Deploy an AI agent to WhatsApp.
Requires Meta Developer and Meta Business accounts.
Publishing to WhatsApp lets your audience interact with the AI agent — and later a live agent — in a WhatsApp thread.
In the agent's Publish tab, create a WhatsApp channel or select an existing one to open its settings.
Basic settings
Name
Internal name distinguishing this channel from other WhatsApp instances.
Default chat language
Set from the agent's Agent settings.
Icon
The channel's avatar, seen by live agents in the Inbox.
Select Save to confirm edits.
Connect to WhatsApp
Four values are required from your Meta Developer account, set in the Configuration accordion: App ID, App secret, User access token, and Phone number ID. You'll also integrate a Proto webhook with Meta Developer.
Log in to your Meta Developer account.
If you don't already have a Meta app: My Apps → Create App, fill in the details, and select Create app.
Select the app to connect to Proto.
In its Dashboard tab, scroll to WhatsApp and select Set up.
Create or choose a Meta Business Account and select Continue.
In Settings → Basic, copy the App ID and App secret into Proto's WhatsApp configuration fields.
Log in to Meta Business with the same account.
Select the business connected to your Meta App and WhatsApp account.
If there's no System User, select Add to apply an ADMIN system user.
Ensure the Meta App is listed under Assigned Assets; if not, add it.
Select Generate Token and choose the Meta App.
Select the permissions:
whatsapp_business_management,whatsapp_business_messaging,business_management.Select Generate Token and paste it into Proto's User access token field.
Log in to Meta Business.
Go to WhatsApp Manager → select your WhatsApp Business account.
Go to Phone Numbers → Add Phone Number.
Enter your business display name and category, then proceed.
Enter and verify the phone number.
In Meta Developer → My Apps → WhatsApp → Getting Started, copy the Phone Number ID into Proto.
In Meta Developer → My Apps → WhatsApp → Configuration.
Under Webhooks, select Edit.
Paste Proto's Webhook URL as the Callback URL, and Proto's App secret as the Verify Token.
Select Verify and Save.
Return to Configuration, select Manage under Webhooks, and enable the messages subscription.
Businesses must receive opt-in before messaging a person on WhatsApp.
Messaging & pricing
Message limits
Incoming messages are unlimited; outgoing messages have tiered limits. See WhatsApp's messaging limits.
Conversation pricing
Meta charges businesses per conversation, independent of Proto. The first 1,000 conversations each month are free.
Using WhatsApp
Add the WhatsApp account's phone number to your contacts, then start a new chat with that contact to begin a thread with the AI agent.
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