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This guide explains the fundamental concepts you’ll encounter when building with Wassist. Whether you’re using the dashboard or the API, these concepts apply universally.

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Agents

An Agent is an AI-powered assistant that handles conversations on WhatsApp. Each agent has its own personality, knowledge, and capabilities defined by its configuration.

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Key Agent Properties

Agents belong to an organization. Everyone in the organization can see and edit them, and API keys act on behalf of the organization.
Don’t want Wassist to run the AI? Route a number to your own code instead. See webhook routing.
A well-crafted system prompt is the most important factor in your agent’s quality. Be specific about tone, knowledge boundaries, and how to handle edge cases.

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Tools

Tools extend your agent’s capabilities by connecting it to external services. When a user asks a question that requires real-time data or an action, the agent can call a tool to fulfill the request.

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Types of Tools

Connect to any REST API to fetch data or trigger actions. Define the endpoint, parameters, and how the agent should interpret responses.Examples:
  • Check order status from your e-commerce platform
  • Book appointments in your calendar system
  • Look up product inventory
Let your agent browse and extract information from web pages in real-time.Examples:
  • Check current prices on your website
  • Pull the latest blog posts
  • Verify stock availability
Transfer conversations to another agent when specialized help is needed.
Escalate conversations to a human support team in your helpdesk.
Connect to Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers for advanced integrations with external systems.
Let your agent search a connected store’s products and policies.
Use tools from apps installed into your organization.

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Conversations

A Conversation represents an ongoing dialogue between a user and an agent. Wassist keeps the full message history and manages conversation state automatically.

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Message Types

WhatsApp supports rich message formats beyond plain text:
  • Text — Standard text messages with emoji and formatting
  • Images — Photos and graphics with optional captions
  • CTA Buttons — Call-to-action buttons that link to URLs
  • List Selections — Interactive menus for structured choices
  • Templates — Pre-approved message templates for outbound messages

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WhatsApp Business Accounts

To deploy agents to production, you connect a WhatsApp Business Account (WABA). This gives you:
  • Dedicated phone numbers — Your own business numbers
  • Business profile — Company name, description, and verified badge
  • Message templates — Pre-approved templates for outbound messaging
  • Higher messaging limits — Send more messages as your reputation grows
You can deploy different agents to different phone numbers under the same business account.

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Outbound Triggers

Outbound Triggers are webhooks that let external systems trigger your agent to send messages. When your backend receives an event (new order, appointment reminder, etc.), it can call Wassist to send a templated message.

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Next Steps

Create Your First Agent

Hello world on the sandbox number in 2 minutes.

SDK Overview

Learn how to manage agents programmatically.