The moment it happens

Get an email for each new WhatsApp message

Every message to your business number shows up in your inbox with who sent it.

Runs: The moment it happens
Apps: WhatsApp Business
AI: Not needed
Access: whatsapp_business_management (webhook subscription)

Send this to your assistant

Create a ClickRuntime automation: email me at support@example.com each new message to our WhatsApp business number, with the sender's number and the text.

Paste it into your assistant. It tells you what it will send or change before it runs live.

Add to ChatGPT Add to Claude

First time? Adding ClickRuntime to your assistant takes about two minutes.

Why use it

Why teams use this automation

A business that gives out a WhatsApp number but keeps one phone for it ends up with a single point of failure. If the person holding that phone is in a meeting, driving or off shift, new enquiries sit unread. A prospect asking about pricing or an urgent customer reporting a problem waits hours, and the business never knows how long, because nobody else was told a message arrived.

Whenever a customer messages your WhatsApp Business number, WhatsApp sends the message to a webhook. The automation formats the sender's number and name, the text and the time it was received, and emails it to you or to a shared address. The message lands in an inbox that several people can watch.

It is a simple way to give a small team a safety net on a single WhatsApp line.

What you get out of it

Nobody depends on one phone
The email goes to a shared inbox, so a lead is seen even when the phone owner is unavailable. Coverage during lunch, travel and holidays no longer relies on one person staying near the device.
Faster first response wins the customer
Many buyers message two or three businesses and choose the first to reply. A notification that reaches a desktop inbox within seconds shortens your response time against rivals relying on a phone left in a bag.
Searchable history in your email
Looking up what a customer asked three weeks ago is quicker in inbox search than scrolling a long chat thread, and it works for people who do not have access to the WhatsApp phone itself.
Includes media notices
When a customer sends a photo or document, the email notes it, so you know to check the phone for an attachment instead of assuming the message was only text.
Easy to forward to the right person
Because it is email, a message can be forwarded to the technician or salesperson who should handle it, with the original wording intact and no copying from a phone screen.

How it works

What happens, step by step

When someone messages your WhatsApp Business number, ClickRuntime picks it up straight away.
It notes the sender's name and number.
You get an email with their name and number in the subject and their message as the body.

Before it runs live

Connect WhatsApp Business
Paste your automation's link into the other app's webhook settings

What you get

RunsThe moment it happens

Get an email for each new WhatsApp messagejust nowSucceeded

Email · WhatsApp from Sam Lee (+447700900123)Hi, is the Northwind order ready for pickup today?

Build your own

Need it to work differently?

This template is a starting point. Copy the prompt and change it, or describe a different automation from scratch, with your own conditions, more apps or an AI step. Your assistant writes it, tests it and runs it on ClickRuntime.

Your own rules
Conditions, thresholds, filters and exceptions, written the way you'd explain them to a colleague.
Any number of apps
One automation can read from one app and update several others. Over 248 apps are ready, and anything with an API works too.
AI where it helps
Summaries, classification, extraction and drafts use ClickRuntime's built-in AI, with no extra key.
On a schedule or on each event
Runs as often as every 5 minutes, or the moment an app sends an event, and keeps track of what it already handled.

Changes you can ask for

Act only on the items that match your own rules, and skip the rest
Add an AI step, for example to summarize, sort or draft a reply
Add another app, for example also send it to Slack
Combine it with other WhatsApp Business steps into one automation

Under the hood

The code that runs this automation

This is the Python script that runs each time the automation starts. Your AI assistant writes it for you when you send the prompt, and you allow each step in your assistant. To change how the automation works, describe the change to your assistant and it updates the script for you. For every function it can use, see the script reference.

email_me_every_new_inbound_message.pyexample

from clickruntime import on_event, notify

@on_event
def handle(event):
    value = event.json["entry"][0]["changes"][0]["value"]
    if "messages" not in value:
        return {"skipped": True}
    msg, contact = value["messages"][0], value["contacts"][0]
    text = msg.get("text", {}).get("body") or f"[{msg['type']}]"
    notify.email_me(f"WhatsApp from {contact['profile']['name']} (+{msg['from']})", text)
    return {"emailed": True}

FAQ

Common questions

Does this send a reply to the customer?

No. It only notifies you by email when a message arrives. The customer receives nothing from this automation. If you also want an instant acknowledgment, that can be added as a separate step or a separate automation.

Will I get emails for status updates like delivered and read?

No. Message status events are a different type of webhook notification and are ignored here. Only actual inbound customer messages are emailed, so your inbox is not filled with delivery receipts. You can still see delivery problems in a separate alert if you want them.

Can several people receive the email?

Yes. You can send to a team alias or list several addresses. Your AI assistant can set the recipients, and you approve the list before the automation starts running. Separate addresses can be used for different roles, such as sales and support, if you prefer that split.

What permissions does it need?

whatsapp_business_management (webhook subscription). Nothing else in your accounts is used.

Does it need AI?

No. It runs without AI, so it doesn't use your plan's AI allowance.

How many runs does it use?

One run for each event the app sends.

Can I change how it works?

Yes. Describe the change to your AI assistant, for example a different schedule, channel or filter. It updates the automation, tests it and tells you what changed.

The moment it happens