name	whatsapp
description	Use when the user wants Codex to search WhatsApp chats, read WhatsApp messages, inspect contacts, download WhatsApp media, send WhatsApp messages/media, create WhatsApp groups, or add participants to WhatsApp groups through this plugin.

WhatsApp MCP Workflow

This plugin wraps lharries/whatsapp-mcp, which has two moving parts:

A Go WhatsApp bridge in build/vendor/whatsapp-mcp/whatsapp-bridge.
A Python stdio MCP server in build/vendor/whatsapp-mcp/whatsapp-mcp-server.

The MCP server depends on the bridge listening at http://127.0.0.1:8080/api.

Before Using Tools

Run scripts/check-health.sh from the plugin root when setup is uncertain.
The MCP startup script tries to auto-start the bridge in the background when WHATSAPP_BRIDGE_AUTO_START is not 0. If setup is uncertain or the user needs to see the QR code, ask them to start it in a terminal with:
```
bash scripts/start-bridge.sh
```
On first run, the user must scan the QR code from WhatsApp: Settings > Linked Devices > Link a Device.

For always-on background sync on macOS, use:

bash scripts/bridge-service.sh install

Then check it with:

bash scripts/bridge-service.sh status

Keep one bridge process running while using WhatsApp MCP tools.

If this plugin is installed from a local marketplace, Codex may run the cached installed copy under ~/.codex/plugins/cache/.... Prefer helper scripts from the same installed plugin copy so the Go bridge version matches the Python MCP server version. Runtime auth, message indexes, and media live in the shared external store under ${XDG_DATA_HOME:-$HOME/.local/share}/codex-whatsapp-plugin/store/.

Tool Use

Prefer read-only discovery before write actions:

search_contacts: find a person or phone number.
list_chats: inspect available chats.
get_chat: inspect one chat by JID.
list_messages: search or page through messages.
list_events: search or page through native WhatsApp event cards captured by the bridge.
backfill_events: request on-demand history sync for a chat so older event cards can be indexed.
list_desktop_events: macOS fallback that reads the currently open WhatsApp Desktop group event drawer.
get_message_context: inspect context around a message.
download_media: download media for a message when the user asks for it.

For sends:

Use get_direct_chat_by_contact or search_contacts first when the recipient is ambiguous.
Confirm the exact recipient and message/media path before using send_message, send_file, or send_audio_message; set confirm_send=true only after that confirmation.
For group sends, use the group JID ending in @g.us.
For voice messages, prefer .ogg Opus. If the file is not .ogg, ffmpeg must be installed or the tool may fail.

For group participant changes:

Use list_chats, get_chat, or prior context to verify the exact group JID ending in @g.us.
Use search_contacts first when participant phone numbers/JIDs are ambiguous.
Confirm the exact group name and participant list before using create_group; set confirm_create=true only after that confirmation.
Confirm the exact group JID and participant list before using add_group_participants; set confirm_add=true only after that confirmation. Direct adds by raw phone number require confirm_risky_phone_number_add=true because WhatsApp participant-level 403 errors can log out the linked device.
For raw phone numbers, prefer get_group_invite_link and ask the user to share the link manually. Treat invite links as sensitive; set confirm_get=true only after confirming the exact group, and set confirm_reset=true only after confirming link rotation.
To invite people when direct adds fail, use add_or_invite_group_participants. Set confirm_add=true only after confirming the exact group and participants. Set confirm_invite_message=true only after confirming fallback DMs should be sent; raw-phone fallback DMs additionally require confirm_risky_phone_invite_dm=true.
If WhatsApp rejects a direct add because of permissions or privacy settings, ask the user to use or share a group invite link instead.

Privacy And Failure Modes

WhatsApp auth, message indexes, downloaded media, and the local bridge token are stored locally under ${XDG_DATA_HOME:-$HOME/.local/share}/codex-whatsapp-plugin/store/ (override with WHATSAPP_MCP_STORE_DIR).
Do not commit, upload, or summarize private message history beyond what the user asked for.
If messages look stale, ask the user to leave the bridge running for sync to catch up.
Native WhatsApp event cards are captured only when WhatsApp sends event payloads to the bridge. If older events are missing, use backfill_events for the chat, then re-run list_events. If the events still only appear in WhatsApp Desktop's drawer, ask the user to open WhatsApp Desktop > target group > Group Info > Events, then use list_desktop_events.
If auth is broken or the linked device expired, use scripts/reset-session.sh only after explicit user confirmation.

