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ExoCubeYT

OpenWA MCP Server

by ExoCubeYT

🟢 OpenWA MCP Server

An enterprise-grade Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that seamlessly wraps the powerful OpenWA WhatsApp REST API. It exposes 44 robust tools over standard I/O (stdio) transport, enabling any MCP-compatible AI assistant (such as Cursor, Claude Desktop, Cline, and Antigravity) to securely manage WhatsApp sessions, dispatch multi-format messages, control group participants, search contacts, manage tag labels, and setup callbacks in real-time.


🧱 System Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│             1. AI CLIENT (Cursor, Claude, Cline, etc.)          │
│  User: "Send a promotional flyer to my active VIP groups..."    │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                                │
                                ▼ [JSON-RPC over stdio]
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                 2. OPENWA MCP SERVER (TypeScript)               │
│  • Matches user request to the `send_image` tool schema         │
│  • Validates payload boundaries using declarative Zod schemas    │
│  • Authenticates securely via local dotenv environment configs   │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                                │
                                ▼ [REST API Request with X-API-Key]
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                 3. OPENWA WHATSAPP REST DAEMON                  │
│  • Translates API payloads into native WhatsApp Web calls       │
│  • Manages multi-session state machines & SQLite indexes        │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                                │
                                ▼ [WhatsApp Network Protocol]
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                     4. TARGET WHATSAPP DEVICES                  │
│  • Bulk promotional flyers delivered safely and instantly       │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

✨ Features

  • 44 Built-in Tools: Comprehensive control over the entire WhatsApp ecosystem.

  • Robust Zod Validation: Pure, declarative parameter validation on every request.

  • Zero-Poll Webhooks: Simple callbacks to receive instant WhatsApp events directly.

  • Multi-Session Native Engine: Manage multiple phone accounts under a single server wrapper.

  • Strict Separation of Concerns: Highly modular, human-written TypeScript architecture.


🛠️ Installation & Setup

Prerequisites

  • Node.js: v22.0.0 or higher

  • TypeScript: v5.0.0 or higher

  • A running and accessible OpenWA REST API instance

  • A secure API Key generated from your OpenWA server configuration

1. Clone & Build

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/ExoCubeYT/openwa-mcp.git
cd openwa-mcp

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Configure environment variables
cp .env.example .env

2. Configure Environment

Edit your local .env file to match your active OpenWA REST API backend:

OPENWA_BASE_URL=http://localhost:2785/api
OPENWA_API_KEY=your_secure_api_key_here

3. Build Production Targets

npm run build

The production output will compile cleanly into the dist/index.js bundle directory.


🚀 AI Agent Integrations

To load the OpenWA MCP server into your favorite developer environment, reference the standard JSON-RPC launch config.

Note: Replace C:/path/to/openwa-mcp with the absolute local filesystem path of your cloned workspace directory.

Claude Desktop

Edit your global configuration file:

  • Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

  • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openwa": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["C:/path/to/openwa-mcp/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "OPENWA_BASE_URL": "http://localhost:2785/api",
        "OPENWA_API_KEY": "your_secure_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Cursor

Add to .cursor/mcp.json in your project root (or set globally via Settings > Features > MCP):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openwa": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["C:/path/to/openwa-mcp/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "OPENWA_BASE_URL": "http://localhost:2785/api",
        "OPENWA_API_KEY": "your_secure_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Cline (VS Code Extension)

Edit your global extension state configurations in cline_mcp_settings.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openwa": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["C:/path/to/openwa-mcp/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "OPENWA_BASE_URL": "http://localhost:2785/api",
        "OPENWA_API_KEY": "your_secure_api_key_here"
      },
      "disabled": false
    }
  }
}

Claude Code

Add .mcp.json to your project workspace root:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openwa": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["C:/path/to/openwa-mcp/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "OPENWA_BASE_URL": "http://localhost:2785/api",
        "OPENWA_API_KEY": "your_secure_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

VS Code (Copilot / Continue / Open Code)

Create .vscode/mcp.json inside your local workspace:

{
  "servers": {
    "openwa": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["C:/path/to/openwa-mcp/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "OPENWA_BASE_URL": "http://localhost:2785/api",
        "OPENWA_API_KEY": "your_secure_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

🧰 WhatsApp Tool Catalog (44 Total)

All tool schemas are structured logically using modular TypeScript domains under src/tools/.

