wa-chat-reader

wa-chat-reader

Unofficial, read-only MCP server for your local WhatsApp chat history.

wa-chat-reader reads the WhatsApp ChatStorage.sqlite database that the WhatsApp desktop app keeps on your machine and exposes two tools to any MCP client (Claude Code, Claude Desktop, etc.) so you can summarize, search, and reason over your own messages. Everything runs locally — no data ever leaves your computer.

⚠️ Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to WhatsApp or Meta. "WhatsApp" is a trademark of Meta Platforms, Inc. This is an independent, unofficial tool that only reads a database WhatsApp already stores on your device.

Privacy & security

This tool touches highly sensitive data — your private conversations. Read this first.

• Read-only. The database is opened with SQLite mode=ro&immutable=1; the server never writes to, modifies, or deletes anything.
• Local-only. There is no network code. Messages are returned to your MCP client and nowhere else. Whatever LLM/client you connect will, of course, see the message text you ask it to read — you control that by choosing which client to run.
• Your consent, your data. Only run this against your own device and your own chats. Do not use it to access anyone else's messages.
• macOS access. The WhatsApp database lives in a protected group container. The process running this server needs Full Disk Access (System Settings → Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access), or point WHATSAPP_DB_PATHS at a readable copy you export yourself.
• Scope control. WHATSAPP_MAX_DAYS (default 30) caps how far back any single call can read.

Install

Requires Python ≥ 3.10. Recommended: uv so the server runs in an isolated environment.

# one-shot run (no install)
uvx wa-chat-reader

# or install with pip
pip install wa-chat-reader
wa-chat-reader

Use in Claude Code

claude mcp add wa-chat-reader -- uvx wa-chat-reader

Or install as a plugin (see the marketplace section below), then ask Claude things like:

• "Summarize my unread WhatsApp group chats from the last 3 days."
• "List the WhatsApp chats I've been active in this week."

Configuration

All configuration is via environment variables (all optional):

Variable	Default	Description
WHATSAPP_DB_PATHS	platform default	;-separated candidate paths to ChatStorage.sqlite (first readable wins)
WHATSAPP_BACKUP_PATHS	—	;-separated fallback paths, tried after the primary paths
WHATSAPP_MAX_DAYS	30	Max look-back window (days) a caller may request
WHATSAPP_DEBUG	false	true for verbose logging to stderr
WHATSAPP_LOG_FILE	—	Optional path to also write logs to a file

Default database locations:

OS	Path
macOS	~/Library/Group Containers/group.net.whatsapp.WhatsApp.shared/ChatStorage.sqlite
Windows	~/AppData/Roaming/WhatsApp/Databases/ChatStorage.sqlite
Linux	~/.local/share/whatsapp/ChatStorage.sqlite

Tools

Tool	Description
get_whatsapp_messages	Concatenated message text from group and personal chats within a look-back window. Params: days (1–max), chat_type (all/groups/personal). Read-only.
get_whatsapp_chat_list	Active chat names (no message bodies) within a look-back window. Param: days. Read-only.

Both tools are annotated readOnlyHint: true.

Bonus: activity dashboard

whatsapp_dashboard.py renders a self-contained, offline HTML dashboard of your messaging activity (volume over time, daily/weekly rhythm, top chats) straight from the same database:

python3 whatsapp_dashboard.py            # -> whatsapp_dashboard.html

The generated HTML contains real contact names — it is git-ignored and meant to stay local.

Develop

git clone https://github.com/NabheetCloud/wa-chat-reader
cd wa-chat-reader
pip install -e .
python3 simple_whatsapp_mcp.py           # run from source without installing

License

MIT © 2026 Nabheet Madan