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Summary
Z-API WhatsApp gateway from Brazil: check the instance connection, browse chats and contacts, verify numbers on WhatsApp and send text, image and document messages through a WhatsApp number linked by QR code.
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Example prompts for Z-API
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Z-API
Z-API WhatsApp gateway from Brazil: check the instance connection, browse chats and contacts, verify numbers on WhatsApp and send text, image and document messages through a WhatsApp number linked by QR code.
Setup
- In the Z-API panel (app.z-api.io), open Instances, create or pick an instance and click edit. Copy the instance ID into
ZAPI_INSTANCE_IDand the instance token intoZAPI_INSTANCE_TOKEN. - Open the Security tab, module Account Security Token, click Set Up Now and copy the token into
ZAPI_CLIENT_TOKEN. Then click Activate Token so every request has to carry it. - Link the phone: scan the instance QR code with WhatsApp (Linked devices). Until the number is linked, every send fails.
- Start with
z_api_get_status:connected: falsemeans the QR code has to be scanned again,smartphoneConnected: falsethat the phone is offline.
Z-API is a third-party gateway that runs a WhatsApp Web session for your number. It is not Meta's official WhatsApp Business API, and WhatsApp may restrict numbers that send in bulk. Phone numbers are digits only, with country and area code and no +, spaces or dashes (5511999999999). The send tools write real WhatsApp messages: confirm the recipient and the text first, and never retry a send that returned a messageId. If you turned on IP restriction in the Z-API Security tab, allow the AnythingMCP outbound address.
Prerequisites: ZAPI_INSTANCE_ID, ZAPI_INSTANCE_TOKEN, ZAPI_CLIENT_TOKEN
Install the connector locally
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, pick Z-API and paste in the env vars listed under Prerequisites.
Available tools
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
z_api_get_status | Check whether the Z-API instance is linked to a WhatsApp account and whether the phone is online |
z_api_get_instance | Get the Z-API instance name, connection flag, payment status and expiry date (Unix timestamp in due) |
z_api_get_device | Get the phone linked to the instance: its number, profile name, device model and whether it is a WhatsApp Business account |
z_api_check_phone_exists | Check whether a phone number has a WhatsApp account |
z_api_list_chats | List the WhatsApp chats of the linked number (people and groups) with phone or group ID, name, unread count and last message time |
z_api_get_chat | Get metadata of one chat: unread count, last message time, mute and spam flags, profile status and notes (WhatsApp Business only) |
z_api_list_contacts | List WhatsApp contacts known to the linked number, including people from shared groups, with phone, saved name and WhatsApp profile name |
z_api_list_queue | List messages still waiting in the instance's send queue, with phone, text and IDs |
z_api_send_text | Send a WhatsApp text message to a contact or group from the linked number |
z_api_send_image | Send an image by public HTTPS URL to a contact or group, with an optional caption |
z_api_send_document | Send a document (PDF, XLSX, DOCX...) by public HTTPS URL to a contact or group |
Next steps
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