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@photon-ai/whatsapp-business

TypeScript SDK for the WhatsApp Business API. Send and receive messages over a managed gRPC gateway.

bun add @photon-ai/whatsapp-business
import { createClient } from "@photon-ai/whatsapp-business";

const client = createClient({
  accessToken: process.env.WA_ACCESS_TOKEN!,
  phoneNumberId: process.env.WA_PHONE_NUMBER_ID!,
  appSecret: process.env.WA_APP_SECRET!,
});

await client.messages.send({
  to: "+15551234567",
  text: "Hello from the SDK!",
});

for await (const event of client.events.subscribe()) {
  if (event.type === "message") {
    console.log(event.message);
  }
}

Full documentation lives at docs.photon.codes.

Get started

1. Spectrum Cloud (one-click setup)

Sign up at app.photon.codes, toggle WhatsApp on in your project, finish the guided config, and drop the credentials into spectrum-ts — our unified messaging SDK that wraps this package alongside iMessage, Terminal, and other platforms behind one type-safe API.

2. Bring your own Meta app

Use this SDK directly with credentials from a Meta WhatsApp app you own. You'll need three values: phoneNumberId, accessToken, and appSecret.

  1. Create the app. At developers.facebook.com/apps, click Create app. Name the app, enter your email, toggle "Connect with customers through WhatsApp", and click Next. Create a business portfolio (name + contact info), Next, then Create app. Your app dashboard opens automatically.

  2. Get your Phone Number ID. In the dashboard, click Use cases → Customize under "Add use cases" → API Setup in the second sidebar. Under From, click Generate new phone number to create a test sender. The Phone Number ID appears directly below — copy it. To send test messages to yourself, open the To dropdown → Manage phone number list → add your own number.

    Ignore the blue Generate Access Token button on this page — that token expires in 24 hours. Step 3 generates a permanent one.

  3. Generate a permanent Access Token via a System User. At Business Manager → System Users:

    1. Click Add, name the user, set the role to Admin, then Create system user.
    2. Click the three dots next to "Revoke Tokens" → Assign Assets → toggle Full Control on for your app → Save.
    3. In the left sidebar under Accounts, click WhatsApp accounts → select your WhatsApp Business Account → Assign People → pick the system user → toggle Full Control → Save.
    4. Back on the system user, click Generate token. Select your app, check whatsapp_business_messaging, whatsapp_business_management, and business_management, set expiration to Never, and copy the token — this is your accessToken.

  4. Get your App Secret. My apps → your app → App settings → Basic. Click Show next to App Secret and copy it.

  5. Configure the webhook. In your app: Use cases → API Setup → scroll to Step 3 → Configure webhooks (docs):

    • Callback URL: https://whatsapp-business.spectrum.photon.codes/webhook
    • Verify Token: any value. Meta's spec normally requires the endpoint to validate this token and return hub.challenge only on match, but Photon's shared endpoint always returns the challenge regardless, so anything works (e.g., hello).
    • Click Verify and Save, then toggle the messages field to Subscribed.

  6. Pass the three credentials to createClient — done.

The webhook endpoint is free, public, and shared across all developers. You don't register with us, and we never save your access_token or app_secret.

Missed messages. If your client disconnects, inbound webhooks are buffered as unverified payloads. On reconnect, call client.events.fetchMissed({ cursor }) and they're verified with your app_secret, decoded, and returned alongside any other missed events.

Development

bun install          # install dependencies
bun run generate     # regenerate protobuf types from buf.build/photon-hq/whatsapp
bun run build        # generate + bundle with tsup
bun run check        # type-check
bun run lint         # lint with Biome
bun test             # run tests

License

MIT