WhatsApp MCP Server

1# WhatsApp MCP Server
2 
3This is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for WhatsApp.
4 
5With this you can search and read your personal Whatsapp messages (including images, videos, documents, and audio messages), search your contacts and send messages to either individuals or groups. You can also send media files including images, videos, documents, and audio messages.
6 
7It connects to your **personal WhatsApp account** directly via the Whatsapp web multidevice API (using the [whatsmeow](https://github.com/tulir/whatsmeow) library). All your messages are stored locally in a SQLite database and only sent to an LLM (such as Claude) when the agent accesses them through tools (which you control).
8 
9Here's an example of what you can do when it's connected to Claude.
10 
11![WhatsApp MCP](./example-use.png)
12 
13> To get updates on this and other projects I work on [enter your email here](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1rTF9wMBTN0vPfzWuQa2BjfGKdKIpTbyeKxhPMcEzgyI/preview)
14 
15> *Caution:* as with many MCP servers, the WhatsApp MCP is subject to [the lethal trifecta](https://simonwillison.net/2025/Jun/16/the-lethal-trifecta/). This means that project injection could lead to private data exfiltration.
16 
17## Installation
18 
19### Prerequisites
20 
21- Go
22- Python 3.6+
23- Anthropic Claude Desktop app (or Cursor)
24- UV (Python package manager), install with `curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh`
25- FFmpeg (_optional_) - Only needed for audio messages. If you want to send audio files as playable WhatsApp voice messages, they must be in `.ogg` Opus format. With FFmpeg installed, the MCP server will automatically convert non-Opus audio files. Without FFmpeg, you can still send raw audio files using the `send_file` tool.
26 
27### Steps
28 
291. **Clone this repository**
30 
31   ```bash
32   git clone https://github.com/lharries/whatsapp-mcp.git
33   cd whatsapp-mcp
34   ```
35 
362. **Run the WhatsApp bridge**
37 
38   Navigate to the whatsapp-bridge directory and run the Go application:
39 
40   ```bash
41   cd whatsapp-bridge
42   go run main.go
43   ```
44 
45   The first time you run it, you will be prompted to scan a QR code. Scan the QR code with your WhatsApp mobile app to authenticate.
46 
47   After approximately 20 days, you will might need to re-authenticate.
48 
493. **Connect to the MCP server**
50 
51   Copy the below json with the appropriate {{PATH}} values:
52 
53   ```json
54   {
55     "mcpServers": {
56       "whatsapp": {
57         "command": "{{PATH_TO_UV}}", // Run `which uv` and place the output here
58         "args": [
59           "--directory",
60           "{{PATH_TO_SRC}}/whatsapp-mcp/whatsapp-mcp-server", // cd into the repo, run `pwd` and enter the output here + "/whatsapp-mcp-server"
61           "run",
62           "main.py"
63         ]
64       }
65     }
66   }
67   ```
68 
69   For **Claude**, save this as `claude_desktop_config.json` in your Claude Desktop configuration directory at:
70 
71   ```
72   ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
73   ```
74 
75   For **Cursor**, save this as `mcp.json` in your Cursor configuration directory at:
76 
77   ```
78   ~/.cursor/mcp.json
79   ```
80 
814. **Restart Claude Desktop / Cursor**
82 
83   Open Claude Desktop and you should now see WhatsApp as an available integration.
84 
85   Or restart Cursor.
86 
87### Windows Compatibility
88 
89If you're running this project on Windows, be aware that `go-sqlite3` requires **CGO to be enabled** in order to compile and work properly. By default, **CGO is disabled on Windows**, so you need to explicitly enable it and have a C compiler installed.
90 
91#### Steps to get it working:
92 
931. **Install a C compiler**  
94   We recommend using [MSYS2](https://www.msys2.org/) to install a C compiler for Windows. After installing MSYS2, make sure to add the `ucrt64\bin` folder to your `PATH`.  
95   → A step-by-step guide is available [here](https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/cpp/config-mingw).
96 
972. **Enable CGO and run the app**
98 
99   ```bash
100   cd whatsapp-bridge
101   go env -w CGO_ENABLED=1
102   go run main.go
103   ```
104 
105Without this setup, you'll likely run into errors like:
106 
107> `Binary was compiled with 'CGO_ENABLED=0', go-sqlite3 requires cgo to work.`
108 
109## Architecture Overview
110 
111This application consists of two main components:
112 
1131. **Go WhatsApp Bridge** (`whatsapp-bridge/`): A Go application that connects to WhatsApp's web API, handles authentication via QR code, and stores message history in SQLite. It serves as the bridge between WhatsApp and the MCP server.
