Skip the install. Get this working in under 2 minutes.
Start a free trial on cloud.anythingmcp.com, add the WhatsApp Business Cloud API in one click, then point your AI client (Claude, ChatGPT, Copilot or Cursor) at the generated MCP endpoint. No Docker, no git clone, zero engineering experience required.
Summary
Connect Meta's WhatsApp Business Cloud API to ChatGPT (Plus / Pro / Team / Enterprise) with AnythingMCP. Send text, templates, media, voice notes, and interactive buttons from ChatGPT in natural language.
Try asking
Example prompts for WhatsApp Business Cloud API
Click any prompt to copy it. Paste into Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, Gemini, Copilot or OpenClaw to run it against this connector.
Claude is AI and can make mistakes. Please double-check responses.
💡 No install? Use cloud.anythingmcp.com directly. Sign in, click Connectors → WhatsApp Business, paste your permanent System User access token + WhatsApp Business Account ID, mint an MCP API key — done. No Docker, no
git clone, no local server to run. You can skip the local-install steps below and jump straight to the client-wiring section.
Connect WhatsApp Business to ChatGPT
WhatsApp Business Cloud API is Meta's hosted gateway for sending WhatsApp messages programmatically — text, templates, media, voice notes, interactive buttons, location pins. With AnythingMCP you drive all of it from ChatGPT in plain English.
ChatGPT supports MCP servers via the Connectors feature (Plus / Pro / Team / Enterprise plans). Once wired, all 14 WhatsApp tools show up natively in your ChatGPT toolbar.
What you can do
- "Send 'Your booking is confirmed for Friday at 18:00' to +44 7700 900123."
- "Send the
appointment_remindertemplate (it) to all the numbers in this CSV, fill in their first name and date." - "Send the PDF at https://acme.com/inv/9912.pdf to my customer with caption 'Invoice 9912'."
- "Mark the last inbound message from +1 555 123 4567 as read."
Prerequisites
- A WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) with at least one verified sending number.
- A permanent System User access token with
whatsapp_business_messaging+whatsapp_business_managementpermissions. - AnythingMCP running locally or on cloud.anythingmcp.com (3-minute setup).
- A ChatGPT Plus / Pro / Team / Enterprise account (free tier does not support custom Connectors).
Step 1 — Get your WhatsApp Business credentials
- Open https://developers.facebook.com/ → your App → WhatsApp → API Setup. Note the WhatsApp Business Account ID (WABA ID).
- Go to Meta Business Suite → Business Settings → System Users, create a System User, assign your WABA, and Generate a New Token with both
whatsapp_business_messagingandwhatsapp_business_managementpermissions. Copy it — you can't see it again.
Step 2 — Install the WhatsApp Business adapter
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/HelpCode-ai/anythingmcp/main/docker-compose.quickstart.yml -o docker-compose.yml
printf 'JWT_SECRET=%s\nENCRYPTION_KEY=%s\n' "$(openssl rand -hex 32)" "$(openssl rand -hex 32)" > .env
docker compose up -d
Open http://localhost:3000/connectors/store, click WhatsApp Business, fill in the token + WABA ID, click Install.
Step 3 — Add the connector in ChatGPT (no code, 4 clicks)
Your server URL: in AnythingMCP, open MCP Servers → the server this connector is on, and copy its URL (
https://cloud.anythingmcp.com/mcp/…). Use it wherever this guide showsYOUR_SERVER_ID.
- In ChatGPT, open Settings → Security and login and turn on Developer mode.
- Go to chatgpt.com/plugins and click +.
- Enter a name and a short description, e.g. Name:
WhatsApp Business. - Under Connection, enter the MCP server URL
https://cloud.anythingmcp.com/mcp/YOUR_SERVER_IDand create the connection. - When ChatGPT asks, sign in to AnythingMCP (OAuth) and allow access.
All 14 WhatsApp tools now appear in the ChatGPT 🔧 menu.
Available tools (14 total)
| Group | Tools |
|---|---|
| Discovery | whatsapp_list_phone_numbers, whatsapp_list_message_templates, whatsapp_get_message_template |
| Text & template | whatsapp_send_text_message, whatsapp_send_template_message |
| Media (URL or media ID) | whatsapp_send_image, whatsapp_send_audio, whatsapp_send_video, whatsapp_send_document |
| Interactive & location | whatsapp_send_location, whatsapp_send_interactive_buttons |
| Read receipts & profile | whatsapp_mark_message_as_read, whatsapp_get_business_profile, whatsapp_update_business_profile |
The 24-hour window
WhatsApp only lets you send free-form messages (text, media, interactive, location) inside the 24 hours following the user's last inbound message. Outside that window: pre-approved templates only. The adapter's instructions field teaches ChatGPT this rule, so it'll reach for whatsapp_send_template_message when needed.
FAQ
Does ChatGPT free tier work with custom MCP connectors? No. You need Plus, Pro, Team, or Enterprise to add custom connectors.
Voice notes?
Use whatsapp_send_audio with an OGG-Opus file hosted on a public HTTPS URL — WhatsApp renders it as a true voice message.
Can ChatGPT receive inbound WhatsApp messages? Not via this connector — Meta delivers inbound via webhooks (outside the MCP request/response model). Host a small webhook receiver next to AnythingMCP for the inbound side.
Next steps
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