Overview

This guide walks you through connecting Ollama to WhatsApp using OpenClaw. You'll learn how to configure authentication, set up the channel, and deploy your AI assistant.

Ollama Features

  • Completely local
  • No API costs
  • Privacy-focused
  • Many model options

WhatsApp Capabilities

  • Direct messages
  • Group chats
  • Media support

Step 1: Configure Ollama

No authentication required for local instance

  1. Install Ollama from ollama.ai
  2. Run 'ollama pull llama3.3'
  3. Start Ollama service
  4. Configure baseUrl in OpenClaw

Step 2: Configure WhatsApp

  1. Enable WhatsApp in your openclaw.json configuration
  2. Start the OpenClaw gateway with 'openclaw gateway start'
  3. Scan the QR code displayed in terminal with WhatsApp mobile app
  4. Wait for authentication to complete
  5. Configure DM policy and allowlist for access control

Step 3: Combined Configuration

Add both configurations to your openclaw.json:

{
  "agents": {
    "defaults": {
      "model": {
        "primary": "ollama/llama3.3"
      }
    }
  },
  "models": {
    "providers": {
      "ollama": {
  "models": {
    "providers": {
      "ollama": {
        "baseUrl": "http://localhost:11434"
      }
    }
  },
  "channels": {
    "whatsapp": {
      "enabled": true,
      "dmPolicy": "pairing",
      "allowFrom": ["[email protected]"],
      "groupPolicy": "allowlist",
      "mediaMaxMb": 5
    }
  }
}
}

Step 4: Start the Gateway

# Start the gateway
openclaw gateway start

# Check status
openclaw status

# View logs
openclaw logs --follow

Access Control

WhatsApp supports the following access control policies:

DM Policies

Policy Description
allowlist Only senders in allowFrom list are processed
pairing Unknown senders receive a pairing code; admin must approve
open All DMs are processed (requires allowFrom: ["*"])

Group Policies

Policy Description
allowlist Only groups in groupAllowFrom are processed
open All groups are processed

Deploy Options

Choose how to deploy your Ollama + WhatsApp setup:

Local Deployment

Run on your personal machine with local-only access

View Guide →

VPS Deployment

Always-on deployment on a Linux VPS

View Guide →

Cloud Deployment

Managed container deployment on Fly.io or similar

View Guide →

Docker Deployment

Containerized deployment with Docker

View Guide →

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I set up Ollama with WhatsApp?
Configure Ollama as your AI provider and enable WhatsApp as a channel in openclaw.json. The gateway routes WhatsApp messages to Ollama for processing automatically.
Is Ollama a good choice for WhatsApp bots?
Ollama works great with WhatsApp. No API costs and Full data privacy make it well-suited for Personal AI assistant and Family group automation.