---
title: Chat management
description: Tools for managing WhatsApp chats and messages
---
# Chat management
Tools for reading, organizing, and managing your WhatsApp conversations.
## waha_get_chats
Get an overview of recent WhatsApp chats with last message preview and unread count.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|-----------|------|----------|-------------|
| `limit` | number | No | Number of chats (default: 10, max: 100) |
| `offset` | number | No | Pagination offset |
| `chatIds` | string[] | No | Filter to specific chat IDs |
```json
{
"limit": 10
}
```
## waha_get_messages
Retrieve messages from a specific chat.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|-----------|------|----------|-------------|
| `chatId` | string | Yes | Chat ID to get messages from |
| `limit` | number | No | Number of messages (default: 10, max: 100) |
| `offset` | number | No | Pagination offset |
| `downloadMedia` | boolean | No | Download media files (default: false) |
```json
{
"chatId": "1234567890@c.us",
"limit": 20
}
```
## waha_mark_chat_read
Mark messages in a chat as read.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|-----------|------|----------|-------------|
| `chatId` | string | Yes | Chat ID to mark as read |
| `messages` | number | No | Number of recent messages (default: 30) |
| `days` | number | No | Mark messages from last N days (default: 7) |
```json
{
"chatId": "1234567890@c.us",
"messages": 30
}
```
## waha_mark_chat_unread
Mark a chat as unread to add an unread indicator.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|-----------|------|----------|-------------|
| `chatId` | string | Yes | Chat ID to mark as unread |
```json
{
"chatId": "1234567890@c.us"
}
```
## waha_archive_chat
Archive a chat to hide it from the main chat list.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|-----------|------|----------|-------------|
| `chatId` | string | Yes | Chat ID to archive |
```json
{
"chatId": "1234567890@c.us"
}
```
## waha_unarchive_chat
Unarchive a chat to move it back to the main list.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|-----------|------|----------|-------------|
| `chatId` | string | Yes | Chat ID to unarchive |
```json
{
"chatId": "1234567890@c.us"
}
```
## waha_get_chat_picture
Get the profile picture URL for a chat.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|-----------|------|----------|-------------|
| `chatId` | string | Yes | Chat ID |
| `refresh` | boolean | No | Bypass 24-hour cache (default: false) |
```json
{
"chatId": "1234567890@c.us"
}
```
## waha_clear_chat_messages
Clear all messages from a chat.
<Warning>
This is a destructive operation that cannot be undone.
</Warning>
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|-----------|------|----------|-------------|
| `chatId` | string | Yes | Chat ID to clear |
```json
{
"chatId": "1234567890@c.us"
}
```
## waha_delete_chat
Delete a chat completely.
<Warning>
This is a destructive operation that cannot be undone.
</Warning>
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|-----------|------|----------|-------------|
| `chatId` | string | Yes | Chat ID to delete |
```json
{
"chatId": "1234567890@c.us"
}
```
## Chat ID format
WhatsApp chat IDs have specific formats:
- **Individual chats**: `<phone_number>@c.us` (e.g., `1234567890@c.us`)
- **Group chats**: `<group_id>@g.us` (e.g., `123456789012345678@g.us`)
Use `waha_get_chats` to discover chat IDs for your conversations.
