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WhatsApp setup step by step
WhatsApp setup is mostly about linked-session stability and not confusing direct-message behavior with group behavior.
WhatsApp ruleThe linked session must be real and stable before any higher-level diagnosis means much.
Setup ladder
The order that keeps WhatsApp debuggable
- Stabilize the linked session. Make sure the QR/session state is healthy in the running runtime.
- Test one direct message path. Prove the simplest route first.
- Test one group path separately. Group assumptions should not be borrowed from DM results.
Common blockers
What usually goes wrong first on WhatsApp
Linked session never stabilizedThe runtime is not actually using a healthy persisted session.
DM and group assumptions were mixed togetherSuccess in one path does not prove the other.
Wrong expectation about personal-number behaviorSelf-chat or linked-number assumptions do not match the real bot path.
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