WhatsApp MCP Server with Wati API v3

This is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for WhatsApp using the Wati API v3.

Manage your WhatsApp conversations, contacts, templates, campaigns, and channels through AI assistants like Claude. Search and read messages, send texts and files, manage contacts, and automate workflows — all via MCP tools.

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What's New in v0.2.0

Breaking change: This release migrates from the legacy Wati v1 API to the v3 API (/api/ext/v3/*).

Changes

• API v3 migration — All endpoints updated to /api/ext/v3/* paths

• URL scheme — Tenant ID no longer embedded in URL path; resolved from Bearer token

• WATI_TENANT_ID is now optional — Only needed for multi-channel setups (Channel:PhoneNumber targeting)

• New tools: list_contacts, get_contact, add_contact, update_contacts, get_contact_count, assign_contact_teams, send_file_via_url, send_interactive (buttons + list), assign_operator, update_conversation_status, list_templates, get_template, send_template, list_campaigns, get_campaign, list_channels

• Removed tools: list_chats, get_chat, get_direct_chat_by_contact, get_contact_chats (replaced by list_contacts/get_contact/get_messages)

• Simplified response parsing — v3 has standardized response schemas

Migration Guide

1. Update WATI_API_BASE_URL to your Wati server (e.g. https://live-mt-server.wati.io)

2. WATI_TENANT_ID can be removed unless you use multi-channel targeting

3. Update tool calls: send_message(recipient=...) → send_message(target=...)

4. Replace list_chats/get_chat with list_contacts/get_contact + get_messages

Related MCP server: whatsapp-mcp-server

Installation

Installing via Smithery

npx -y @smithery/cli install @wati-io/wati-mcp-server --client claude

Prerequisites

• Python 3.11+

• Anthropic Claude Desktop app (or Cursor)

• UV (Python package manager), install with curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

• Wati API access (you'll need your authentication token)

Steps

1. Clone this repository

   git clone https://github.com/wati-io/wati-mcp-server.git
   cd wati-mcp-server

2. Configure the Wati API

   Copy the example environment file and edit it with your Wati API credentials:

   cp .env.example .env
   # Edit .env with your Wati API credentials

   Required:

   • WATI_API_BASE_URL: The base URL for the Wati API (e.g. https://live-mt-server.wati.io)

   • WATI_AUTH_TOKEN: Your Wati authentication token (Bearer token from dashboard)

   Optional:

   • WATI_TENANT_ID: Your Wati tenant ID (only for multi-channel setups)

3. Connect to the MCP server

   Copy the below json with the appropriate {{PATH}} values:

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "whatsapp": {
         "command": "{{PATH_TO_UV}}",
         "args": [
           "--directory",
           "{{PATH_TO_SRC}}/wati-mcp-server",
           "run",
           "main.py"
         ]
       }
     }
   }

   For Claude, save this as claude_desktop_config.json in:

   ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

   For Cursor, save this as mcp.json in:

   ~/.cursor/mcp.json

4. Restart Claude Desktop / Cursor

MCP Tools

Contacts

• search_contacts — Search contacts by name or phone number

• list_contacts — List contacts with pagination

• get_contact — Get detailed contact info by phone or ID

• add_contact — Add a new WhatsApp contact

• update_contacts — Bulk-update contact custom parameters

• get_contact_count — Get total contact count

• assign_contact_teams — Assign a contact to teams

Messages & Conversations

• get_messages — Get conversation messages for a contact

• send_message — Send a text message

• send_file — Send a file (image, video, document, audio) via upload

• send_file_via_url — Send a file by URL (no local download needed)

• download_media — Download media from a message

• send_interactive — Send interactive buttons or list messages

• assign_operator — Assign an operator to a conversation

• update_conversation_status — Update conversation status (open/solved/pending/block)

Templates

• list_templates — List message templates

• get_template — Get template details

• send_template — Send template messages to recipients

Campaigns

• list_campaigns — List broadcast campaigns

• get_campaign — Get campaign details and statistics

Channels

• list_channels — List available WhatsApp channels

Architecture

Claude/AI Assistant
    ↕ MCP Protocol (stdio)
Python MCP Server (FastMCP)
    ↕ HTTPS + Bearer Auth
Wati API v3
    ↕
WhatsApp Business

1. Claude sends requests to the Python MCP server via MCP protocol

2. The MCP server makes authenticated API calls to the Wati v3 API

3. The Wati API communicates with WhatsApp's backend

4. Data flows back through the chain to Claude

Troubleshooting

• Authentication errors: Ensure your WATI_AUTH_TOKEN is valid and not expired

• 404 errors: Make sure WATI_API_BASE_URL points to your correct Wati server

• Rate limiting: The Wati API has rate limits. If you hit them, wait or contact Wati support

• Media upload failures: Check file type support and size limits

• Permission issues with uv: Add it to your PATH or use the full path to the executable

For MCP integration troubleshooting, see the MCP documentation.