Connect WhatsApp to Bommelbot

Bommel Bot can save your links straight from WhatsApp. You send a link to a WhatsApp number, and it shows up in your library — no website, no forms. This guide takes you from "I've never touched developer settings" all the way to "I just texted a link and it saved."

WhatsApp is a little different from Telegram or Discord. You don't build a chat-bot with a "create bot" button. Instead, Meta (WhatsApp's owner) gives you a free Cloud API and a WhatsApp number that acts as your Bommelbot. Messages sent to that number get delivered to Bommel Bot. It sounds technical, but it's mostly copying and pasting a few values. We'll go slowly.

The big picture (read this first)

• You set up WhatsApp's free Cloud API through Meta's developer site.
• Meta gives you three things: an Access Token, a Phone Number ID, and an App Secret.
• You paste those into Bommel Bot once.
• Bommel Bot hands you a Callback URL and a Verify Token — you paste those back into Meta so the two apps can talk.
• After that, you message your WhatsApp number a link, and it saves.

Why do this? WhatsApp is where a lot of us share and receive links all day. Forwarding one to your own number to save it is effortless — and far more likely to actually happen than opening a website. Your Bommelbot quietly catches every link and files it.

The "Callback URL" is just a webhook — an automatic connection so WhatsApp can deliver your messages to Bommel Bot. The "Verify Token" is a shared password that proves the two sides belong together.

What you'll need

• The WhatsApp app on your phone with a working number.
• A Facebook/Meta account (free) to use Meta for Developers.
• About 15 minutes and a little patience — this is the most involved of the four channels.
• A Bommel Bot account signed in and verified (free is fine — a bot needs a cloud library to save into).

Step 1 — Set up WhatsApp

If you already use WhatsApp, skip ahead.

1. Install WhatsApp from your app store.
2. Open it, enter your phone number, and type in the code it texts you.
3. Add your name. You're set.

Tip: For a smoother experience you can later add a dedicated test number that Meta provides for free, so your Bommelbot is separate from your personal chats. That's optional — your normal number works fine to start.

Step 2 — Create a Meta developer app

1. Go to developers.facebook.com and click Get Started / Log In with your Facebook account. Follow the short prompts to register as a developer (it's free).
2. Open the Apps dashboard and click Create App.
3. When asked what you want to build, choose the option for Business (this is the type that offers WhatsApp).
4. Give the app a name like Bommelbot, confirm, and create it.

Step 3 — Add the WhatsApp product

1. On your new app's dashboard, scroll to Add products to your app.
2. Find WhatsApp and click Set up.
3. Meta creates a free test setup for you, including a test phone number you can use right away.

You'll now be on the API Setup page. This is where your key values live.

Step 4 — Copy your Access Token and Phone Number ID

Still on WhatsApp → API Setup:

• Access Token — click Generate access token (or copy the temporary one shown). Copy it.
• Phone Number ID — shown in the "Send and receive messages" section, right under the From number. This is a number that identifies which WhatsApp number to use. Copy it. (This is not the phone number itself — it's the ID beside it.)

About the temporary token: The token shown here expires after 24 hours, which is perfect for trying things out. When you're ready to keep it running permanently, do Step 5. If you just want to test right now, you can skip to Step 6 and come back later.

Step 5 — (Recommended) Create a permanent Access Token

A temporary token stops working the next day. For a Bommelbot you actually rely on, create a permanent one:

1. Go to Business Settings → System users (business.facebook.com/settings).
2. Click Add, give the system user a name (e.g. bommelbot-prod), choose the Admin role, and create it.
3. Click Add Assets and attach your app and your WhatsApp account.
4. Click Generate new token, select your app, and tick these two permissions:
5. whatsapp_business_messaging
6. whatsapp_business_management
7. Click Generate token and copy it immediately — Meta shows it only once.

Use this permanent token in place of the temporary one from Step 4.

Step 6 — Get your App Secret

1. In your app, open App Settings → Basic (left sidebar).
2. Find App Secret and click Show (you may need your password).
3. Copy it.

The App Secret lets Bommel Bot verify that incoming messages genuinely came from Meta. Keep it private, like any password.

You now have all three: Access Token, Phone Number ID, and App Secret.

Step 7 — Paste the three values into Bommel Bot

1. Open Bommel Bot and sign in and verify your email (free is fine).
2. Go to Settings → Channels and click the WhatsApp tab.
3. Fill in:
4. Access Token — from Step 4 or 5.
5. Phone Number ID — from Step 4.
6. App Secret — from Step 6.
7. Click Connect.

Bommel Bot checks your token and number, then shows you two values you'll need next: a Callback URL and a Verify Token. Copy both — you'll paste them into Meta in the next step. Your credentials are stored securely on our servers only and never shown back to anyone.

Copy the Callback URL and Verify Token now. They're shown right after you connect. If you navigate away without copying them, just click Reconnect to generate a fresh pair.

Step 8 — Tell Meta where to deliver messages

1. Back in Meta, go to WhatsApp → Configuration.
2. Next to Callback URL, click Edit.
3. Paste the Callback URL from Bommel Bot.
4. Paste the Verify Token from Bommel Bot into the Verify token field.
5. Click Verify and save.

Meta immediately sends a little test to your Callback URL to confirm the Verify Token matches. If it does, it saves without complaint.

1. Still on the Configuration page, find Webhook fields and click Manage. Subscribe to the `messages` field.

That subscription is what makes incoming texts actually reach Bommel Bot.

Step 9 — Save your first bookmark

1. From your phone, open a chat with your WhatsApp Bommelbot number (the test number Meta gave you, or your configured business number).
2. Send a message containing a link, e.g. https://example.com/great-recipe.

Your Bommelbot files it and it appears in your library within seconds. The first message also links your WhatsApp identity to your library, so the bot knows those bookmarks are yours.

Note on the 24-hour window: WhatsApp only lets a business number message you back within 24 hours of your last message to it. That's a Meta rule and doesn't affect saving — your links are captured regardless. If you used the temporary token from Step 4, remember it expires the next day; switch to the permanent token from Step 5 to keep things running.

Step 10 — Troubleshooting

"Verify and save" fails in Meta. The Callback URL or Verify Token doesn't match. Go to Bommel Bot → Settings → Channels → WhatsApp, click Reconnect to get a fresh Callback URL and Verify Token, and paste both again exactly as shown.

"Meta rejected that access token / phone number id." Re-copy the Access Token and the Phone Number ID. Remember the Phone Number ID is the ID beside the number, not the phone number itself. If your temporary token expired, generate a new one (or use the permanent token from Step 5).

"I sent a link but nothing saved." Make sure you subscribed to the `messages` webhook field (end of Step 8). Without it, WhatsApp accepts your message but never forwards it.

"It worked yesterday and stopped." You were probably using the 24-hour temporary token. Create the permanent token in Step 5 and update it in Settings → Channels → WhatsApp.

"One of the values looks malformed." Double-check each field for stray spaces or a missing character, then reconnect.

Bookmarks saved but not visible on another device. Bommel Bot pulls in bot-saved bookmarks automatically when you sign in and periodically afterward. Give it a moment or refresh.

You're done

Your WhatsApp Bommelbot is live. Text it any link and it's saved, titled, and tagged — no website required. This one took a few more steps, but you only do it once.