The WhatsApp Meta Business Agent is a native Meta agent that automatically responds to conversations on a WhatsApp number. Unlike agents orchestrated within Botmaker, when a Meta Business Agent takes control of the conversation, it's Meta that handles the responses on the channel. The agent responds based on the content you load into its configuration: instructions, information about your business, and frequently asked questions.

You can:

• Create a native Meta agent from the AI Agents screen.
• Define the agent's profile: name, general instructions, tone and style, and restrictions.
• Load your business information and a base of frequently asked questions.
• Connect integrations (MCP) so the agent performs actions when the AI deems it necessary.
• Connect the agent to one or more WhatsApp lines.
• Configure handoff to a human agent and inactivity messages.

Prerequisites

Access to your Botmaker account with permissions to manage agents.

At least one WhatsApp line available to connect to the agent.

A team or human agent to hand conversations off to, since handoff to a human is mandatory for this type of agent.

How to create and configure your Meta Business Agent

Step 1: Create the agent

• On the AI Agents screen, click the + button to create a new agent.
• In the Create agent window, select the Meta Agent option (native Meta agent for WhatsApp).

• Enter the agent's name and confirm with Create agent.

Once created, the agent will appear in the AI Agents list, identified with the Meta logo.

Step 2: Configure the Profile

In the Profile tab, you define the agent's identity and behavior:

• Name: the name the agent identifies itself with.
• General agent instructions: what the agent does and the general rules it must follow.
• Tone and style: the register the agent will use when talking with users.
• Restrictions: the limits of what the agent can and cannot respond to.

In the same tab, in the About the business section, you fill in your company's information: business description, contact email, business hours, address, and payment methods. Complete the fields that apply to your business.

Step 3: Load the frequently asked questions in Content

In the Content tab, you build a knowledge base with questions and answers. The agent uses it to respond to your customers' most common queries. You can keep adding questions and answers as you go.

Step 4: Connect the integrations (MCP)

In the Integrations (MCP) tab, you connect the integrations you want the agent to use. They work with the same MCP server system as the rest of the agents: for each integration you indicate when it should be used, and the AI decides at what point to call it within the conversation.

Step 5: Connect the WhatsApp lines

In the WhatsApp Lines tab, you connect the agent to the number or numbers it will serve. A single agent can be connected to more than one WhatsApp line.

Note: a WhatsApp line can only have one Meta Business Agent associated with it. When the agent takes control of that number, it's Meta that manages the channel's responses.

Step 6: Configure handoff to a human and inactivity

In the Other settings tab, you define what happens when the agent needs to pass the conversation to a person:

• Allow handoff: enables passing the conversation to a human agent.
• Hand off to: the team or human agent that receives the handed-off conversation. This field is mandatory.
• Handoff message: the message the user receives at the moment of handoff. You can enable and edit it, or disable it so the agent decides what to send.
• User inactivity: the message sent automatically when a number of minutes pass without activity from the user.

Step 7: Publish the changes

When you finish configuring the agent, click Publish. Only upon publishing do the changes take effect on the connected phone number.

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