WhatsApp MCP Workflow

This plugin wraps lharries/whatsapp-mcp, which has two moving parts:

A Go WhatsApp bridge in build/vendor/whatsapp-mcp/whatsapp-bridge.

A Python stdio MCP server in build/vendor/whatsapp-mcp/whatsapp-mcp-server.

The MCP server depends on the bridge listening at http://127.0.0.1:8080/api.

Before Using Tools

Run scripts/check-health.sh from the plugin root when setup is uncertain.

The MCP startup script tries to auto-start the bridge in the background when WHATSAPP_BRIDGE_AUTO_START is not 0. If setup is uncertain or the user needs to see the QR code, ask them to start it in a terminal with:

bash scripts/start-bridge.sh

On first run, the user must scan the QR code from WhatsApp: Settings > Linked Devices > Link a Device.

For always-on background sync on macOS, use:

bash scripts/bridge-service.sh install

Then check it with:

bash scripts/bridge-service.sh status

Keep one bridge process running while using WhatsApp MCP tools.

Tool Use

Prefer read-only discovery before write actions:

search_contacts: find a person or phone number.

list_chats: inspect available chats.

get_chat: inspect one chat by JID.

list_messages: search or page through messages.

list_events: search or page through native WhatsApp event cards captured by the bridge.

backfill_events: request on-demand history sync for a chat so older event cards can be indexed.

list_desktop_events: macOS fallback that reads the currently open WhatsApp Desktop group event drawer.

get_message_context: inspect context around a message.

download_media: download media for a message when the user asks for it.

For sends:

Use get_direct_chat_by_contact or search_contacts first when the recipient is ambiguous.

Confirm the exact recipient and message/media path before using send_message, send_file, or send_audio_message; set confirm_send=true only after that confirmation.

For group sends, use the group JID ending in @g.us.

For voice messages, prefer .ogg Opus. If the file is not .ogg, ffmpeg must be installed or the tool may fail.

For group participant changes:

Use list_chats, get_chat, or prior context to verify the exact group JID ending in @g.us.

Use search_contacts first when participant phone numbers/JIDs are ambiguous.

Confirm the exact group name and participant list before using create_group; set confirm_create=true only after that confirmation.

Confirm the exact group JID and participant list before using add_group_participants; set confirm_add=true only after that confirmation. Direct adds by raw phone number require confirm_risky_phone_number_add=true because WhatsApp participant-level 403 errors can log out the linked device.

For raw phone numbers, prefer get_group_invite_link and ask the user to share the link manually. Treat invite links as sensitive; set confirm_get=true only after confirming the exact group, and set confirm_reset=true only after confirming link rotation.

To invite people when direct adds fail, use add_or_invite_group_participants. Set confirm_add=true only after confirming the exact group and participants. Set confirm_invite_message=true only after confirming fallback DMs should be sent; raw-phone fallback DMs additionally require confirm_risky_phone_invite_dm=true.

If WhatsApp rejects a direct add because of permissions or privacy settings, ask the user to use or share a group invite link instead.

Privacy And Failure Modes

WhatsApp auth, message indexes, downloaded media, and the local bridge token are stored locally under ${XDG_DATA_HOME:-$HOME/.local/share}/codex-whatsapp-plugin/store/ (override with WHATSAPP_MCP_STORE_DIR).

Do not commit, upload, or summarize private message history beyond what the user asked for.

If messages look stale, ask the user to leave the bridge running for sync to catch up.

Native WhatsApp event cards are captured only when WhatsApp sends event payloads to the bridge. If older events are missing, use backfill_events for the chat, then re-run list_events. If the events still only appear in WhatsApp Desktop's drawer, ask the user to open WhatsApp Desktop > target group > Group Info > Events, then use list_desktop_events.

If auth is broken or the linked device expired, use scripts/reset-session.sh only after explicit user confirmation.