WhatsApp Web Skill

Overview

Quick Install

curl -sSL https://canifi.com/skills/whatsapp-web/install.sh | bash

cp -r skills/whatsapp-web ~/.canifi/skills/

Setup

# First, ensure canifi-env is installed:
# curl -sSL https://canifi.com/install.sh | bash

canifi-env set WHATSAPP_LINKED "true"

Privacy & Authentication

Option 1: Manual Browser Login (Recommended)

1. Complete the Browser Automation Setup using CDP mode
2. Login to the service manually in the Playwright-controlled Chrome window
3. Claude will use your authenticated session without ever seeing your password

Option 2: Environment Variables

canifi-env set SERVICE_EMAIL "your-email"
canifi-env set SERVICE_PASSWORD "your-password"

Capabilities

• Send and receive text messages
• Share images, videos, and documents
• Create and manage groups
• Update and view status/stories
• Search messages and contacts
• Star and archive chats
• Manage group settings and admins
• Handle broadcast lists

Usage Examples

Example 1: Send a Message

User: "Send a WhatsApp message to Sarah asking about dinner plans"
Claude: I'll send that message on WhatsApp.
- Navigate to web.whatsapp.com
- Search for Sarah in contacts
- Open chat and compose message
- Send: "Hey Sarah, what are the dinner plans for tonight?"
- Confirm message delivered (double checkmarks)

Example 2: Create a Group

User: "Create a WhatsApp group called 'Weekend Trip' with John, Mike, and Lisa"
Claude: I'll create that group.
- Click New Group
- Add John, Mike, and Lisa
- Set group name "Weekend Trip"
- Add group icon if available
- Confirm group created

Example 3: Share a File

User: "Send the project proposal PDF to the Work group on WhatsApp"
Claude: I'll share that document.
- Open Work group chat
- Click attach file
- Select and upload proposal PDF
- Add caption if needed
- Send file to group

Example 4: Check Unread Messages

User: "Check my unread WhatsApp messages and summarize them"
Claude: I'll check your unread messages.
- Identify chats with unread indicators
- Open each unread chat
- Read and collect new messages
- Present summary of conversations

Authentication Flow

1. Navigate to web.whatsapp.com via Playwright MCP
2. If QR code shown, notify user via iMessage to scan with phone
3. Wait for phone authentication (timeout: 60 seconds)
4. Verify chat list loads successfully
5. Maintain session via local storage
6. Re-authenticate if session expires

Error Handling

• QR Code Timeout: iMessage reminder to scan QR code
• Session Expired: Notify user to re-link device
• Phone Disconnected: Alert user that phone must be online
• Rate Limited: Wait and implement backoff
• Contact Not Found: Search by phone number or name variations
• Group Limit Reached: Notify user of WhatsApp limits (1024 members)
• Media Failed: Check file size and format, retry upload
• Connection Lost: Wait for reconnection, notify if persistent

Self-Improvement Instructions

1. Document new UI elements and chat patterns
2. Add support for new message types (polls, etc.)
3. Log successful group management patterns
4. Update for new WhatsApp Web features

Notes

• WhatsApp Web requires phone to be connected to internet
• End-to-end encryption maintained through web interface
• Status/stories expire after 24 hours
• Broadcast lists have recipient limits
• Some features require WhatsApp Business
• Voice and video calls not supported via web automation
• Multi-device beta allows operation without phone online