📱 Sessions & Authentication (7)

Tool

Params

Description

get_sessions

None

Lists all active WhatsApp web browser sessions

create_session

sessionKey

Launches a new browser instance for authentication

start_session

sessionKey

Resumes a stopped session container

stop_session

sessionKey

Safely shuts down a running browser instance

delete_session

sessionKey

Wipes the credentials and directory of a session

get_session_qr

sessionKey

Generates a base64 pairing QR code for WhatsApp link

get_session_status

sessionKey

Returns CONNECTED, STARTING, or DISCONNECTED

💬 Messaging Services (8)

Tool

Params

Description

send_text

chatId, text

Dispatches a plaintext message to a contact/group

send_image

chatId, url, caption

Fetches and sends an image from a URL

send_file

chatId, url, fileName

Sends document files (PDFs, docs) from a URL

send_audio

chatId, url

Sends audio file streams directly to a target chat

send_video

chatId, url, caption

Sends high-definition videos from web URLs

react_to_message

messageId, emoji

Attaches a quick emoji reaction to a message

get_messages

chatId, count

Retrieves historical context and message logs

delete_message

messageId

Deletes/revokes a message for everyone

🚀 Bulk Campaigns (2)

Tool

Params

Description

send_bulk_text

chatIds, text

Delivers text announcements to target chats

send_bulk_image

chatIds, url, caption

Broadcasts promotional flyers to multiple contacts

👥 Group Orchestration (10)

Tool

Params

Description

get_groups

None

Returns a list of all groups the session is in

create_group

name, participants

Provisions a new group with custom contacts

get_group_info

chatId

Resolves admins, descriptions, and metadata

add_group_member

chatId, participant

Adds a contact to an existing group

remove_group_member

chatId, participant

Removes/kicks a participant from the group

promote_member

chatId, participant

Grants admin permissions to a participant

demote_member

chatId, participant

Strips admin privileges from a group manager

send_group_message

chatId, text

Targeted message relay for group channels

leave_group

chatId

Exits the specified group safely

update_group_subject

chatId, subject

Renames the group conversation title

📇 Contact Management (6)

Tool

Params

Description

get_contacts

None

Lists all saved contacts and known numbers

get_contact

contactId

Returns metadata, status, and profile information

check_number

phone

Verifies if a raw phone number is on WhatsApp

get_profile_picture

contactId

Resolves high-resolution avatar display URLs

block_contact

contactId

Instantly blocks incoming chats from a number

unblock_contact

contactId

Restores normal chat capabilities to a number

🔔 Webhook Configs (4)

Tool

Params

Description

list_webhooks

None

Lists active callback URLs configured for events

create_webhook

url, events

Subscribes a server URL to WhatsApp events

delete_webhook

webhookId

Removes an active event callback listener

update_webhook

webhookId, events

Mutates subscribed events on an active webhook

🏷️ Chat Labels (5)

Tool

Params

Description

get_labels

None

Fetches all custom label classifications

create_label

name, color

Creates a new colored tag label

delete_label

labelId

Removes a custom label classification

add_label_to_chat

chatId, labelId

Adds a label classification to a chat thread

remove_label_from_chat

chatId, labelId

Removes a label classification from a chat thread

📦 Media Assets (2)

Tool

Params

Description

get_media

messageId

Downloads media files stored inside a message

upload_media

fileContentBase64

Caches media on the server to prevent redelivery


🛠️ Local Development

To run the codebase in live-refresh watch mode during extensions, run:

# Spawns tsx to track active source code files directly
npm run dev

To run standard test transport handshakes, build the module and execute the diagnostic listener:

npm run build
node dist/index.js

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions of all shapes and sizes! To keep codebases pristine and secure, please adhere to our strict project design conventions.

Step-by-Step Contribution Flow

  1. Fork the Repository: Set up your workspace branch on GitHub.

  2. Implement Your Logic: Maintain strict separation of concerns. Keep your tools and clients isolated.

  3. No AI Comments: Adhere to our zero AI-style commenting standard. Use short, human-like annotations where needed, and document details in .explanation files only.

  4. Build & Test: Ensure npm run build generates zero TypeScript errors.

  5. Create a Pull Request: Submit your pull request for review against our development branch.

See CONTRIBUTING.md for deeper details on our design paradigms.


📄 License

Distributed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.

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