personal-whatsapp-mcp

Gopal Shivapuja's Enhanced WhatsApp MCP Server

This repository is a personalized and enhanced version of the WhatsApp MCP Server by Luke Harries. It includes additional automation scripts for easy setup, automatic startup, self-monitoring, and automatic QR code authentication, tailored and maintained by Gopal Shivapuja.

Credits:

• Original project: WhatsApp MCP Server by Luke Harries
• Enhancements, automation, and personalization: Gopal Shivapuja

What This Does

This WhatsApp MCP Server allows you to:

• Connect your WhatsApp account to AI assistants like Claude
• Search and read your WhatsApp messages from your AI assistant
• Send messages and media through WhatsApp via your AI assistant
• Automatically handle keeping the service running

Enhanced Features (by Gopal Shivapuja)

This version adds several improvements to the original project:

• Automatic Startup: The WhatsApp bridge starts automatically when your system boots
• Daily Self-Check: The system checks once per day if the service is running and restarts it if needed
• QR Code Authentication: When your session expires (typically after 20+ days), the system automatically shows a QR code for re-authentication
• System Notifications: You get notified when action is required
• Comprehensive Logging: All activities are properly logged for easy troubleshooting
• Automated Setup: Dependency checking and automatic Python package installation

Installation

Prerequisites

• macOS (the automation scripts are designed for macOS)
• Go
• Python 3.6+
• Either UV or pip Python package manager (the setup script will check and use whichever is available)
• FFmpeg (optional) - Only needed for sending voice messages

Step-by-Step Installation

1. Clone this repository

   git clone https://github.com/gopalshivapuja/personal-whatsapp-mcp.git
   cd personal-whatsapp-mcp
   

2. Run the WhatsApp bridge for initial setup

   cd whatsapp-bridge
   go run main.go
   

   Scan the QR code with your WhatsApp mobile app to authenticate.

3. Run the automation setup script

   cd ..
   bash automation/setup.sh
   

   This will:

   • Check for all required dependencies (Go, Python, etc.)
   • Install Python requirements automatically if UV or pip is available
   • Create launch agents to run the service at system startup
   • Set up a daily watchdog to check if the service is running
   • Configure automatic QR code display when re-authentication is needed
   • Start the WhatsApp bridge immediately

4. Connect to Claude or another AI assistant

   Copy this JSON configuration, replacing the paths as needed:

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "whatsapp": {
         "command": "/path/to/uv", // Run `which uv` to find this
         "args": [
           "--directory",
           "/path/to/personal-whatsapp-mcp/whatsapp-mcp-server", // Use full path
           "run",
           "main.py"
         ]
       }
     }
   }
   

   For Claude Desktop, save this as: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

   For Cursor, save this as: ~/.cursor/mcp.json

How the Automation Works

Automated Scripts

This project includes several well-documented shell scripts in the automation/ directory:

• setup.sh: Main installation script that checks dependencies, installs requirements, and sets up LaunchAgents
• uninstall.sh: Safely removes automation while preserving your WhatsApp data
• start-whatsapp-bridge.sh: Manually starts the WhatsApp bridge if it's not running
• check-and-restart-bridge.sh: Monitors and automatically restarts the bridge if it stops
• check-qr-auth.sh: Detects when authentication is needed and shows a QR code

Automatic Startup

The WhatsApp bridge is configured to start automatically when your system boots through a macOS Launch Agent.

Watchdog Service

Once per day and at system startup, a watchdog script checks if the WhatsApp bridge is running. If it's not, the watchdog automatically restarts it and logs the action.

QR Authentication Helper

When your WhatsApp session expires (typically after 20+ days), the system:

• Detects that re-authentication is needed
• Opens a terminal window showing the QR code
• Displays a system notification
• Automatically resumes normal operation after you scan the code

Logging System

All operations are logged to:

• WhatsApp bridge: ~/Library/Logs/whatsapp-mcp.log
• Error log: ~/Library/Logs/whatsapp-mcp-error.log
• Watchdog log: ~/Library/Logs/whatsapp-mcp-watchdog.log

Managing the Service

Checking Status

To confirm the service is running:

launchctl list | grep whatsapp

Viewing Logs

tail -f ~/Library/Logs/whatsapp-mcp.log

Manual Start

If you need to manually start the bridge:

bash automation/start-whatsapp-bridge.sh

Uninstalling

To remove the automation but keep your data:

bash automation/uninstall.sh

Troubleshooting

QR Code Not Appearing

If you need to force a QR code to appear:

cd whatsapp-bridge
go run main.go

Bridge Not Starting

Check the logs for error messages:

cat ~/Library/Logs/whatsapp-mcp-error.log

Authentication Issues

If you're having trouble with authentication:

• Delete the database files: rm whatsapp-bridge/store/*.db
• Restart the bridge: cd whatsapp-bridge && go run main.go
• Scan the QR code with your phone

Dependency Issues

If you encounter errors during setup about missing dependencies:

1. Make sure Go is installed: go version
2. Make sure Python 3 is installed: python3 --version
3. For Python package issues, you can manually install dependencies:

   pip install -r whatsapp-mcp-server/requirements.txt
   

Migrating to a New Computer

To set up this system on a new computer:

1. Install the prerequisites (Go, Python)
2. Clone this repository
3. Run the setup script: bash automation/setup.sh
4. Authenticate with WhatsApp when prompted
5. Configure Claude or your AI assistant as described above

Technical Details

Automation Components

The system consists of three main components:

1. Primary WhatsApp Bridge Service

   • Starts the WhatsApp connection
   • Handles message syncing
   • Provides the MCP server interface

2. Watchdog Service

   • Runs once daily and at system boot
   • Checks if the bridge is running
   • Automatically restarts it if needed

3. QR Authentication Helper

   • Runs once daily and at system boot
   • Monitors logs for authentication requests
   • Displays QR code when needed

File Locations

• Launch Agents: ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.user.whatsapp-mcp*.plist
• Log Files: ~/Library/Logs/whatsapp-mcp*.log
• Database: whatsapp-bridge/store/*.db
• Scripts: automation/*.sh

Credits and Acknowledgements

• Original WhatsApp MCP Server: Created by Luke Harries. Please visit the original repository for more information about the core functionality.
• WhatsApp Connection: Based on the whatsmeow library by Tulir Asokan.
• Enhancements, Automation, and Personalization: Gopal Shivapuja

This project is provided as-is without warranty. Please use responsibly and in accordance with WhatsApp's terms of service.