# Connect Claude Managed Agent to WhatsApp | Novu Connect

> Give your Claude Managed Agent agent a voice in WhatsApp with Novu Connect.

Canonical: https://www.novu.co/channels/whatsapp/claude/

Markdown: https://www.novu.co/channels/whatsapp/claude.md

Claude Managed Agents are hosted agents you create from one CLI command. No agent server, no bridge code. Novu Connect gives it a voice in WhatsApp.

Novu Connect is the communication layer, the ACI, Agent Communication Infrastructure, between your Claude Managed Agent and WhatsApp. Claude runs the reasoning with your Anthropic credentials. Novu maps each user, keeps the conversation state, and delivers every message and reply in WhatsApp.

Connect command: npx novu connect --channel whatsapp --runtime claude

## What is Claude Managed Agent

A Claude Managed Agent is an agent you create without hosting any agent code. You bring your Anthropic credentials, describe the agent you want, and review the skills and tools Novu adds. Claude handles the reasoning, planning, and tool use. Novu resolves identity and conversation state and delivers every message. There is no repo to scaffold and no bridge to wire: the guided CLI flow takes you from nothing to a live agent in a channel.

- No agent server or bridge code to host
- Claude handles reasoning, planning, and tool use
- System prompt, skills, and MCP servers editable in the dashboard
- Create it once, connect it to every channel

## How to connect Claude Managed Agent to WhatsApp

1. Run one command: Run npx novu connect --channel whatsapp --runtime claude. There is no project to scaffold and no application code to modify. The CLI guides the complete setup.
2. Describe your agent: Connect your Anthropic credentials, describe the agent you want to create, and review the skills and tools Novu adds to it.
3. Preview and create: Preview the generated agent, then create it. The system prompt, skills, and MCP servers stay editable in the Novu dashboard afterward.
4. Connect {channelName}: The guided flow connects WhatsApp. Your agent now holds a two-way conversation there, and the same agent can reach every other channel from one thread.

Prompt for your coding agent: Connect a Claude Managed Agent to WhatsApp with Novu using instructions from https://novu.co/agents.md

## Claude Managed Agent and WhatsApp, common questions

### Do I need to host anything to put a Claude Managed Agent in WhatsApp?

No. There is no agent server and no bridge code. You bring Anthropic credentials, Claude does the reasoning, and Novu keeps the conversation running in WhatsApp.

### Does Novu run the agent's reasoning?

No. Claude handles the reasoning, planning, and tool use with your Anthropic credentials. Novu Connect is the communication layer, the ACI, Agent Communication Infrastructure, that resolves identity, keeps conversation state, and delivers messages in WhatsApp.

### Can I change the agent after I create it?

Yes. The system prompt, skills, and MCP servers stay editable in the Novu dashboard, and the same agent can connect to more channels at any time.

### How do I connect my AI agent to WhatsApp?

Connect WhatsApp from the Novu dashboard. Novu is an official Meta Business Partner, so the embedded signup lets you pick your business number and go live in about 5 minutes, then your agent talks to users through Novu Connect.

### Do I need my own WhatsApp Business account?

Yes. WhatsApp requires a verified business account through Meta. Novu Connect handles the connection with embedded signup, so you log in once and Novu manages templates, delivery, and two-way routing after that.