What is the difference between a WhatsApp phone number and a Phone Number ID?

The visible WhatsApp phone number is the number customers see. The Phone Number ID is the internal Meta ID for that number, found at the top of the phone number details panel in WhatsApp Manager. Outloop needs the Phone Number ID, not the visible number.

Where do I find my WABA ID?

Open Meta Business Settings, go to Accounts then WhatsApp accounts, and select your WhatsApp Business Account. The ID shown next to the account name is your WhatsApp Business Account ID (WABA ID). It is not your phone number.

Does a successful test in Meta or n8n prove Outloop access?

No. A connection is only verified if the request goes through Outloop and returns an API Bridge result with an audit entry, decision allow, an HTTP success, and secret_exposed:false. A result from Meta UI, n8n, MCP, an SDK, or a browser connector does not prove Outloop access.

Learn · Setup guides

Connect WhatsApp Cloud API to Outloop

Last updated: June 13, 2026

In short

Connect WhatsApp Cloud API without exposing tokens to your agents.

Outloop lets your agents use approved WhatsApp Cloud API access through a secure local bridge. The access token stays in your local secret store, and agents call the API through Outloop without seeing the raw token. You connect it with a WABA ID, a Phone Number ID, the Graph API version, and a Meta access token.

Summarize this setup guide with AI ChatGPT Claude Perplexity

What this setup gives you

Agents that need WhatsApp Cloud API access — to read phone-number details, check templates, or send approved messages — usually get a raw token pasted into a tool, a chat, or a .env file. With Outloop, the token stays in your local secret store and the agent requests the action through the API Bridge instead, so it never sees the raw token.

Security rule. Never paste API keys, access tokens, app secrets, client secrets, Authorization headers, or personal emails into chat, screenshots, docs, .env files, project folders, or generated artifacts. The token's only destination is the Outloop API key field.

What you need before starting

✓Access to Meta Business Manager.
✓A WhatsApp Business Account.
✓A connected WhatsApp phone number.
✓A Meta access token with the required WhatsApp permissions.
✓Outloop installed locally.
✓A project or workspace connected in Outloop.

1. Find your WhatsApp Business Account ID

Open Meta Business Settings and go to Accounts → WhatsApp accounts. Select the WhatsApp Business Account you want to connect, and copy the ID shown next to the account name. This is your WhatsApp Business Account ID, also called the WABA ID.

Meta Business Settings showing WhatsApp accounts, the selected WhatsApp Business Account, and its WABA ID.

Example field in Outloop: WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) ID.

Important. The WABA ID is not your phone number. It is the Meta ID for the WhatsApp Business Account.

2. Find your Phone Number ID

Open WhatsApp Manager and go to Phone numbers. Select the connected WhatsApp number. At the top of the phone number details panel, find Phone number ID and copy that value into Outloop.

Meta WhatsApp Manager showing where to find the Phone Number ID for a connected WhatsApp number.

Example field in Outloop: Phone Number ID.

Important. The Phone Number ID is not the visible WhatsApp phone number. It is the internal Meta ID for that phone number.

3. Set the Graph API version

In Outloop, use the Graph API version field. The default version is:

v25.0

Do not include the version inside the base URL. Outloop uses the Meta Graph API host and builds the request path safely.

4. Create or use a Meta access token

Use a Meta access token that has access to the selected WhatsApp Business Account and phone number. Do not paste this token into:

✕ChatGPT, Claude, or Cursor
✕Project files or .env files
✕Screenshots, documentation, or agent instructions

Paste the token only into the Outloop API key field.

Important. If you already have a token working in another tool, such as n8n, creating a new token usually does not break the old one. Do not revoke or delete the old token until the new Outloop connection is tested.

5. Add the credential in Outloop

In Outloop, choose WhatsApp Cloud API and fill in:

✓WABA ID
✓Phone Number ID
✓Graph API version
✓Access token

Then click Add API Key. Outloop stores the token locally and does not show it again.

6. Run a safe read test

After saving the credential, run a read-only test first. The safe test should call:

GET /v25.0/<WABA_ID>/phone_numbers

A successful proof should show:

decision: allow
HTTP 200
audit entry exists
secret_exposed: false

Important. Do not test sending messages yet. Confirm read access first.

7. What counts as a real Outloop proof

A connection is only verified if the request goes through Outloop. A valid proof must include:

✓An Outloop API Bridge request
✓An audit entry
✓decision: allow
✓An HTTP success
✓secret_exposed: false

Common mistake. A result from Meta UI, n8n, MCP, an SDK, a browser connector, or another tool does not prove Outloop access.

8. Meta App Review note (optional)

Some Meta features require additional App Review or API testing activity before approval. If Meta asks for testing traffic or a usage description, complete those requirements inside Meta's developer dashboard.

Meta App Review screen showing Marketing API Access Tier testing requirement and API call threshold.

This is separate from storing the token in Outloop. Outloop can help run approved API requests safely, but Meta still controls permissions, review, rate limits, and feature approval.

9. Troubleshooting

If the test fails, check:

→The WABA ID is correct.
→The Phone Number ID is correct.
→The Graph API version is valid.
→The token has access to the selected WhatsApp Business Account.
→The token has the required WhatsApp permissions.
→The project/workspace in Outloop is the correct tenant.
→The request path starts with /v25.0/ and does not include https://graph.facebook.com.

Common mistake. Using the visible phone number instead of the Phone Number ID.

Common mistake. Using an n8n hidden placeholder value instead of the real Meta access token.

Common mistake. Testing through another connector and assuming it proves Outloop access.

Outloop is in commercial beta (controlled design-partner prep). Outloop is an independent tool and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Meta or WhatsApp. See the security model, or the Meta Ads API setup guide.