whatsapp-cli
Claude Code plugin for full control over WhatsApp on macOS. Read chats, send messages to individuals and groups, search conversations, auto-reply with AI, monitor in real-time, and export chat history.
Features
- Read chats — list conversations, unread messages, starred messages
- Send messages — to contacts and groups (auto-detects group JIDs)
- Search — full-text search across all conversations
- Groups — list groups, members, group info
- Contacts — list, search, resolve names to JIDs
- Auto-reply — AI-powered auto-reply using Claude as response generator
- Monitor — watch chats in real-time for new messages
- Export — export chat history to TXT, JSON, or CSV; export media files
- Interactive REPL — full-featured REPL with history and styled prompts
Requirements
- macOS (uses WhatsApp's local SQLite database)
- WhatsApp desktop app installed and logged in
- Python 3.10+
- Accessibility permissions for sending (System Settings > Privacy & Security > Accessibility)
- Claude Code CLI (for plugin usage and auto-reply)
Installation
Via Claude Code
claude plugins marketplace add marcelrgberger/whatsapp-cli
claude plugins install whatsapp-cli
The CLI backend installs automatically on first /whatsapp use.
Manual
git clone https://github.com/marcelrgberger/whatsapp-cli.git
cd whatsapp-cli/agent-harness
python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -e .
Usage
Slash Commands
/whatsapp List recent chats
/whatsapp unread Show unread chats
/whatsapp read "John" Read messages from John
/whatsapp send "John" Hello! Send message to John
/whatsapp search "meeting" Search all messages
/whatsapp groups List all groups
/whatsapp export "John" ./out Export chat history
/whatsapp monitor "John" Watch for new messages
/whatsapp auto-reply "John" AI auto-reply
Natural Language
After installing the plugin, just tell Claude what you want:
- "Show my unread WhatsApp messages"
- "What did John say on WhatsApp?"
- "Send a WhatsApp to the SoundClouds group saying I'll be late"
- "Search WhatsApp for the restaurant address"
- "Auto-reply to Max while I'm away"
Direct CLI
whatsapp-cli chat list --limit 10
whatsapp-cli chat unread
whatsapp-cli message get "John" --limit 50
whatsapp-cli message send "John" "Hello!"
whatsapp-cli message search "meeting"
whatsapp-cli group list
whatsapp-cli group info "Family"
whatsapp-cli export chat "John" ./chat.txt --format txt
whatsapp-cli monitor auto-reply --chat "John" --prompt "Reply friendly" --interval 10
whatsapp-cli # Launches interactive REPL
Command Reference
Chat
| Command | Description |
|---|
chat list [--limit N] [--groups/--no-groups] | List recent chats |
chat search <query> | Search chats by name |
chat unread | Show unread chats |
chat get <name_or_jid> | Get chat details |
chat find <phone> | Find chat by phone number |
Message
| Command | Description |
|---|
message get <name> [--limit N] [--before/--after DATE] | Get messages |
message search <query> [--chat NAME] | Search messages |
message starred [--chat NAME] | Get starred messages |
message media <name> [--limit N] | Get media messages |
message send <name_or_phone> <text> | Send message (contacts & groups) |
message count [--chat NAME] | Count messages |
Contact
| Command | Description |
|---|
contact list | List contacts |
contact search <query> | Search contacts |
contact info <name_or_jid> | Contact details |
contact resolve <name> | Resolve name to JID |
Group
| Command | Description |
|---|
group list | List all groups |
group info <name_or_jid> | Group details |
group members <name_or_jid> | List group members |
group search <query> | Search groups |
Monitor
| Command | Description |
|---|
monitor watch [--chat NAME] [--interval N] | Watch for new messages |
monitor since <timestamp> [--chat NAME] | Messages since timestamp |
monitor auto-reply --chat NAME --prompt PROMPT [--interval N] | AI auto-reply |
Export
| Command | Description |
|---|
export chat <name> <output> [--format txt/json/csv] | Export chat history |
export media <name> <output_dir> | Export media files |
Session
| Command | Description |
|---|
session status | WhatsApp status, DB stats |
Auto-Reply with AI
The killer feature — set up Claude as an auto-responder:
whatsapp-cli monitor auto-reply \
--chat "John" \
--prompt "You are me, reply casually and friendly. Max 1-2 sentences." \
--interval 10 \
--context-messages 20
