The guide · WhatsApp agents

Kapso + Claude Code: give Claude its own WhatsApp number.

Customers (or you) text a WhatsApp number, and an agent that Claude Code built does the work: answers questions, offers times, takes bookings. Kapso handles the WhatsApp side, and its free plan is enough to build and test one.

This is the full setup: the free Kapso plan, the one command that installs the skills, the prompt I'd give Claude, and the two things nobody tells you, which are Meta's own fees and the Meta business setup.

Checked against Kapso's pricing page, the Kapso docs and the official skills repo, 18 October 2026.

The links

Kapso kapso.com, with the dashboard at app.kapso.ai.
Kapso skills the Claude Code skills on GitHub: gokapso/agent-skills.
Pricing kapso.com/pricing.
Docs Connect WhatsApp in the Kapso docs.
Claude Code claude.com/product/claude-code (needs a paid Claude plan).

What the free plan gives you

Free plan ($0/month)	Details
Messages	2,000 a month. Kapso counts inbound and outbound messages, and reactions.
Numbers	1 connected number, plus the Kapso sandbox number for testing
Free US number	A free pre-verified US number you can pick during setup
Agents and workflows	Unlimited
Team inbox	Unlimited seats
Credit	$2 welcome credit
Meta fees	Not included. Passed through at cost, no markup.

Outgrow it and Pro is $25 a month for 100,000 messages and 3 numbers.

The setup, the prompt and the fees

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Sort out Meta first

This is where people get stuck. Every WhatsApp business number lives inside Meta. Kapso connects through Meta's own signup window, and Meta runs the checks. Before you start, have:

A Facebook account that can manage your business
A Meta Business Portfolio (you can create one during signup)
Complete business info in that portfolio: legal name, address, business phone number and a public HTTPS website
No open warnings in your WhatsApp account settings in Meta (billing, verification or number issues)

Heads up: connecting a number doesn't skip Meta's rules. Display-name review, WhatsApp account review and payment checks can still block real sending after the number shows as connected. Fill in the business info properly first.

Do you need formal business verification? Not to start. You can message without it, but your number stays on its starting messaging limit. Verifying (documents showing your legal name and address) raises the limits and makes Meta less likely to restrict you. Kapso can submit it for you from the number's Overview page. You get 3 attempts. Most reviews take minutes, some take hours.

Make a free Kapso account

Connect a number

In Kapso go to Connected numbers → Connect new number and pick one of three options:

Option	Best for
Instant setup	Fastest. Uses a free pre-verified US number, no SMS code needed.
WhatsApp Business App	You already use the WhatsApp Business app and want to keep it running alongside.
Bring your own SIM	You want your own number on a dedicated SIM.

For Instant setup, Meta's signup window opens. Log in, and when it asks for the phone number, open the dropdown and pick a number with the Verified badge. Don't pick "Enter a new phone number" or the "display name with a virtual number" option. Choose your Business Portfolio, choose or create the WhatsApp Business account, confirm, then click Finish. Kapso shows the number as connected.

Want to test before any of that? Use the Kapso sandbox: WhatsApp → Sandbox → Add Test Number. Enter your own WhatsApp number and text the 6-character code to the sandbox number. Codes expire after 15 minutes.

Install the Kapso skills in Claude Code

Run this in your terminal and pick Claude Code when it asks where to install:

npx skills add gokapso/agent-skills

You get 4 skills from gokapso/agent-skills:

Skill	What it does
`integrate-whatsapp`	Connect WhatsApp, set up webhooks, send messages and templates
`automate-whatsapp`	Build workflows, agents, functions and databases
`observe-whatsapp`	Search logs, debug delivery problems, run health checks
`integrate-whatsapp-calling`	Voice calls over WhatsApp (optional)

The skills are marked alpha, so expect them to change.

Give Claude access to your Kapso project

The skills prefer the Kapso CLI. Install it and log in (needs Node.js 20.19 or newer):

npm install -g @kapso/cli
kapso login
kapso status

No CLI? Create an API key in the Kapso dashboard and set it instead:

export KAPSO_API_BASE_URL="https://api.kapso.ai"
export KAPSO_API_KEY="your-api-key"

Never paste your API key into a chat or commit it to GitHub.

Tell Claude what to build

Open Claude Code in an empty folder and paste the prompt below. Then text your number and watch it work. If a message doesn't arrive, ask Claude to use the observe skill to check the logs.

Prompt: build a booking agent

Swap "barbershop" for your business and the services for yours.

Using the Kapso skills, build me a WhatsApp agent for a barbershop on my connected number. It should answer questions about prices and opening hours, offer the next available times, and take a booking with the customer's name, service and time. Confirm each booking back to the customer. Test it on the Kapso sandbox first and show me the conversation.

Want it to book into a real calendar? Tell Claude which calendar you use (Google Calendar, Cal.com and so on) so it builds that connection. Without one, the agent can only collect the booking details.

The part nobody tells you: Meta's fees

Kapso's 2,000 free messages are Kapso's limit. Meta charges its own fee per delivered message on top, on every plan.

Message type	Meta charge
Template messages (you message first: reminders, marketing)	Charged. The rate depends on the category and the customer's country.
Normal replies (non-template)	Charged since 1 Oct 2026, after 1,000 free delivered messages per number per month
Reactions	Free

You can pay Meta with your Kapso credits or with a card in Meta. Kapso passes the fees through at cost with no markup. Check the live rates with Kapso's WhatsApp pricing calculator on the pricing page before you quote a client.

If something goes wrong

SMS code asked Meta asks for a code during Instant setup: cancel and try again, and make sure you picked a number with the Verified badge.
Stuck on pending your WhatsApp account is still under Meta review. Check your business portfolio has the legal name, address, phone and website filled in. Kapso retries on its own when Meta finishes.
Sandbox session "Active sandbox session required" means you're messaging a number that isn't in your sandbox session. Add it under Sandbox first.
No templates the sandbox won't send templates. That's normal: templates only work on a real connected number.
Failing live messages failing in production? Ask Claude to run the observe-whatsapp health check on your number.

Kapso isn't affiliated with Meta, WhatsApp or Anthropic, and neither is this guide.