WhatsApp Web

Connecter PRX a WhatsApp using a native Rust Web client (wa-rs) with de bout en bout encryption, QR code or pair code linking, and full media support.

Prerequis

• A WhatsApp account avec unn active phone number
• PRX built avec le whatsapp-web feature flag
• Non Meta Business API account required

Quick Setup

1. Enable the Feature Flag

Build PRX with WhatsApp Web support:

cargo build --release --features whatsapp-web

2. Configure

[channels_config.whatsapp]
session_path = "~/.config/openprx/whatsapp-session.db"
allowed_numbers = ["+1234567890", "*"]

For pair code linking (au lieu de QR code):

[channels_config.whatsapp]
session_path = "~/.config/openprx/whatsapp-session.db"
pair_phone = "15551234567"
allowed_numbers = ["*"]

3. Link Your Account

Start PRX. On first run, it will display either:

• A QR code in the terminal to scan with your WhatsApp mobile app, or
• A pair code if pair_phone is set (enter the code in WhatsApp > Linked Devices)

4. Verify

prx channel doctor whatsapp

Configuration Reference

Champ	Type	Defaut	Description
session_path	String	required	Path vers le session SQLite database. Presence of ce champ selects Web mode
pair_phone	String	null	Phone number for pair code linking (format: country code + number, e.g., "15551234567"). If unset, appairage par code QR is used
pair_code	String	null	Custom pair code for linking. Leave empty to let WhatsApp generate one
allowed_numbers	[String]	[]	Allowed phone numbers in E.164 format (e.g., "+1234567890"). "*" = allow all

Fonctionnalites

• Non Meta Business API required -- se connecte directly comme un linked device en utilisant le WhatsApp Web protocol
• End-to-end encryption -- messages are encrypted via Signal Protocol, same comme le official WhatsApp clients
• QR code and pair code linking -- two ways to link your WhatsApp account
• Persistent sessions -- session state stocke dans a local SQLite database, survives restarts
• Groups and DMs -- prend en charge les deux les conversations privees et les discussions de groupe
• Media messages -- handles images, documents, and other media types
• Voice note support -- transcrit les notes vocales entrantes (lorsque la STT est configuree) et optionnellement replies with voice notes (when TTS is configured)
• Presence and reactions -- supports typing indicators and message reactions

Limiteations

• Requires the whatsapp-web feature flag a la compilation
• Only one linked device session est pris en charge per phone number (WhatsApp limitation)
• Session may expire if not used for an extended period; re-linking est requis
• macOS, Linux, and Windows WSL2 only (same as PRX itself)
• WhatsApp may occasionally require re-authentication

Depannage

QR code ne fait pcomme unppear

• Ensure session_path is set and the directory is writable
• Verifiez que PRX was built with --features whatsapp-web
• Remove the session database and restart to force un nouveau pairing

Session expired or disconnected

• Delete the session database au configured session_path
• Restart PRX to trigger un nouveau QR code or pair code flow

Voice notes are not transcribed

• Configure the [transcription] section in your PRX config pour activer STT
• Supported STT backends: OpenAI Whisper, Deepgram, AssemblyAI, Google STT

Cloud API Mode

Si vous have a Meta Business account and prefer webhook-based messaging, see WhatsApp (Cloud API).