and messages persist in BAILEYS_SESSION_DIR/session.sqlite. Keep the whole directory private and out of version control. Only one running server may own a session directory. Use separate directories for independent accounts.
  • Normal shutdown preserves the session. Explicit logout or invalid authentication clears the Baileys credentials and cached account data, and revokes its OAuth access tokens. Baileys HTTP OAuth state is stored separately from web.js in BAILEYS_SESSION_DIR/oauth-store.json.
  • get_backend_status reports the active backend, authentication, stored record counts and history synchronization state. Being connected does not mean history has finished arriving. An available history state means local data is available, not that WhatsApp supplied a complete archive.
  • Contact and history tools query the local synchronized store. Initial full-history sync is requested and can take time on large accounts. list_messages may request up to 100 additional older messages when a known chat has fewer than requested, with a bounded wait and a per-chat cooldown. Late history batches are persisted for subsequent queries. WhatsApp may still supply only part of an account's history.
  • Treat returned message IDs as opaque and use IDs from the active backend. Legacy @c.us phone-number inputs, @s.whatsapp.net, groups and @lid identifiers are supported; known LID/phone mappings are persisted. Message IDs from web.js cannot be passed to Baileys or vice versa.
  • Text, media, downloads, voice notes and the existing authentication tools use the same MCP interface. Voice-note inputs must be local files or base64; FFmpeg converts them to mono Opus/Ogg before sending. If conversion fails, the tool reports an error without sending a different message type.

The Baileys backend is opt-in and pinned to 7.0.0-rc14. Review upstream changes before upgrading, especially authentication and message-format migrations. See the Baileys documentation and release history.

Installation with FLUJO

FLUJO provides a streamlined installation process:

  1. Navigate to the MCP section in FLUJO
  2. Click "Add Server"
  3. Copy and paste this GitHub repository URL: https://github.com/mario-andreschak/mcp-whatsapp-web
  4. Click "Parse", "Clone, "Install", "Build" and "Update Server"

FLUJO will automatically handle the cloning, dependency installation, and building process for you.

Usage

Starting the MCP Server

npm start

This will start the MCP server using stdio transport by default, which is suitable for integration with Claude Desktop or similar applications.

Important: After starting the server for the first time, you must authenticate with WhatsApp by using the get_qr_code tool and scanning the QR code with your phone. See the Authentication section for detailed instructions.

Development Mode

npm run dev

This starts the server in development mode with TypeScript watch mode and automatic server restarts.

Debugging with MCP Inspector

npm run debug

This launches the MCP Inspector tool, which provides a web interface for testing and debugging your MCP server. The inspector allows you to:

  • View all available tools and their schemas
  • Execute tools directly and see their responses
  • Test your server without needing to connect it to an AI assistant
  • Debug tool execution and inspect responses

Connecting to Claude Desktop

  1. Create a configuration file for Claude Desktop:

    {
  "mcpServers": {
    "whatsapp": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "PATH_TO/dist/index.js"
      ]
    }
  }
}

    Replace PATH_TO with the absolute path to the repository.

  2. Save this as claude_desktop_config.json in your Claude Desktop configuration directory:

    • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
    • Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
    • Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

  3. Restart Claude Desktop

Connecting to Cursor

  1. Create a configuration file for Cursor:

    {
  "mcpServers": {
    "whatsapp": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "PATH_TO/dist/index.js"
      ]
    }
  }
}

    Replace PATH_TO with the absolute path to the repository.

  2. Save this as mcp.json in your Cursor configuration directory:

    • macOS/Linux: ~/.cursor/mcp.json
    • Windows: %USERPROFILE%\.cursor\mcp.json

  3. Restart Cursor

Authentication

The first time you run the server, you'll need to authenticate with WhatsApp:

  1. Start the MCP server
  2. Important: You must use the get_qr_code tool to generate a QR code
    • In Claude or other AI assistants, explicitly ask to "use the get_qr_code tool to authenticate WhatsApp"
    • The assistant will call this tool and display the QR code image
  3. Scan the QR code with your WhatsApp mobile app
    • Open WhatsApp on your phone
    • Go to Settings > Linked Devices > Link a Device
    • Point your phone camera at the QR code displayed

Your session will be saved locally in the whatsapp-sessions directory and will be reused automatically on subsequent runs. If you don't authenticate using the QR code, you won't be able to use any WhatsApp functionality.

