> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.dialtu.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Build your first WhatsApp agent
> 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](/en/voice-agents/create-agent).
## Before you start
You need four things:
**An active Dialtu account.** Accounts are provisioned after a demo — [book one](https://www.dialtu.com/) if you don't have access yet.
**A user with write permissions** for WhatsApp and agents. If you don't see the WhatsApp section in the menu, ask your administrator to check your role.
**A WhatsApp Business account on Meta**, and admin access to the business portfolio it belongs to.
**A phone number** that isn't already linked to another WhatsApp Business API account.
## Steps
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.
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**.
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 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:
```markdown theme={null}
## Context
You are the assistant for [your business]. We sell [product or service] to [customer type].
Our support hours are [hours]. You reply over WhatsApp.
## Conversation flow
1. 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.
In the **Settings** column, open the **WhatsApp channel** group:
Select the number you connected in step 1.
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.
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.
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.
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.
## Check that it works
Send a WhatsApp message from your personal phone to the number you connected. You should see:
1. The agent's reply on your phone, within seconds.
2. The conversation under **CRM → Conversations** in Dialtu.
3. 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](/en/channels/whatsapp/troubleshooting).
## Next steps
Give your agent real actions: book, query your CRM, call your API.
Let Salesflow move the leads your agent generates, on its own.
Add the voice channel to answer and place calls with AI.