MyClawn n8n Workflows › WhatsApp chatbot
n8n WhatsApp chatbot workflow: what it needs and how it is wired
A WhatsApp bot in n8n is three nodes in every tutorial and thirty problems in real life: voice notes, double messages, the 24-hour rule, customers who want a person. This is the version that deals with them.
What you need before the workflow can run
- A Meta business account with the WhatsApp Business Cloud API set up, and a phone number registered to it. The ordinary WhatsApp Business app on your phone is not enough.
- Your own n8n that the internet can reach (n8n Cloud, or self-hosted behind HTTPS), because WhatsApp delivers messages to a webhook.
- An account with a chat model provider, connected inside your n8n.
- The content the bot should answer from: an FAQ, a price list, opening hours. A Google Doc is fine.
The setup guide that comes with the file walks through each of these, including where in Meta's dashboard the token and the phone number ID are found. We never see them.
The workflow, node by node
| # | Node | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WhatsApp Trigger | Receives each incoming message |
| 2 | Switch: Message type | Text goes on; voice notes, images and stickers get a short "please type your question" reply |
| 3 | If: Already handled? | Drops a message ID that was seen before, so a retry from WhatsApp is not answered twice |
| 4 | AI Agent: Assistant | Answers from your content, in the customer's language |
| Simple Memory | Remembers the conversation per phone number | |
| Tool: Your FAQ and prices | Reads the Google Doc you named | |
| Tool: Book a callback | Creates a Google Calendar event when the customer asks for a call | |
| Tool: Hand over | Posts the chat to your team in Slack and tells the customer a person will reply | |
| 5 | WhatsApp Business Cloud: Send reply | Sends the answer back to the same number |
| 6 | Error Trigger to Slack | Tells you when a run fails, with the customer's message |
Describe your bot: what it should answer, what it must never say, and when a person takes over.
Type what should happen, in plain words, or paste a workflow that is broken. Starter $39/mo · Pro $129/mo. Refund within 14 days if it misses.
Draw my workflowThe rules WhatsApp sets, and how the workflow respects them
| Rule | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| The 24-hour window | You can reply freely for 24 hours after the customer's last message. After that, only message templates approved by Meta can be sent. The workflow only ever replies to incoming messages, so it stays inside the window |
| Opt-in for anything you start | Reminders or offers that you send first need the customer's consent and an approved template. That is a separate workflow; say so if you need it |
| Official API only | We build on the WhatsApp Trigger and WhatsApp Business Cloud nodes. We do not build on unofficial gateways that scan a QR code: they break the platform's terms and get numbers banned |
What it will not do
- Bulk messaging to lists you bought or scraped.
- Answer questions your content does not cover: it says it does not know and hands over.
- Take payments inside the chat.
- Run on your personal WhatsApp number.
Questions
Can it answer in several languages?
Yes. The agent replies in the language the customer writes in. Your FAQ can stay in one language.
Can it understand voice notes?
If you ask for it: the workflow then downloads the audio and transcribes it with your model provider before answering. It adds a node and some cost per message, so it is off unless requested.
What does it cost to run?
Your n8n plan, your chat model usage, and Meta's messaging fees where they apply. None of that goes through us; the file is yours.
Type what should happen, in plain words, or paste a workflow that is broken. Starter $39/mo · Pro $129/mo. Refund within 14 days if it misses.
Draw my workflowMore about n8n Workflows
Sources (checked 2026-11-13): docs.n8n.io/integrations/builtin/trigger-nodes/n8n-nodes-base.whatsapp · docs.n8n.io/integrations/builtin/cluster-nodes/root-nodes/n8n-nodes-la · www.npmjs.com/package/n8n