Connect Claude Desktop to WhatsApp via MCP

Claude Desktop supports the Model Context Protocol (MCP), which means it can use external tools — including WhatsApp. With Pons, you can ask Claude to list your conversations, search your messages, and even send replies, all from the Claude Desktop app.

This guide takes about 5 minutes.

Prerequisites

• Claude Desktop installed
• A Pons account at pons.chat with at least one WhatsApp Business number connected (setup guide)

Step 1: Create an API key

1. Sign in to pons.chat
2. Click the key icon in the top navigation to open the API Key Manager
3. Click Create Key
4. Give it a name like "Claude Desktop"
5. Select the scopes you need:
   • read — list conversations, search messages, view templates
   • write — mark messages as read, send reactions
   • send — send text and template messages
6. Copy the key — it won't be shown again

For a first setup, select all three scopes. You can always create more restrictive keys later.

Step 2: Configure Claude Desktop

Open your Claude Desktop MCP configuration file:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Add Pons as an MCP server:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pons": {
      "url": "https://pons.chat/api/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer pons_your_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace pons_your_api_key_here with the key you copied in Step 1.

Step 3: Restart Claude Desktop

Close and reopen Claude Desktop. It reads the MCP configuration on startup.

Step 4: Verify

Ask Claude something like:

"List my WhatsApp conversations"

Claude will call the list_conversations tool and show you your recent chats with contact names, unread counts, and 24-hour window status.

What you can do

Once connected, Claude can use all 9 Pons MCP tools depending on your key's scopes:

Read (requires read scope):

• "Show my unread WhatsApp conversations"
• "Search my WhatsApp messages for 'invoice'"
• "What did Maria send me last?"
• "List my message templates"

Write (requires write scope):

• "Mark that message as read"
• "React to Maria's last message with 👍"

Send (requires send scope):

• "Send Maria 'I'll be there at 3pm'"
• "Reply to that message with 'Thanks, received!'"
• "Send the welcome template to +49123456789"

Tips

Use read-only keys for exploration. If you just want Claude to help you search and summarize conversations, create a key with only the read scope. This way Claude can't accidentally send a message.

Combine with other tools. MCP shines when Claude has access to multiple tools. Connect Pons alongside your calendar, email, or project management tools, and ask things like "Check my WhatsApp for any messages about the Friday meeting and add them to my notes."

Natural language works. You don't need to know tool names or parameters. Just ask Claude what you want in plain English and it'll figure out which tools to call.

Troubleshooting

Claude doesn't show Pons tools: Make sure the config file is valid JSON and the path is correct. Restart Claude Desktop completely (Cmd+Q on macOS, not just closing the window).

"Unauthorized" errors: Double-check your API key. It should start with pons_. Make sure there are no trailing spaces.

"Scope not allowed" errors: Your API key doesn't have the required scope for the tool Claude is trying to use. Create a new key with the appropriate scopes.

Messages not showing up: Make sure your WhatsApp webhook is configured correctly and messages are flowing into Pons. Check the WhatsApp setup guide.