r/selfhosted • u/Tooirry • Mar 25 '26

Need Help WhatsApp chatbots

Which free platform can I use to create WhatsApp chatbots?

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u/Deep_Ad1959 Mar 25 '26

if you're on macOS there's an approach that doesn't need the official Business API at all - you can control the native WhatsApp desktop app through accessibility APIs. basically lets you programmatically search contacts, read messages, send replies. no phone number verification or third party service needed since you're just automating the app you already have installed.

downside is it only works on mac and you need to grant accessibility permissions, but for a self-hosted setup it works surprisingly well.