Why WhatsApp? While Telegram is the most popular OpenClaw interface for developers, WhatsApp is the platform most people already use for daily life. Integrating OpenClaw into WhatsApp means your AI agent lives inside the app you open dozens of times per day — requiring zero behavior change. This guide answers every question about making that setup work flawlessly.
What Users Say About OpenClaw on WhatsApp
"Finally gave in and set up OpenClaw and it's so damn good on WhatsApp!! It works like a charm!"
@cryptikcell
"Just shipped my first personal AI assistant. On WhatsApp. Builds my second brain while I chat."
@christinetyip
"Try OpenClaw. I think you are going to love it. And you can use iMessage, WhatsApp, Telegram to talk to it."
@mneves75
Setup Q&A: Connecting OpenClaw to WhatsApp
Q: What do I need before I can use OpenClaw on WhatsApp?
A: You need three things before starting the WhatsApp connection:
OpenClaw installed and running
Complete the basic setup: curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash then openclaw onboard. Your Claw must be fully configured with an AI model (Claude API key) before adding WhatsApp.
WhatsApp account on your phone
Standard WhatsApp (not Business required, though Business adds extra features). You'll pair your phone number to your OpenClaw instance through a QR code process.
VPN07 active on your agent machine
Critical for security: WhatsApp messages to your Claw contain your commands and data. Run VPN07 on the machine hosting OpenClaw to encrypt all communications. At 1000Mbps, VPN07 adds zero perceptible latency to your WhatsApp responses.
Q: How do I actually pair OpenClaw with my WhatsApp? Step-by-step?
A: The pairing process uses WhatsApp's Linked Devices feature. Here's the exact process:
Install the WhatsApp skill
In your terminal: openclaw skill install whatsapp — this adds the WhatsApp bridge to your Claw
Start the pairing process
Run: openclaw whatsapp pair — a QR code will appear in your terminal
Scan from your phone
Open WhatsApp → Settings → Linked Devices → Link a Device → Scan the QR code shown in terminal
Test the connection
Send yourself a WhatsApp message starting with your trigger word (default: "claw") and say "claw hello" — your agent should respond within seconds
Q: Can OpenClaw work in WhatsApp group chats, or only in DMs?
A: Both work, but with different behavior. Group chats are where OpenClaw becomes particularly powerful for teams and families:
💬 DM Mode
- • Direct conversation with your Claw
- • Any message triggers a response
- • Full context of conversation maintained
- • Best for personal automation tasks
- • Private — no one else can see commands
👥 Group Chat Mode
- • Claw responds only when @mentioned
- • Multiple users can interact with same Claw
- • Great for team task assignment
- • Family shared assistant (shopping, schedules)
- • Configure who has command permissions
Real use case: A family WhatsApp group with OpenClaw as a member. Anyone can message "@Claw add milk to the shopping list" or "@Claw what's the weather this weekend?" — it responds to everyone and maintains a shared context about the family's needs.
Daily Automation Q&A: What to Do With Your WhatsApp Claw
Q: What are the best daily automation tasks to run through WhatsApp?
A: The magic of WhatsApp integration is naturalness — you're already in the app, so commanding your AI feels like texting a very capable assistant. Here are the most popular daily flows:
🌅 Morning Routine Automation
OpenClaw sends you a proactive morning message at 7am (no trigger needed — it's scheduled):
🦞 Good morning! Your 7am brief:
📅 2 meetings today (9am, 3pm)
🌤️ Sunny, 18°C — no umbrella needed
📧 6 new emails, 2 flagged urgent
💡 Focus suggestion: Deep work 10am-12pm (no meetings)
📝 On-the-Go Task Capture
Send voice notes or text commands anywhere:
🛒 Shopping & Errands
Ongoing shopping list that Claw manages:
📸 Photo & Media Processing
Send a photo of a receipt → Claw extracts amount and logs it to your expense tracker. Send a photo of a whiteboard → Claw transcribes and formats it as a meeting note. Send a screenshot of an email → Claw summarizes the key action items.
Q: Can I ask OpenClaw to do complex multi-step tasks from WhatsApp?
