This page is the setup manual. If you're still deciding whether running a company from WhatsApp is a good idea at all, read what works and what doesn't first, then come back here to connect.
WhatsApp is a channel rather than a tool your agents act in. You talk to the same Chief of Staff you'd use in the app, with your role's permissions, from your phone.
Is WhatsApp on for your workspace?
Open Chief of Staff, click Settings, and look for a WhatsApp tab. If it isn't there, WhatsApp hasn't been switched on for your workspace yet, or your owners or admins turned it off. Nautis enables it per workspace, so ask an owner or contact support rather than hunting through settings.
Anyone with access to Chief of Staff can link their own number. Owners and admins also get Workspace access, where Allow WhatsApp in this workspace turns it off for everyone. Linked numbers stay linked while it's off.
Linking your number: two routes
Starting from the app
The code works once and expires after 10 minutes. Get a new code gives you another.
- In the WhatsApp tab, click Connect WhatsApp.
- A QR code appears with a short message such as LINK ABC123.
- On a computer, scan the code with your phone's normal camera app. On your phone, tap Open WhatsApp. Or send the message to the Nautis number shown under the code yourself.
- Send the message unchanged. WhatsApp confirms you're connected, and the settings page updates on its own.
Starting from WhatsApp
You need a Nautis account before either route works.
- Message the Nautis WhatsApp number with anything.
- Tap the connect link in the reply. It's valid for 15 minutes.
- Sign in to Nautis. If you belong to several workspaces, choose one, then tap Connect this number.
Nautis WhatsApp integration commands and replies
| You send | What happens |
|---|---|
| /help | Lists what you can ask and the commands |
| /org, then /org 2 | Shows your workspaces, then switches to the second one |
| /new | Starts a fresh conversation |
| /voice on or /voice off | Turns voice-note replies on or off |
| STOP | Disconnects this number |
| yes or no, haan or nahi | Approves or rejects, when exactly one action is waiting |
| A correction such as due Monday instead | Sends back an updated version to approve |
| A photo of a business card | Proposes a new contact, with an offer to add a lead |
| A photo of a receipt | Proposes an expense |
| A whiteboard photo | Proposes a note, with tasks for action items |
| A deck or contract | Replies with a short summary and asks what you want done |
Nothing from a photo or file is saved until you approve. Several related changes arrive as one numbered plan with Approve all.
STOP is there for a reason. The WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy requires businesses to respect every request to stop, on or off WhatsApp. Here, sending STOP disconnects your number, and your history stays in the app if you come back.
Notifications, and why some arrive as short notices
Under Chief of Staff, Notifications, Settings, the WhatsApp card lets you choose Briefings, Approvals waiting, Routine results and a Friday receipt of what your Chief of Staff did that week. Quiet hours and focus sessions still apply, and you'll get at most 12 a day.
Sometimes you get a short notice with a button instead of the full briefing. That's WhatsApp's rule, not a bug. Meta's pricing documentation describes a 24-hour customer service window that opens when you message a business and resets each time you message again. Inside it, a business can send ordinary messages. Outside it, it can only send pre-approved template messages. Tap Show briefing, Review, Show result or Show summary, and the full update follows.
A small habit fixes most of this. Send your Chief of Staff one message each morning, even just what's on today, and the window stays open for the evening debrief.
What stays in the app
- Actions in connected apps from Integrations, such as Gmail or Slack.
- Deleting anything.
- Group chats. It's one-to-one only, so a team can't share a number.
- Videos, stickers and locations. Files are limited to 15 MB: PDF, Word, Excel, CSV, text and photos.
- Anything very sensitive. Messages travel through WhatsApp, so the guide suggests keeping those details in the app.
Messages, voice notes and voice replies use AI credits, like chat in the app. Plans include 1,000, 2,000 or 2,600 credits a month (see pricing).
Troubleshooting the connection
- Invalid QR code. You scanned with WhatsApp's own scanner, which only reads WhatsApp Web codes. Use the camera app, or send the LINK message yourself.
- The code stopped working. It expired after 10 minutes or was already used. Click Get a new code.
- Answers come from the wrong company. Send /org and switch, or change Workspace WhatsApp acts in in the tab.
- It asks you to wait a minute. You sent messages very fast. Pause, then carry on.
- A voice note was misheard. Check the transcript shown first, reply with the correction, and set your languages under Settings, Voice.
- Your phone changed hands. Click Disconnect in the WhatsApp tab. Linking needs both your Nautis sign-in and a message from the phone, so a number can't be linked without your account.
Your conversation also shows in the Chief of Staff chat list as WhatsApp, so you can pick it up on a laptop. The full reference is the WhatsApp Help Center guide.
FAQ
How do I turn on the Nautis WhatsApp integration?
Nautis switches WhatsApp on per workspace, and it isn't on every workspace yet. If you don't see a WhatsApp tab under Chief of Staff settings, ask an owner or admin, or contact Nautis support.
Can our whole team share one WhatsApp number?
No. Each person links their own number and only sees and does what their role allows. Group chats aren't supported.
Can I approve Slack posts or Gmail sends from WhatsApp?
Not yet. Actions in connected apps aren't available on WhatsApp, so use the app for those. You can approve changes inside Nautis, such as a new task or expense, with the Approve button.
How do I disconnect WhatsApp?
Send STOP on WhatsApp, or click Disconnect in the WhatsApp tab. Your conversation history stays in Nautis, and you can reconnect any time.