How to Use WhatsApp with Pokee AI

Pokee AI's WhatsApp integration lets you spin up a WhatsApp bot that auto-replies to your messages with full access to every Pokee skill — Gmail, Slack, Notion, Shopify, and the rest. Instead of opening the Pokee web app, just message your bot. The bot keeps conversation history, supports group chats, and stays online so you can chat from anywhere.

What You Can Do with WhatsApp + Pokee

• Chat-first agent: message your bot from anywhere — phone, desktop, web — and Pokee replies inline
• Full skill access: the bot can use every connected integration (Gmail, Slack, Calendar, Shopify, Notion, etc.) without leaving WhatsApp
• Group bots: drop the bot into a team or family group and let it answer questions, summarise threads, or run scheduled tasks
• Persistent memory: conversation history is preserved across restarts so the bot remembers context
• Owner gating: by default only you (the registered owner) can interact — add trusted phone numbers to extend access

Getting Started

Step 1: Pick a setup mode

Pokee supports two ways to run a WhatsApp bot. Choose whichever fits how you want the bot to show up:

Mode A — Personal number Use your own everyday WhatsApp number. The bot logs in as you and replies in your existing chats.

• ✅ Easiest to set up — no extra SIM, no new number to manage
• ✅ Friends and contacts already have you saved
• ⚠️ Bot replies look like they're coming from you (no separate "bot" identity)
• ⚠️ Your phone's WhatsApp and the bot share the same account, so you'll see the bot's outbound replies in your own chat history
• 👍 Best for: solo users who want a personal AI assistant on their own number

Mode B — Dedicated (different) number Use a separate phone number for the bot — a second SIM, a work line, a Google Voice number, or any number with WhatsApp activated.

• ✅ Clean separation: bot has its own name, avatar, and identity
• ✅ Safe to share publicly or drop into customer-facing groups
• ✅ Doesn't mix with your personal chat history
• ⚠️ Requires a phone number you can receive a WhatsApp activation code on
• 👍 Best for: teams, customer support bots, shared family/group bots, or anyone who wants a distinct bot identity

Either way, have the phone for the chosen number nearby — you'll scan a QR code from it.

Step 2: Ask Pokee to set up the bot

In a Pokee chat, just say:

"Set up a WhatsApp bot for me"

Pokee will ask which mode you want (personal or dedicated number), then:

1. Deploy the bot script inside your sandbox
2. Print a QR code in the chat
3. Wait for you to open WhatsApp on the chosen phone → Settings → Linked Devices → Link a Device and scan it
4. Start a watchdog so the bot stays online
5. Confirm with Bot connected: <linked_number>

That's it — your bot is live.

Step 3: Test it

• Mode A (personal): ask a friend to message you, or message yourself from another account, and watch Pokee draft the reply.
• Mode B (dedicated): message the bot's number from your personal WhatsApp and send "Hi". Pokee replies right back.

Either way, the bot has full access to all your connected skills.

Example Commands

Chat-driven workflows

"Summarise the last 10 emails in my Gmail and send me the digest"

"What's on my calendar tomorrow? Move my 3pm to Friday"

"Post the Q3 metrics from Google Sheets to #leadership in Slack"

Group chats

Add the bot to a group, then mention it (@bot what did I miss?) to summarise the thread, draft a reply, or run a skill on the group's behalf.

Tip: WhatsApp groups can be noisy. By default the bot only responds when mentioned or replied to, so it won't answer every message.

Recurring tasks

"Every weekday at 9am, send me a brief of overnight Slack DMs"

"When a new HubSpot deal closes, message me the details"

Combining WhatsApp with Other Integrations

Tips for Best Results

1. Pin the bot chat in WhatsApp so it's always at the top
2. Owner gate by default — only your number can DM the bot until you add other numbers to the .owner file
3. Use group chats for shared workflows (team standups, family planning)
4. Combine with scheduled tasks for recurring digests and reminders
5. Keep the linked session secure — anyone with access to the linked phone can read the bot's chats. Unlink from WhatsApp → Linked Devices if a device goes missing

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to keep the Pokee tab open?

No. The bot runs as a background process inside your Pokee sandbox with a built-in supervisor that auto-restarts it if it crashes.

Should I use my personal number or a dedicated one?

If you just want an AI assistant for yourself, personal mode is the fastest path — no extra number needed. If you want the bot to have its own identity (team bot, support bot, family group bot, anything you might share with others), use a dedicated number so the bot's messages don't mix with your personal chat history.

You can always start with personal mode and switch to a dedicated number later — just unlink and re-run setup.

Will the bot answer in groups?

Yes, but only when it's mentioned (@bot ...) or someone replies directly to one of its messages. This keeps the bot quiet in busy groups while still letting it run skills on demand.

Can other people DM my bot?

Only owners can DM by default. To grant access, add trusted phone numbers (E.164 format, one per line) to the bot's .owner file.

What happens to my conversation history?

History is stored on disk inside your sandbox under whatsapp-bot/history/ and survives restarts. If your sandbox pod is restarted (rare — usually only on deploys), you may need to re-scan the QR code to relink the session.

Is the WhatsApp integration secure?

Yes. The session credentials live with chmod 600 permissions inside your isolated Pokee sandbox. The bot connects to WhatsApp's official multi-device protocol over end-to-end encrypted channels — no inbound port is opened, no public webhook needed.

What if my session gets logged out?

WhatsApp may unlink devices that stay offline for too long. If that happens, ask Pokee to retry the setup and scan a fresh QR code. Conversation history is preserved across re-links.