Documentation — ChatRail

START HERE

Choose your first path

You do not need to read everything before sending a controlled test. Start with the path closest to the work you are doing now.

Send your first alertPair a number and make one authenticated request.Quickstart →Receive repliesVerify signatures and process events idempotently.Webhook guide →Build a workflowFollow a complete operational example.Browse tutorials →Understand the transportReview pairing, disconnections and trade-offs.Linked Devices →

CORE FLOW

Event in. Alert out. Reply back.

Your application owns the business event and customer record. ChatRail operates the WhatsApp connection, records message state and delivers inbound events to your endpoint.

01
Pair a number
An authorized workspace user scans a short-lived QR code.
02
POST the alert
Your server sends customer copy and an optional structured context object.
03
Track delivery
Sent, delivered, read and failed remain distinct message states.
04
Process the reply
A signed webhook returns the inbound message to your application.

FIRST REQUEST

A server-side send

Use an API key from a trusted server and reuse the same idempotency key when retrying an uncertain request.

Terminal

curl -X POST https://api.chatrail.dev/v1/messages/text \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CHATRAIL_API_KEY" \
  -H "Idempotency-Key: order-2048-dispatched" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "connection": "operations",
    "to": "+14155550142",
    "body": "Order CR-2048 has shipped.",
    "context": {"order_id": "CR-2048", "status": "dispatched"}
  }'

Keep credentials out of frontend code.

Validate recipient input, restrict keys to a workspace and rotate them if exposure is suspected.

REFERENCE

Technical guides

API referenceEvery endpoint, generated from the API itself→WhatsApp APIAuthentication, sends and message state→Webhook eventsSignatures, retries and inbound replies→Integrationsn8n, Node.js and webhook implementation patterns→Context-aware AIOptional grounded replies and boundaries→MCP workspace toolsInspect connections, failures and schedules→SecurityKeys, data handling and operational controls→

TUTORIALS

Build an end-to-end workflow

Each tutorial includes the event boundary, payload contract, reply behavior, failure handling and a production checklist.

Property alertsListings and viewing requests Order updatesFulfillment events and questions Weekend digestsScheduled recommendations Reliable webhooksVerification and replay safety n8n workflowTriggers, sends and reply routes

BEFORE PRODUCTION

Know the boundary

ChatRail currently uses WhatsApp Linked Devices, not Meta’s official Cloud API. Sessions can require re-pairing, account enforcement remains controlled by WhatsApp and recipient consent is still your responsibility.

Design for interruption.

Pause unhealthy connections, bound retries, surface failures and assign an owner for re-pairing before sending production traffic.

← Product overview Begin the quickstart →