WhatsApp sales agent

Build a drop-in agent that handles a sales line on WhatsApp:

Greets the lead with the right operator (ETB / Claro / generic)
Qualifies via a short scripted flow (address, package, budget)
Notifies a human on hot leads, narrows the tool surface so the LLM only ever sees the lead-notification tool

This is the production shape of the shipped ana agent.

Prerequisites

agent built (cargo build --release)
NATS running (docker run -p 4222:4222 nats:2.10-alpine)
A MiniMax M2.5 key
A phone with WhatsApp ready to scan a QR

1. Provide the LLM key

export MINIMAX_API_KEY=...
export MINIMAX_GROUP_ID=...

2. Create a gitignored agent file

config/agents.d/ana.yaml is gitignored; put the business-sensitive content there.

agents:
  - id: ana
    model:
      provider: minimax
      model: MiniMax-M2.5
    plugins: [whatsapp]
    inbound_bindings:
      - plugin: whatsapp
    allowed_tools:
      - notify_lead                        # only this tool is visible
    outbound_allowlist:
      whatsapp:
        - "573000000000@s.whatsapp.net"    # human advisor's WA
    workspace: ./data/workspace/ana
    workspace_git:
      enabled: true
    heartbeat:
      enabled: false
    system_prompt: |
      You are Ana, a sales advisor for ETB and Claro. Help customers
      choose the best internet, TV, and phone package.

      On the first incoming message:
      - If it contains "etb" -> route directly to the ETB flow.
      - If it contains "claro" -> route directly to the Claro flow.
      - Otherwise, ask which operator they prefer.

      Capture: name, address, socioeconomic stratum, preferred package
      (internet only / internet+TV / triple play).

      When the lead is ready, invoke `notify_lead` with JSON containing:
      {name, phone, address, operator, package, notes}. Do not call any
      other tool — this is your only tool.

3. Pair WhatsApp for this agent

./target/release/agent setup whatsapp

The wizard creates ./data/workspace/ana/whatsapp/default/, flips config/plugins/whatsapp.yaml::whatsapp.session_dir to point at it, and renders a QR. Scan from the WhatsApp app.

4. Ship the `notify_lead` tool as an extension

Copy the Rust template and rename:

cp -r extensions/template-rust extensions/notify-lead
cd extensions/notify-lead

Edit plugin.toml:

[plugin]
id = "notify-lead"
version = "0.1.0"

[capabilities]
tools = ["notify_lead"]

[transport]
type = "stdio"
command = "./target/release/notify-lead"

Implement tools/notify_lead in src/main.rs — it should publish to plugin.outbound.whatsapp.default with a recipient = the human advisor number you listed in outbound_allowlist.

Build and install:

cargo build --release
cd ../..
./target/release/agent ext install ./extensions/notify-lead --link --enable
./target/release/agent ext doctor --runtime

5. Run

./target/release/agent --config ./config

Flow diagram

sequenceDiagram
    participant U as Lead
    participant WA as WhatsApp
    participant N as NATS
    participant A as Ana
    participant H as Human advisor

    U->>WA: "Hi, I want internet service"
    WA->>N: plugin.inbound.whatsapp
    N->>A: deliver
    A->>A: qualify (address, package)
    A->>A: invoke notify_lead(json)
    A->>N: plugin.outbound.whatsapp (advisor number)
    N->>WA: deliver
    WA->>H: "🚨 New lead — Luis, 573111111111, triple play"

Why this shape works

allowed_tools: [notify_lead] prevents the LLM from hallucinating other actions — the model literally cannot see other tools.
outbound_allowlist.whatsapp is defense-in-depth: even if the LLM crafts a send to an unexpected number, the runtime rejects it.
workspace_git.enabled: true lets you audit what Ana remembered over time via memory_history — useful for reviewing tough calls.
Gitignored agents.d/ana.yaml keeps tarifarios and business content out of the public repo.

Testing

Open WhatsApp on a second phone and send "hi, ETB"
Watch agent status ana for session activity
Watch docker compose logs agent | jq 'select(.agent == "ana")' for turn-by-turn reasoning

Nexo-rs