From zero to an AI agent replying to real WhatsApp messages
By the end of this guide you’ll have your WhatsApp Business account connected and an AI agent replying to real messages. It takes about 15 minutes.
We start with WhatsApp because it’s the shortest path to a working agent: no phone number to buy, no telephony to configure. If voice is your priority, go straight to Create your first AI voice agent.
In the sidebar, open Settings → WhatsApp Business and click Connect WhatsApp. A Meta popup window opens where you sign in, pick your WhatsApp Business account, and verify your number.
Connect your WhatsApp Business account
The full process, screen by screen: Meta requirements, the two onboarding modes, number management, and troubleshooting.
When you’re done, come back here. You should see your account under Connected accounts and your number with status Connected.
The connected account, with the number showing Connected status
Create your agent
Go to Chat → WhatsApp → Agents and click Create agent.The agent workspace opens: a single screen with three columns — Settings on the left, the prompt in the middle, and Atlas / Test / Summary on the right.Start by giving it a name in the top bar (for example, Front desk or Lead qualification). The description is optional and only you and your team see it.
The agent workspace: settings, prompt and side panel
Write the agent prompt
The middle column holds the Agent prompt — a single document where you define who the agent is and how it should behave. It’s the only required content field.Structure it in three sections:
## ContextYou are the assistant for [your business]. We sell [product or service] to [customer type].Our support hours are [hours]. You reply over WhatsApp.## Conversation flow1. Greet the person and ask how you can help.2. Identify whether they're after [case A] or [case B].3. If it's [case A], ask for [detail 1] and [detail 2] before continuing.4. Once you have the details, offer to book a call.## Rules- Always reply in English, warm tone, short sentences.- Never invent prices or delivery dates. If you don't know, say so and offer a human.- Never ask for card details or passwords.
You can paste text and formatting is preserved. Use the Variables tray to insert contact data: {'{{client_var}}'} for client variables and [[global_var]] for global ones.
You can also ask Atlas, the copilot in the right-hand tab: describe the agent you need and it builds it for you.
Connect it to your number and set routing
In the Settings column, open the WhatsApp channel group:
WhatsApp phone number
Select the number you connected in step 1.
Agent type
Choose Inbound if it should only reply to incoming messages, or Omnichannel if it should also be able to start conversations. Outbound does not reply to incoming messages.
Routing
Turn on Default so this agent handles every message to the number. Alternatively, define a weekly schedule so it only covers certain time slots.
Routing is required for inbound and omnichannel agents. If the number already has another default agent, Dialtu will ask you to give that agent a time range before taking its place.
Check the Summary tab on the right: it shows the Required to create checklist (Name, Agent prompt, WhatsApp phone number, Routing) and what’s still missing.
Settings → WhatsApp channel
Test it before activating
Open the Test tab in the right column and write to it as if you were the customer. The agent responds using the prompt and tools currently on screen, saved or not.
API and integration tools run for real. If your agent has a tool that books appointments or writes to your CRM, testing it will create real records. Use test data.
Walk through your typical cases: the greeting, the common question, the one that should escalate to a human. If the agent ends the conversation, click Reset to start over.
The Test tab, with the warning that tools run for real
Activate it
In the top bar, confirm the status indicator reads Active (new agents are created active; click the indicator to toggle between Active and Paused).Click Create Agent. From that moment the agent handles messages arriving at your number according to the routing you defined.
Send a WhatsApp message from your personal phone to the number you connected. You should see:
The agent’s reply on your phone, within seconds.
The conversation under CRM → Conversations in Dialtu.
The contact created automatically under CRM → Clients.
If no reply arrives, check that the number is Connected in Settings, that the agent is Active, and that the routing covers the time you wrote. If the problem is with the connection, see Troubleshooting.
