Channel Capabilities
| Feature | Supported | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Direct Messages | ✓ | Full support for 1:1 conversations |
| Group Chats | ✓ | Participate in group conversations |
| Media Messages | ✓ | Send and receive images, files |
| Voice Messages | ✓ | Audio message support |
| Reactions | — | Not available |
| Threads | — | Not available |
| Native Commands | — | Not available |
Access Control Policies
DM Policies
Control who can send direct messages to your bot:
allowlist Only senders in the allowFrom list can interact with the bot.
pairing Unknown senders receive a pairing code that admin must approve before access is granted.
open All direct messages are processed (requires allowFrom: ["*"]).
Group Policies
Control which groups your bot participates in:
allowlist Only groups in groupAllowFrom are processed.
open Bot responds in all groups it is added to.
Setup Guide
- Enable WhatsApp in your openclaw.json configuration
- Start the OpenClaw gateway with 'openclaw gateway start'
- Scan the QR code displayed in terminal with WhatsApp mobile app
- Wait for authentication to complete
- Configure DM policy and allowlist for access control
Configuration Example
{
"channels": {
"whatsapp": {
"enabled": true,
"dmPolicy": "pairing",
"allowFrom": ["[email protected]"],
"groupPolicy": "allowlist",
"mediaMaxMb": 5
}
}
}Use WhatsApp with AI Providers
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