Authentication Status and Logout

You can check your current authentication status and manage your session:

  • Use the check_auth_status tool to verify if you're currently authenticated
  • If you need to authenticate with a different WhatsApp account or re-authenticate:
    1. Use the logout tool to log out from your current session
    2. Then use the get_qr_code tool to authenticate with a new QR code

This is particularly useful when:

  • You want to switch between different WhatsApp accounts
  • Your session has expired or been invalidated
  • You're experiencing connection issues and need to re-authenticate

Available MCP Tools

Authentication

  • get_qr_code- Get the QR code for WhatsApp Web authentication
  • check_auth_status- Check if you're currently authenticated with WhatsApp
  • logout- Log out from WhatsApp and clear the current session

Contacts

  • search_contacts- Search for contacts by name or phone number
  • get_contact- Get information about a specific contact

Chats

  • list_chats- List available chats with metadata
  • get_chat- Get information about a specific chat
  • get_direct_chat_by_contact- Find a direct chat with a specific contact

Messages

  • list_messages- Retrieve messages with optional filters
  • get_message- Get a specific message by ID
  • send_message- Send a text message to a chat

Media

  • send_file- Send a file (image, video, document) to a chat
  • send_audio_message- Send an audio message (voice note)
  • download_media- Download media from a message

Browser Process Management

This MCP server uses Puppeteer to control Chrome browsers for WhatsApp Web connectivity. The server includes a robust browser process management system to prevent orphaned Chrome processes.

Automatic Browser Cleanup

The server automatically:

  • Tracks Chrome browser processes using a PID tracking system
  • Cleans up orphaned processes on startup
  • Properly closes browser processes during shutdown
  • Maintains a record of browser PIDs in .chrome-pids.json

Manual Browser Cleanup

If you notice orphaned Chrome processes that weren't automatically cleaned up, you can use the included cleanup utility:

npm run cleanup-browsers

This utility will:

  1. Scan for Chrome processes that might be related to WhatsApp Web
  2. Display a list of potentially orphaned processes
  3. Ask for confirmation before terminating them
  4. Clean up the PID tracking file

Development

Project Structure

  • src/index.ts- Entry point
  • src/server.ts- MCP server implementation
  • src/services/whatsapp.ts- WhatsApp Web service
  • src/tools/- Tool implementations for various WhatsApp features
  • src/types/- TypeScript type definitions
  • src/utils/- Utility functions

Scripts

  • npm run build- Build the TypeScript code
  • npm run dev- Run in development mode with watch
  • npm run lint- Run ESLint
  • npm run format- Format code with Prettier
  • npm run cleanup-browsers- Detect and clean up orphaned Chrome browser processes
  • npm test - Run the unit test suite (fast, no browser needed)
  • npm run test:watch - Run unit tests in watch mode during development
  • npm run test:e2e - Build, then run end-to-end tests (spawns the real server incl. a headless browser)

Troubleshooting

Authentication Issues

  • If the QR code doesn't appear, try restarting the server
  • If you're already authenticated, no QR code will be shown (use check_auth_status to verify)
  • If you need to re-authenticate, use the logout tool first, then request a new QR code
  • WhatsApp limits the number of linked devices; you may need to remove an existing device
  • If you receive a message saying "No QR code is currently available," but you're already authenticated, this is normal behavior - use check_auth_status to confirm your authentication status

Connection Issues

  • Make sure you have a stable internet connection
  • If the connection fails, try restarting the server
  • Check the logs for detailed error messages

Browser Process Issues

  • If you notice high CPU usage or memory consumption, there might be orphaned Chrome processes
  • Run npm run cleanup-browsers to detect and clean up orphaned processes
  • If the server crashes frequently, check for orphaned processes and clean them up
  • On Windows, you can also use Task Manager to look for multiple Chrome processes with "headless" in the command line
  • On Linux/macOS, use ps aux | grep chrome to check for orphaned processes

License

MIT

This project is a TypeScript port of the original whatsapp-mcp by lharries.