WhatsApp & Social Nodes

Automate WhatsApp messaging and multi-platform social communication.

Available Nodes

Node	Type	Purpose
WhatsApp Send	Action / AI Tool	Send text, media, location, contact, or sticker messages
WhatsApp DB	Action / AI Tool	Query chats, contacts, groups, and newsletter channels
WhatsApp Receive	Trigger	Wait for incoming messages

WhatsApp Send and WhatsApp DB are dual-purpose: they work as standalone workflow nodes and as AI Agent tools when connected to an agent’s tools handle.

Setup Requirements

WhatsApp service running (starts automatically with machina start)
WhatsApp account for pairing
Scan QR code to link device

Connecting

There is no “connect” workflow node. Pairing is managed from the Credentials panel:

Open the Credentials modal and select the WhatsApp panel
Scan the displayed QR code with your WhatsApp mobile app
Go to WhatsApp > Settings > Linked Devices > Link a Device

WhatsApp Receive

Trigger node that fires when messages arrive.

Parameters

message_type_filter

select

default:"all"

Filter by message type: all, text, image, video, audio, document, location, contact

filter

select

default:"all"

Sender filter mode: all, self, any_contact, contact, group, channel, keywords

phone_number

string

Specific phone number, digits only, no + prefix (when filter = contact)

group_id

select

Specific group JID (when filter = group)

sender_number

string

Optional: filter group messages to a specific member (when filter = group)

channel_jid

select

Newsletter channel JID; leave empty to match any channel (when filter = channel)

keywords

string

Comma-separated keywords, case-insensitive (when filter = keywords)

forwarded_filter

select

default:"all"

Forwarded message handling: all, only_forwarded, ignore_forwarded

ignore_own_messages

boolean

default:"true"

Skip messages sent by yourself

include_media_data

boolean

default:"false"

Download base64 media data with the event

Filter	Description
All Messages	Receive everything
From Self	Notes-to-self chat only
From Any Contact	Non-group messages only
From Specific Contact	Match phone number
From Specific Group	Match group (optionally a specific member)
From Channel	Match newsletter channel
Contains Keywords	Match keywords in message

Output

{
  "message_id": "ABC123",
  "sender": "1234567890@s.whatsapp.net",
  "sender_phone": "+1234567890",
  "chat_id": "1234567890@s.whatsapp.net",
  "message_type": "text",
  "text": "Hello!",
  "timestamp": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z",
  "is_group": false,
  "is_from_me": false,
  "push_name": "John Doe",
  "is_forwarded": false,
  "forwarding_score": 0,
  "group_info": null
}

Group Message Output

When is_group is true:

{
  "group_info": {
    "group_jid": "123456789@g.us",
    "sender_jid": "1234567890@s.whatsapp.net",
    "sender_phone": "+1234567890",
    "sender_name": "John Doe"
  }
}

Example: Reply to Specific Keywords

Filter: Contains Keywords
Keywords: help, support, question

WhatsApp Send

Send messages to yourself, individual contacts, groups, or newsletter channels. Works as a workflow node or an AI Agent tool.

Parameters

recipient_type

select

default:"self"

Where to send: self (connected phone), phone (individual), group, or channel (newsletter)

phone

string

Recipient phone number, digits only, no + prefix (when recipient_type = phone)

group_id

select

Group JID, format 123456789@g.us (when recipient_type = group)

channel_jid

select

Newsletter channel JID, format 120363…@newsletter; admin/owner role required (when recipient_type = channel)

message_type

select

default:"text"

Type of message: text, image, video, audio, document, sticker, location, contact. Channels only support text, image, video, audio, document.

message

string

Text content (when message_type = text). Supports template variables.

format_markdown

boolean

default:"true"

Convert markdown (bold, italic, code, lists) to WhatsApp-native formatting (when message_type = text)

media_source

select

default:"base64"

Source of media data: base64, file, or url (for image / video / audio / document / sticker)

media_url

string

HTTPS URL to download media from (when media_source = url)

caption

string

Optional caption for image, video, or document

Location messages use latitude / longitude / location_name / address. Contact messages use contact_name / vcard. Quote a message with is_reply + reply_message_id.

Output

{
  "message_id": "XYZ789",
  "sent": true
}

Example: Auto-Reply

Recipient Type: phone
Phone: {{whatsappReceive.sender_phone}}
Message: Thanks for your message! I'll get back to you soon.

Example: Forward to Admin

Recipient Type: phone
Phone: 1987654321
Message: New message from {{whatsappReceive.push_name}}: {{whatsappReceive.text}}

WhatsApp DB

Query the WhatsApp database: chat history, contacts, groups, and newsletter channels. Works as a workflow node or an AI Agent tool.

Parameters

operation

select

default:"chat_history"

Operation to perform (see table below)

The remaining fields depend on the selected operation (e.g. phone, group_id, query, channel_jid, limit, offset, include_media_data).

