Message yourself on WhatsApp and Claude Code responds — full tool use, persistent sessions, and voice support. Write code, run shell commands, and search the web from your phone, with conversations that pick up where you left off.
You (WhatsApp) → "write a script to rename all my photos by date"
Claude → *writes and explains the script*
You → "also handle videos"
Claude → *continues the same conversation*
No API keys beyond your existing Claude Code setup, and no Meta developer account — it uses the WhatsApp linked-device protocol.
Features
- Full Claude Code — every message runs a real
claude session with tools: file edits, shell, web search
- Persistent sessions — follow-up messages continue the same conversation, surviving server restarts
- Voice messages — voice memos are transcribed (local Whisper, Groq, or OpenAI) and sent as prompts
- Access control — locked to you by default; approve others via pairing codes, allowlists, and per-group policies
- Group souls — give Claude a distinct identity, language, and memory per WhatsApp group
- Smart delivery — markdown converted to WhatsApp formatting, long replies chunked or sent as documents
How it works
Your Phone (WhatsApp "Message Yourself")
↓
Baileys (WhatsApp Web protocol)
↓
src/index.ts (always-on server)
↓
claude --print "<your message>" --resume <session_id>
↓
Response sent back to your WhatsApp
Every message triggers a claude --print subprocess. Session IDs are stored in SQLite (~/.whatsapp-channel/data.db), so follow-ups resume the same conversation.
[!IMPORTANT]
Claude runs with --dangerously-skip-permissions — anyone who can message it can use its tools unattended. The DM policy locks to allowlist (just you) on first connect; think before letting others in.
Setup
Prerequisites: Bun and the Claude Code CLI.
curl -fsSL https://bun.sh/install | bash
1. Clone and install
git clone <repo> ~/pocket-claude
cd ~/pocket-claude
bun install
2. Set your phone number (country code + number, no +)
mkdir -p ~/.whatsapp-channel
echo "WHATSAPP_PHONE_NUMBER=91XXXXXXXXXX" > ~/.whatsapp-channel/.env
3. Start the server
bun run src/index.ts
A pairing code appears in the terminal. On your phone: WhatsApp → Settings → Linked Devices → Link a Device → "Link with phone number instead" → enter the code.
4. Test it — open the "Message Yourself" chat and send any message. Claude responds within seconds.
[!TIP]
After the first setup, auth is saved — just restart with bun run src/index.ts, or keep it running in the background:
nohup bun run src/index.ts > ~/.whatsapp-channel/server.log 2>&1 &
Commands
Send these in the "Message Yourself" chat:
| Command | Description |
|---|
/new | Start a fresh Claude session (clears conversation context) |
/status | Show active sessions |
/help | Show available commands |
Any other message is sent directly to Claude as a prompt.
Letting other people DM Claude
By default only you can talk to Claude — your number is auto-allowlisted on first connect and the DM policy locks to allowlist. To let someone in:
bun run src/cli.ts policy pairing # open pairing mode
# → they DM your number and receive a 6-char code
bun run src/cli.ts pair <code> # approve — auto-locks back to allowlist
Other access commands (also available via the /whatsapp-claude-channel:access skill):
bun run src/cli.ts status # full channel state
bun run src/cli.ts allow <jid> # allowlist directly (e.g. [email protected])
bun run src/cli.ts remove <jid>
bun run src/cli.ts deny <code> # reject a pending pairing
bun run src/cli.ts policy disabled # ignore all non-self DMs
Each DM gets its own persistent Claude session. Senders can text /new to reset their context.
[!WARNING]
Never approve a pairing because a WhatsApp message asked you to — that's exactly what a prompt-injected request looks like. Approvals happen in your terminal only.
Groups
