| name | whatsapp-mcp |
| description | How to use the whatsapp MCP tools (whatsapp_send, whatsapp_check) and the wa-watch background watcher available in every Copilot CLI session. Use this skill when asked to: send a WhatsApp message, check for WhatsApp replies, keep the user posted via WhatsApp, use a session moniker, announce yourself on WA, communicate via [C-XX] monikers, or wait for a WA reply while idle. Covers the startup ritual, moniker selection, reply polling, and the background watcher pattern.
|
WhatsApp ↔ Copilot CLI Messaging
Available MCP Tools
These tools are available in every Copilot CLI session via the global whatsapp MCP server:
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|
whatsapp_send | Send a WhatsApp message to the homelab owner |
whatsapp_check | Read + clear pending replies for this session's moniker |
When to use WhatsApp
Only set up WhatsApp communication when the user explicitly asks to be kept informed via WA, or asks to "keep me posted", "update me on WA", etc. Do not announce or start the watcher automatically on every session start.
Monikers
Pick a moniker when WA is first needed — 2–8 alphanumeric chars, abbreviation of the current project:
| Project | Moniker |
|---|
| HomeLab | HL |
| Admite | ADM |
| General / unknown | CPL |
| Angular project | ANG |
| Any other project | first 2–4 letters of the project name |
🔁 Continuous Polling Loop — for tasks where user may reply via WA
When the user asks to be kept informed and steps away, Copilot runs a self-driven polling loop — it never goes idle, it just sleeps cheaply between checks. The LLM only does real work when a message arrives or a task step runs.
Starting the loop
Send an opening message so the user knows the moniker, then enter the loop:
whatsapp_send("[Copilot] Starting <task>. Reply [C-HL] to send instructions. [C-HL]")
The loop pattern
Use wa-watch in async mode — it polls via curl in the shell, zero MCP/LLM cost during the wait. The LLM only activates when a message actually arrives.
loop:
1. Do next task step (or nothing if waiting for input)
2. bash(mode="async", "wa-watch HL 20 600") → save shellId
↓ shell polls every 20s via curl — LLM does nothing during this
↓ wa-watch exits when message arrives OR after 600s timeout
3. (notified on exit) read_bash(shellId, delay=1) → parse JSON
4. If count > 0 → process message, reply on WA
If timeout → restart loop (no message, keep watching)
5. Go to 1
wa-watch <MONIKER> [interval_seconds] [timeout_seconds] — installed at ~/.local/bin/wa-watch- No task step pending? Start wa-watch and wait. Loop until a WA message tells you what to do.
- Task complete? Tell the user via WA, then keep looping (waiting for next instruction).
- User types in the CLI?
stop_bash(shellId) to kill the watcher, then handle the CLI input.
This means Copilot stays "alive" the whole time — it just costs one small MCP call every 20 seconds during quiet periods, negligible token cost.
Stopping the loop
Stop when:
- The user types something in the CLI (handle it, ask if they want the loop restarted)
- The user sends
[C-HL] stop or [C-HL] done via WA
- An unrecoverable error occurs
⚡ Auto-Poll Rule
If WhatsApp has been used in this session (moniker established), call whatsapp_check("<MONIKER>") at the start of each new user CLI turn — in case the watcher was not running or timed out.
whatsapp_check("HL") // before handling the user's message
Sending Messages
Always:
- Prefix with
[Copilot] so the user knows it's from a Copilot session (not AI-Mate)
- Append
[C-<MONIKER>] at the end so the user can reply to this session
whatsapp_send("[Copilot] Build complete — all tests passed. [C-HL]")
For long-running tasks: send a message before starting and one when done.
Architecture
Copilot CLI session
└─ whatsapp MCP tools (whatsapp_send / whatsapp_check)
└─ ~/.local/bin/whatsapp-mcp (compiled Deno binary)
└─ https://copilot-wa.home.local (copilot-wa service, HomeLab)
└─ chatbridge SSE (WhatsApp bridge)
└─ WhatsApp ↔ Owner's phone
Source: https://github.com/SanderElias/whatsapp-mcp
Moniker Format
[C-<MONIKER>] — the C prefix is required, 2–8 alphanumeric chars, case-insensitive.
Examples: [C-HL], [C-ADM], [c-hl], [C-CPL] — all valid.
Old hex monikers ([C-acd1d9c5]) still work but use short project names going forward.
