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WhatsApp Business MCP

In one line: Connect the official Meta WhatsApp Cloud API so your UnleashX agent can send text, template, image, document, audio, and video messages to your customers on WhatsApp.

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1. Overview

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2. What you’ll need

• A Meta for Developers account and a Meta App with the WhatsApp product added.
• A WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) and a registered business phone number.
• Three values from the Meta dashboard: an access token, your Phone Number ID, and your WhatsApp Business Account ID (WABA ID).
• Approved message templates if you plan to send template messages (Meta must approve these in advance).

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3. Get your credentials

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How the pieces fit together

Facebook account → Meta Developer account → Business Portfolio →
Meta App (Business) → WhatsApp product → WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) →
Phone number → Access token → (Webhook for receiving)

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Set it up step by step

1

Create a Meta Developer account

Go to Meta for Developers and log in with your Facebook account. Click Get Started, verify your email, turn on two-factor authentication if asked, and accept the developer terms. You now have a developer account.

2

Create a Meta Business Portfolio

Open Meta Business Settings and create your business portfolio — your business name, email, website, and address. This is the entity that will own your WhatsApp Business Account, and it has its own Business portfolio ID.

3

Verify your business (recommended)

In Business Settings → Security Center, click Start verification and upload your business documents (for example a registration certificate, GST certificate, or a utility bill).

Verification isn’t required to test, but it is required for production use and for higher messaging limits — so it’s worth doing early.

4

Create a Meta App

Go to your Apps dashboard and click Create App.Choose the Business app type and click Next.Fill in the App name and contact email (you can attach a Business portfolio now or later), then click Create app.

5

Add the WhatsApp product

Inside the app, find Add Product, locate WhatsApp, and click Set up.Meta automatically gives you a test WhatsApp Business Account, a test phone number, and a temporary access token so you can try things immediately. You’ll land on the WhatsApp Quickstart page.

6

Send a test message (optional)

Want to confirm it works before going further? Open WhatsApp → API Setup (or Getting Started). It shows a temporary access token, your test Phone Number ID, and your WhatsApp Business Account ID, plus a ready-made curl command and a Send message button.Send the test message straight from that page, or run the command yourself — replace the three placeholders with the values shown:

curl -X POST \
  https://graph.facebook.com/v23.0/PHONE_NUMBER_ID/messages \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ACCESS_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
    "to": "YOUR_NUMBER",
    "type": "text",
    "text": { "body": "Hello from WhatsApp Cloud API" }
  }'

7

Add your real phone number

In WhatsApp → API Setup, scroll to Add a phone number and click Add phone number.Enter your business name, display name, category, and the phone number to register, then choose a verification method.Meta sends a one-time code by SMS or call — enter it to verify the number.

The number must be able to receive an SMS or call, and it cannot already be connected to another Cloud API. A number currently on the WhatsApp Business app can sometimes be migrated using Meta’s coexistence feature.

8

Collect your three values

Once the real number is added, copy these from the API Setup page (and from Business Settings → Accounts → WhatsApp Accounts). These are exactly what UnleashX asks for:

Value	Looks like	Where
Phone Number ID	123456789012345	API Setup page (the long number, not the phone number itself)
WhatsApp Business Account ID (WABA ID)	987654321098765	API Setup page / WhatsApp Accounts
Access Token	a long token string	API Setup page (temporary) — make it permanent in the next step

9

Create a permanent access token

The temporary token expires in about 24 hours, so create a permanent one for production.1. Add a System User. Go to Business Settings → Users → System Users and click Add. Name it (e.g. whatsapp-api) with the Admin role.2. Assign your app. Select the system user → Add Assets → Apps → pick your app → enable Manage app (Full control). Also assign your WhatsApp account under Accounts → WhatsApp Accounts and allow Manage WhatsApp Account.3. Generate the token. Back on the system user, click Generate New Token and choose your app.4. Select permissions and generate. Choose at least:

• whatsapp_business_messaging
• whatsapp_business_management

Click Generate token and copy it immediately — this is your production access token.

The permanent token is shown once. Copy it now and store it safely (treat it like a password). If you lose it, regenerate a new one.

About webhooks (receiving messages): sending messages needs only the three values above. To receive inbound messages into a workflow, use the Webhook trigger in Workflows — UnleashX gives you a callback URL to paste into WhatsApp → Configuration in Meta. You don’t need to build your own server.Open WhatsApp → Configuration and click Edit next to the Webhook callback URL.Paste the callback URL and verify token UnleashX gives you, then click Verify and save.Finally, subscribe to the messages field so inbound messages are delivered to your workflow.

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4. Connect on UnleashX

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5. Available tools

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6. Example usage

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7. Permissions & data access

• Send text, template, image, document, audio/voice, and video messages from your business number.
• List your approved message templates.
• Mark inbound messages as read.

• Send free-form messages outside WhatsApp’s 24-hour customer service window — those require an approved template.
• Create or approve templates (that happens in the Meta dashboard).
• Message numbers that haven’t opted in, or bypass Meta’s messaging policies.
• Access your Meta account settings or billing.

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8. Troubleshooting

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9. Frequently asked questions

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10. References

• WhatsApp Cloud API documentation: https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/cloud-api
• Get started / API Setup: https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/cloud-api/get-started
• Message templates guide: https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/business-management-api/message-templates
• System User access tokens: https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/business-management-api/get-started