Operations

Operation	Purpose
`chat_history`	Retrieve messages from an individual or group chat (with pagination and optional media download)
`search_groups`	Search groups by name
`get_group_info`	Get group details with participant names and phone numbers
`get_contact_info`	Get full contact info (name, phone, profile picture)
`list_contacts`	List all contacts with saved names
`check_contacts`	Check WhatsApp registration status for phone numbers
`list_channels`	List subscribed newsletter channels
`get_channel_info`	Get channel details (name, description, subscribers)
`channel_messages`	Get channel message history with filters and pagination
`channel_stats`	Get channel subscriber/view statistics
`channel_follow` / `channel_unfollow`	Follow or unfollow a newsletter channel
`channel_create`	Create a new newsletter channel
`channel_mute`	Mute or unmute a channel
`channel_mark_viewed`	Mark channel messages as viewed
`newsletter_react`	React to a channel message with an emoji
`newsletter_live_updates`	Subscribe to live view/reaction counts
`contact_profile_pic`	Get profile picture for a contact or group

Example: Look Up a Contact

Operation: get_contact_info
Contact Phone: 1234567890

Common Workflows

Auto-Responder

[WhatsApp Receive] --> [OpenAI Chat] --> [WhatsApp Send]

AI Prompt:

Respond to this customer message: {{whatsappReceive.text}}
Be helpful and professional.

Send Config:

Recipient Type: phone
Phone: {{whatsappReceive.sender_phone}}
Message: {{openaiChatModel.response}}

Group Monitor

[WhatsApp Receive] --> [Python Executor] --> [Webhook/Database]
     (group filter)        (log message)

Filter Config:

Filter: From Specific Group
Group: [Select your group]

Keyword Bot

[WhatsApp Receive] --> [Python Executor] --> [WhatsApp Send]
   (keywords: help)      (select response)

Python Code:

text = input_data.get("text", "").lower()

if "hours" in text:
    response = "We're open 9am-5pm, Mon-Fri"
elif "price" in text:
    response = "Please visit our website for pricing"
else:
    response = "How can I help you?"

output = {"response": response}

Tips

Use {{whatsappReceive.sender_phone}} to reply to the sender automatically.

Combine with Simple Memory for context-aware conversations per contact.

Set Session ID: {{whatsappReceive.sender_phone}} in Simple Memory for per-user history.

Respect WhatsApp’s terms of service. Don’t send spam or bulk unsolicited messages.

Troubleshooting

QR code not appearing

The WhatsApp service (whatsapp-rpc) starts automatically with machina start and listens on port 9400. Restart all services if the QR code doesn’t appear:

npx machina stop
npx machina start

Messages not received

Verify workflow is deployed (not just saved)
Check filter settings aren’t too restrictive
Confirm ignoreOwnMessages setting

Send fails

Include country code in phone number
Check WhatsApp connection status
Verify recipient hasn’t blocked you

Connection drops frequently

Check internet connectivity
Ensure phone stays online
Don’t use WhatsApp Web simultaneously

Unified messaging nodes for multi-platform communication. Supports WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Slack, Signal, SMS, Webchat, Email, Matrix, Teams. Normalizes messages from any platform trigger into a unified format. Output Fields:

channel - Platform name
message_id, sender_id, sender_name
text, message_type, timestamp
media - Platform-specific media data

Send messages to any supported platform. Works as workflow node OR AI Agent tool. Message Types: text, image, video, audio, document, sticker, location, contact, poll, buttons, list

[Social Receive] --> [AI Agent] --> [Social Send]
                          ^
                          |
                    [Social Send as Tool]

WhatsApp Tutorial

Step-by-step guide

AI Agent

Add AI-powered responses

​WhatsApp & Social Nodes

​Available Nodes

​Setup Requirements

​Connecting

​WhatsApp Receive

​Parameters

​Filter Options

​Output

​Group Message Output

​Example: Reply to Specific Keywords

​WhatsApp Send

​Parameters

​Output

​Example: Auto-Reply

​Example: Forward to Admin

​WhatsApp DB

​Parameters

​Operations

​Example: Look Up a Contact

​Common Workflows

​Auto-Responder

​Group Monitor

​Keyword Bot

​Tips

​Troubleshooting

​Social Nodes

​Social Receive

​Social Send (Dual-Purpose)

​Related

WhatsApp Tutorial

AI Agent

WhatsApp & Social Nodes

Available Nodes

Setup Requirements

Connecting

WhatsApp Receive

Parameters

Filter Options

Output

Group Message Output

Example: Reply to Specific Keywords

WhatsApp Send

Parameters

Output

Example: Auto-Reply

Example: Forward to Admin

WhatsApp DB

Parameters

Operations

Example: Look Up a Contact

Common Workflows

Auto-Responder

Group Monitor

Keyword Bot

Tips

Troubleshooting

Social Nodes

Social Receive

Social Send (Dual-Purpose)

Related