114 
1152. **Python MCP Server** (`whatsapp-mcp-server/`): A Python server implementing the Model Context Protocol (MCP), which provides standardized tools for Claude to interact with WhatsApp data and send/receive messages.
116 
117### Data Storage
118 
119- All message history is stored in a SQLite database within the `whatsapp-bridge/store/` directory
120- The database maintains tables for chats and messages
121- Messages are indexed for efficient searching and retrieval
122 
123## Usage
124 
125Once connected, you can interact with your WhatsApp contacts through Claude, leveraging Claude's AI capabilities in your WhatsApp conversations.
126 
127### MCP Tools
128 
129Claude can access the following tools to interact with WhatsApp:
130 
131- **search_contacts**: Search for contacts by name or phone number
132- **list_messages**: Retrieve messages with optional filters and context
133- **list_chats**: List available chats with metadata
134- **get_chat**: Get information about a specific chat
135- **get_direct_chat_by_contact**: Find a direct chat with a specific contact
136- **get_contact_chats**: List all chats involving a specific contact
137- **get_last_interaction**: Get the most recent message with a contact
138- **get_message_context**: Retrieve context around a specific message
139- **send_message**: Send a WhatsApp message to a specified phone number or group JID
140- **send_file**: Send a file (image, video, raw audio, document) to a specified recipient
141- **send_audio_message**: Send an audio file as a WhatsApp voice message (requires the file to be an .ogg opus file or ffmpeg must be installed)
142- **download_media**: Download media from a WhatsApp message and get the local file path
143 
144### Media Handling Features
145 
146The MCP server supports both sending and receiving various media types:
147 
148#### Media Sending
149 
150You can send various media types to your WhatsApp contacts:
151 
152- **Images, Videos, Documents**: Use the `send_file` tool to share any supported media type.
153- **Voice Messages**: Use the `send_audio_message` tool to send audio files as playable WhatsApp voice messages.
154  - For optimal compatibility, audio files should be in `.ogg` Opus format.
155  - With FFmpeg installed, the system will automatically convert other audio formats (MP3, WAV, etc.) to the required format.
156  - Without FFmpeg, you can still send raw audio files using the `send_file` tool, but they won't appear as playable voice messages.
157 
158#### Media Downloading
159 
160By default, just the metadata of the media is stored in the local database. The message will indicate that media was sent. To access this media you need to use the download_media tool which takes the `message_id` and `chat_jid` (which are shown when printing messages containing the meda), this downloads the media and then returns the file path which can be then opened or passed to another tool.
161 
162## Technical Details
163 
1641. Claude sends requests to the Python MCP server
1652. The MCP server queries the Go bridge for WhatsApp data or directly to the SQLite database
1663. The Go accesses the WhatsApp API and keeps the SQLite database up to date
1674. Data flows back through the chain to Claude
1685. When sending messages, the request flows from Claude through the MCP server to the Go bridge and to WhatsApp
169 
170## Troubleshooting
171 
172- If you encounter permission issues when running uv, you may need to add it to your PATH or use the full path to the executable.
173- Make sure both the Go application and the Python server are running for the integration to work properly.
174 
175### Authentication Issues
176 
177- **QR Code Not Displaying**: If the QR code doesn't appear, try restarting the authentication script. If issues persist, check if your terminal supports displaying QR codes.
178- **WhatsApp Already Logged In**: If your session is already active, the Go bridge will automatically reconnect without showing a QR code.
179- **Device Limit Reached**: WhatsApp limits the number of linked devices. If you reach this limit, you'll need to remove an existing device from WhatsApp on your phone (Settings > Linked Devices).
180- **No Messages Loading**: After initial authentication, it can take several minutes for your message history to load, especially if you have many chats.
181- **WhatsApp Out of Sync**: If your WhatsApp messages get out of sync with the bridge, delete both database files (`whatsapp-bridge/store/messages.db` and `whatsapp-bridge/store/whatsapp.db`) and restart the bridge to re-authenticate.
182 
183For additional Claude Desktop integration troubleshooting, see the [MCP documentation](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/quickstart/server#claude-for-desktop-integration-issues). The documentation includes helpful tips for checking logs and resolving common issues.
184