Let ChatGPT watch a WhatsApp conversation

The upcoming OpenWA event integration lets ChatGPT Work react when a WhatsApp message arrives. You can ask it to watch a customer conversation and draft answers using a price list, or watch delivery acknowledgements for a message you're waiting on.

This guide covers the implementation prepared in PR #3539. It isn't available in the published packages yet. Use the release version that includes MCP Events when it ships.

Start Easy API and pair WhatsApp

Use Node.js 22.21.1 or later. Create wa.config.mjs in the directory where you'll keep the linked session:

export default {  sessionId: 'sales',  host: '127.0.0.1',  port: 8080,  apiKey: process.env.WA_API_KEY,  mcp: { enabled: true },};

Set a private API key, replace the version placeholder with the release that includes this feature, then start Easy API:

export WA_API_KEY='REPLACE_WITH_YOUR_PRIVATE_API_KEY'export OPENWA_VERSION='REPLACE_WITH_RELEASE_VERSION'export OPENWA_API_URL='http://127.0.0.1:8080'npx "@open-wa/wa-automate@$OPENWA_VERSION" --config ./wa.config.mjs

On your phone, open WhatsApp → Linked devices → Link a device and scan the QR code. The dashboard is at /dashboard/ on the printed server address. Keep the session file private and keep the same working directory when restarting.

You can read the linked session's current state with:

curl --fail-with-body "$OPENWA_API_URL/health"

Expose the MCP endpoint through your existing HTTPS deployment or tunnel. ChatGPT Cloud needs to reach that endpoint; a URL on your laptop's loopback address won't be reachable from its servers. Use the Easy API remote-access guide for the hosting setup.

Connect the endpoint to ChatGPT

In ChatGPT's plugin setup, connect your HTTPS /mcp endpoint using the Easy API key. OpenWA accepts the key through the X-API-Key header. This endpoint serves MCP 2.0, protocol revision 2026-07-28.

Use a Work chat on ChatGPT web, a desktop Work chat with Cloud selected, or a dot. OpenWA exposes three subscription events:

• message.received reports incoming messages and excludes this account's own sends.
• ack.changed reports changes to a message's acknowledgement value.
• session.state.changed reports the linked session's state changes.

Message and acknowledgement subscriptions accept an optional exact chatId. Use the conversation ID returned by OpenWA; the session ID sales identifies your linked account, not the customer conversation. An acknowledgement snapshot without chatId won't match a conversation filter.

Tell ChatGPT what to watch

Start with a narrow instruction:

Watch the incoming messages for conversation CHAT_ID. When someone asks for a quote, draft a reply using the attached price list. Keep the reply in this chat for review.

Replace CHAT_ID with the exact conversation identifier. ChatGPT creates the subscription and supplies its callback URL and signing secret. OpenWA verifies that callback before delivering WhatsApp data.

Incoming message summaries include sessionId, messageId, available conversation and sender IDs, up to 4,000 characters of message text, and a truncated flag. ChatGPT can call messages.get with messageId to read the full available message when needed.

Keep subscriptions across restarts

OpenWA stores subscriptions and pending delivery jobs in a private SQLite file under .open-wa/. If you run it in a container, keep that directory on persistent storage alongside the linked session's saved data.

The default subscription lifetime is one day. OpenWA returns refreshBefore, and ChatGPT renews the subscription before it expires. You can choose a journal path and maximum lifetime:

mcp: {  enabled: true,  events: {    enabled: true,    storePath: '.open-wa/mcp-events.sqlite',    lifetimeMs: 86400000,  },}

OpenWA signs callbacks using Standard Webhooks. Pending requests can retry after a restart, keeping the same event ID. Events can repeat or arrive out of order, and events missed while OpenWA is offline aren't replayed. Ask ChatGPT to stop watching when you're finished; it calls events/unsubscribe and OpenWA cancels delivery for that subscription.

Read the setup reference, browse event contracts, or read OpenAI's MCP Events requirements.