What You Need to Know
Begin by enabling WhatsApp in your config: set channels.whatsapp.enabled: true and configure allowFrom with your phone number in international format (e.g., "+15551234567"). Set groupPolicy to "allowlist" unless you specifically want the assistant to respond in all groups.
When you start the gateway, OpenClaw will generate a QR code. Scan it from WhatsApp on your phone under Linked Devices. This pairing step is required every time your session drops — which happens on gateway restarts, phone reboots, or prolonged disconnection. Keep this in mind for reliability planning.
After pairing, test with a simple message from your own number. Confirm the response arrives, check media handling (send an image or voice note), and verify that the assistant respects your allowFrom list. If messages from other contacts are arriving and getting responses, your DM policy may be too permissive.
The most common WhatsApp issues are session drops and QR re-pairing. If your assistant stops responding, check openclaw channels status --probe and openclaw logs --follow for disconnect events. WhatsApp instability typically comes from auth/session state, not from model or provider configuration. Re-scanning the QR usually resolves it.
For production use, consider whether WhatsApp is the right primary channel. Telegram is significantly more reliable for always-on setups. Many users keep WhatsApp as a secondary channel for convenient mobile access while relying on Telegram for automation delivery and heartbeat notifications. If you need WhatsApp reliability, pair it with health monitoring and automatic restart scripts.