---
title: Tools overview
description: Complete list of available MCP tools for WhatsApp integration
---
# Tools overview
WAHA MCP Server provides 45+ tools organized into functional categories. Each tool is available to MCP clients like Claude Desktop.
## Tool categories
| Category | Tools | Description |
|----------|-------|-------------|
| [Chat management](/tools/chat-management) | 10 | Read chats, manage messages, archive/delete |
| [Messaging](/tools/messaging) | 10 | Send text, media, locations, contacts, reactions |
| [Group management](/tools/group-management) | 18 | Create groups, manage members, settings |
| [Contacts](/tools/contacts) | 7 | Look up contacts, block/unblock |
| [Presence](/tools/presence) | 4 | Online status, typing indicators |
## Chat ID format
WhatsApp uses specific ID formats that you'll need for most tools:
| Type | Format | Example |
|------|--------|---------|
| Individual chat | `<phone>@c.us` | `1234567890@c.us` |
| Group chat | `<group_id>@g.us` | `123456789012345678@g.us` |
<Tip>
Use `waha_get_chats` to discover chat IDs for your conversations.
</Tip>
## Message ID format
Message IDs follow this pattern:
```
{fromMe}_{chatId}_{messageId}[_{participant}]
```
- `fromMe`: `true` or `false`
- `chatId`: The chat ID
- `messageId`: Unique message identifier
- `participant`: (Groups only) Sender's ID
## Common parameters
Many tools share these parameters:
| Parameter | Type | Description |
|-----------|------|-------------|
| `chatId` | string | Target chat ID |
| `limit` | number | Max results to return (default: 10, max: 100) |
| `offset` | number | Skip N results for pagination |
## Error handling
When a tool fails, you'll receive an error response with:
- **Error message**: Description of what went wrong
- **WAHA API indicator**: If it's a WAHA server error
Example error:
```
Error: chatId is required
This is a WAHA API error. Please check your WAHA server
connection and API credentials.
```