A: Yes — this is where OpenClaw on WhatsApp genuinely feels like science fiction. A single message can trigger a multi-step workflow that takes several minutes to complete. Your Claw will send progress updates and notify you when done:
# Real WhatsApp conversation:
You: "Research the top 5 competitors for my SaaS business,
create a comparison table, and put it in Google Docs"
Claw: "On it! I'll research, compile, and format — ~8 mins."
[8 minutes later]
Claw: "Done! Here's your competitor analysis:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/...
Summary: Competitor A leads on price, you lead on features."
From the community: "I'm literally on my phone in a Telegram chat and it's communicating with Codex CLI on my computer creating detailed spec files while out on a walk with my dog." The same applies to WhatsApp — you give the instruction, walk away, and the result arrives in your chat.
Q: How do I set up proactive WhatsApp messages — alerts and reminders without me asking?
A: OpenClaw's cron system handles this. You define conditions and schedules once, and Claw sends WhatsApp messages proactively. Examples of popular proactive setups:
⏰ Schedule-Based
- • 7:00am: Morning briefing with weather + calendar
- • 12:30pm: Lunch task catch-up summary
- • 6:00pm: Day wrap-up with tomorrow's priorities
- • Every Sunday: Weekly planning prompt
🔔 Event-Based Triggers
- • New email from VIP contact → immediate alert
- • GitHub PR needs review → send summary
- • Stock hits price target → instant notification
- • Website goes down → emergency alert
# Setup example — tell your Claw via WhatsApp:
"Every day at 6pm, send me a WhatsApp message with:
1. What I completed today (from my task list)
2. What's pending for tomorrow
3. One motivational sentence"
Q: What's the difference between using OpenClaw on WhatsApp vs Telegram? Which is better?
A: Both work well, but they have different strengths. Your choice depends on what you already use and your privacy preferences:
| Feature | Telegram | |
|---|---|---|
| Global user base | 2B+ users | 900M users |
| Group chat bots | Good | Excellent |
| File sharing | 2GB max | 4GB max |
| Voice notes | Excellent | Good |
| Already use it daily | Most people | Tech users |
| Privacy | Meta-owned | Independent |
Recommendation: If you already use WhatsApp for everything, keep OpenClaw there for convenience. If privacy is paramount, Telegram is better. You can actually run both simultaneously — one Claw instance that responds to both platforms.
Security Q&A: Keeping Your WhatsApp Claw Safe
Q: WhatsApp messages go through Meta servers. Is my OpenClaw data private?
A: WhatsApp uses end-to-end encryption for messages, meaning Meta cannot read message content. However, metadata (who you message, when, how often) is visible to Meta. For most users, this is acceptable. For high-security use cases, consider Telegram or Signal instead. Regardless of platform choice:
Never send via WhatsApp to your Claw:
- ❌ API keys or passwords
- ❌ Social security or ID numbers
- ❌ Credit card numbers
- ❌ Client confidential data
- ❌ Medical records
- ❌ Proprietary source code
✅ The VPN Layer: What It Protects
VPN07 on your OpenClaw machine protects the outbound connections your agent makes — to Claude API, Gmail, GitHub, and other services. This is the more critical security layer: your Claw's API calls carry actual credentials and data, and without a VPN, these are visible on your network and to your ISP. VPN07's 1000Mbps bandwidth means zero speed impact.
Q: What if someone else messages my OpenClaw from my WhatsApp group?
A: OpenClaw has a permission system for group chats. You configure exactly which users can give which commands:
Your number — can run any command, access all skills, modify Claw settings
Family members — can use read commands, add to shared lists, check schedules
Others — can only use explicitly whitelisted commands
Configure permissions by messaging your Claw: "Set WhatsApp permission for +1234567890 to trusted level"
Ready-to-Use WhatsApp Automation Templates
Template 1 Personal Assistant Starter Pack
# Tell your Claw these rules on first WhatsApp setup:
"When I say 'done X' → mark X complete in my task list"
"When I say 'remind me X at Y' → set reminder for Y"
"When I say 'note:' → save everything after to my journal"
"Every morning at 7:30am → send my daily briefing"
"When I send a photo → ask what I want done with it"
Template 2 Family Group Chat Setup
# Add to family WhatsApp group and configure:
"Maintain a shared shopping list for the family"
"Track family calendar — anyone can add events"
"Every Sunday evening, ask each family member"
" what they need for the week"
"Never reveal anyone's private messages to others"