WhatsApp and Instagram
Bring WhatsApp and Instagram messages into the inbox with your own Meta app; replies from the AI and your team go back to the same chat.
purser connects through your own Meta app: you have an app in the Meta developer dashboard, you enter its credentials in purser, and you enter the webhook address purser gives you back in Meta. There is no "connect with your Facebook account" button yet.
- WhatsApp uses the WhatsApp Cloud API.
- Instagram uses the Instagram API (with Instagram Login).
1. Connect in purser
Open Settings (设置) → Channels (渠道). On the WhatsApp and Instagram card, click Connect WhatsApp (连接 WhatsApp) or Connect Instagram (连接 Instagram) and fill in:
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Phone number ID (WhatsApp) | The Phone number ID from Meta developer dashboard → WhatsApp → API Setup, not the phone number itself |
| Instagram account ID (Instagram 账号 ID) | The account ID from Meta developer dashboard → Instagram → API setup, a string of digits |
| Display name (显示名称) | Identifies this connection on the card, e.g. +1 555 000 1111 or @your_shop |
| Access token (访问令牌) | A permanent / System User token, used to send messages as your account |
| App secret (应用密钥) | 32 hexadecimal characters, used to confirm webhooks really come from your Meta app |
Click Save (保存). The token and secret are stored encrypted and never shown again. The same number or account can be connected only once per workspace.
2. Set up the webhook in Meta
After you save, the card shows two values:
| Value | Content |
|---|---|
| Callback URL | https://askpurser.com/api/channels/meta/<connection ID> |
| Verify token | A random string |
Enter both under Webhooks in the Meta developer dashboard and subscribe to the messages field.
The status on the card:
- "Waiting for Meta to verify the webhook" (等待 Meta 验证 webhook): no signed event from Meta yet.
- "Received messages from Meta" (已收到 Meta 的消息): Meta has sent events, and the connection works.
Every event must be signed with your app secret; anything with a wrong signature is refused, and messages addressed to other numbers or accounts are ignored.
Incoming messages
- Each customer (each WhatsApp number or Instagram user) has one conversation per connection, and later messages go into it.
- Text, images and WhatsApp button replies come in; stickers and reactions are ignored.
- A phone number or an Instagram account does not prove which of your customers someone is, so these conversations are anonymous: the AI does not reveal any order details.
Meta's 24-hour window
Meta only allows free-form replies within 24 hours of the customer's last message. After that, a reply is not sent and the conversation gets a note such as "没有发出：WhatsApp 只允许在顾客最后一条消息后 24 小时内回复。等顾客再发消息，或在 WhatsApp 里用模板消息联系。" (Not sent: WhatsApp only allows replies within 24 hours of the customer's last message. Wait for the customer to write again, or contact them with a template message in WhatsApp.) purser does not send template messages.
Other sending limits:
- A WhatsApp reply can be up to 4,096 characters and an Instagram reply up to 1,000; anything longer is cut off.
- When the access token stops working, the conversation gets a note that the token is no longer valid (访问令牌失效了), and the card shows the last send failure (最近一次发送失败). To replace the token, delete the connection and connect again. The new connection has a new Callback URL and Verify token, so update both in Meta.
Handing over to a person
These channels are not live chat. Handing over puts the conversation in the waiting-for-a-reply state instead of a live queue, and the customer gets one acknowledgement saying when someone will reply. It is sent once per wait.
AI disclosure
The AI's first reply in each conversation starts with one line in the customer's language, for example "(This is Blind Box Tokyo's AI assistant. Ask for a person any time.)". Replies from your team do not.
Plans
| Plan | WhatsApp and Instagram |
|---|---|
| Free | You can connect, and messages still reach the inbox for your team to answer; the AI does not reply |
| Starter, Growth, Scale | The AI follows your AI autonomy settings: by default it drafts and a person reviews before sending |
| Test workspace | Same as the paid plans |
See AI autonomy and Billing.