Telnyx WhatsApp Business API - Python

Installation

pip install telnyx

Setup

import os
from telnyx import Telnyx

client = Telnyx(
    api_key=os.environ.get("TELNYX_API_KEY"),
)

All examples below assume client is already initialized as shown above.

Error Handling

All API calls can fail with network errors, rate limits (429), validation errors (422), or authentication errors (401). Always handle errors in production code:

import telnyx

try:
    response = client.messages.send_whatsapp(
        from_="+19452940762",
        to="+18005551234",
        type_="WHATSAPP",
        whatsapp_message={
            "type": "text",
            "text": {"body": "Hello from Telnyx!"}
        },
    )
except telnyx.APIError as e:
    print(f"API error: {e.status_code} - {e.message}")
except telnyx.AuthenticationError:
    print("Invalid API key")
except telnyx.RateLimitError:
    print("Rate limited - retry with backoff")

Common error codes: 401 invalid API key, 403 insufficient permissions, 404 resource not found, 422 validation error (check field formats), 429 rate limited (retry with exponential backoff).

WhatsApp-Specific Errors

40008 — Meta catch-all error. Check template parameters, phone number formatting, and 24-hour window rules.
131047 — Message failed to send during the 24-hour window. The customer hasn't messaged you first (for non-template messages).
131026 — Recipient phone number is not a WhatsApp user.
132000 — Template parameter count mismatch. Ensure the number of parameters matches the template definition.
132015 — Template paused or disabled by Meta due to quality issues.

Important Notes

Phone numbers must be in E.164 format (e.g., +13125550001). Include the + prefix and country code.
Template messages can be sent anytime. Free-form (session) messages can only be sent within a 24-hour window after the customer last messaged you.
Template IDs: You can reference templates by Telnyx UUID (template_id) instead of name + language. When template_id is provided, name and language are resolved automatically.
Pagination: List endpoints return paginated results. Use the auto-iterator pattern: for item in response.auto_paging_iter().

Operational Caveats

The sending phone number must be registered with a WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) and associated with a messaging profile.
Templates must be in APPROVED status before they can be used for sending.
Template names must be lowercase with underscores only (e.g., order_confirmation). No spaces, hyphens, or uppercase.
When creating templates, provide realistic sample values for body parameters — Meta reviewers check these during approval.
Category selection matters for billing: AUTHENTICATION templates get special pricing but must contain an OTP. UTILITY is for transactional messages. MARKETING for promotional content.
Meta may reclassify your template category (e.g., UTILITY to MARKETING) which affects billing.

Reference Use Rules

Do not invent Telnyx parameters, enums, response fields, or webhook fields.

If the parameter, enum, or response field you need is not shown inline in this skill, read references/api-details.md before writing code.
Before using any operation in ## Additional Operations, read the optional-parameters section and the response-schemas section.
Before reading or matching webhook fields beyond the inline examples, read the webhook payload reference.

Core Tasks

Send a WhatsApp template message

Send a pre-approved template message. Templates can be sent anytime — no 24-hour window restriction.

client.messages.send_whatsapp() — POST /messages/whatsapp

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`from_`	string (E.164)	Yes	WhatsApp-enabled phone number in +E.164 format
`to`	string (E.164)	Yes	Recipient phone number in +E.164 format
`type_`	string	No	Must be `WHATSAPP`
`whatsapp_message`	object	Yes	WhatsApp message object
`messaging_profile_id`	string (UUID)	No	Messaging profile to use
`webhook_url`	string (URL)	No	Callback URL for delivery status updates

# Send by template name + language
response = client.messages.send_whatsapp(
    from_="+19452940762",
    to="+18005551234",
    type_="WHATSAPP",
    whatsapp_message={
        "type": "template",
        "template": {
            "name": "order_confirmation",
            "language": {"code": "en_US"},
            "components": [
                {
                    "type": "body",
                    "parameters": [
                        {"type": "text", "text": "ORD-12345"},
                        {"type": "text", "text": "March 15, 2026"},
                    ],
                }
            ],
        },
    },
)
print(response.data.id)

# Send by Telnyx template_id (no name/language needed)
response = client.messages.send_whatsapp(
    from_="+19452940762",
    to="+18005551234",
    type_="WHATSAPP",
    whatsapp_message={
        "type": "template",
        "template": {
            "template_id": "019cd44b-3a1c-781b-956e-bd33e9fd2ac6",
            "components": [
                {
                    "type": "body",
                    "parameters": [{"type": "text", "text": "483291"}],
                }
            ],
        },
    },
)

Primary response fields:

response.data.id — Message UUID
response.data.to[0].status — queued, sent, delivered, failed
response.data.from_.phone_number
response.data.type — WHATSAPP

Send a free-form WhatsApp text message

Send a text message within the 24-hour customer service window.

client.messages.send_whatsapp() — POST /messages/whatsapp

response = client.messages.send_whatsapp(
    from_="+19452940762",
    to="+18005551234",
    type_="WHATSAPP",
    whatsapp_message={
        "type": "text",
        "text": {"body": "Your order has shipped!"},
    },
)

List WhatsApp Business Accounts

client.whatsapp.business_accounts.list() — GET /v2/whatsapp/business_accounts

response = client.whatsapp.business_accounts.list()
for waba in response.data:
    print(f"{waba.id}: {waba.name} ({waba.status})")

Primary response fields:

waba.id — Telnyx WABA UUID
waba.waba_id — Meta WABA ID
waba.name — Business name
waba.status — Account status
waba.country — WABA country

List templates

client.whatsapp.templates.list() — GET /v2/whatsapp/message_templates

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`waba_id`	string (UUID)	No	Filter by Telnyx WABA UUID (query parameter)
`category`	string	No	Filter: `AUTHENTICATION`, `MARKETING`, `UTILITY`
`status`	string	No	Filter: `APPROVED`, `PENDING`, `REJECTED`, `DISABLED`

response = client.whatsapp.templates.list(
    waba_id="019c1ff0-5c30-7f36-8436-730b1d0b0e56",
    status="APPROVED",
)
for tmpl in response.data:
    print(f"{tmpl.id}: {tmpl.name} ({tmpl.category}) - {tmpl.status}")

Primary response fields:

tmpl.id — Telnyx template UUID (use as template_id when sending)
tmpl.name — Template name
tmpl.category — AUTHENTICATION, MARKETING, or UTILITY
tmpl.language — Language code
tmpl.status — APPROVED, PENDING, REJECTED, DISABLED
tmpl.components — Template components

Create a message template

client.whatsapp.templates.create() — POST /v2/whatsapp/message_templates

response = client.whatsapp.templates.create(
    waba_id="019c1ff0-5c30-7f36-8436-730b1d0b0e56",
    name="order_shipped",
    category="UTILITY",
    language="en_US",
    components=[
        {
            "type": "BODY",
            "text": "Your order {{1}} has been shipped and will arrive by {{2}}.",
            "example": {
                "body_text": [["ORD-12345", "March 20, 2026"]]
            },
        }
    ],
)
print(f"Template created: {response.data.id} (status: {response.data.status})")

List phone numbers

client.whatsapp.phone_numbers.list() — GET /v2/whatsapp/phone_numbers

response = client.whatsapp.phone_numbers.list(
    waba_id="019c1ff0-5c30-7f36-8436-730b1d0b0e56",
)
for pn in response.data:
    print(f"{pn.phone_number} - quality: {pn.quality_rating}")

Webhook Verification

Telnyx signs webhooks with Ed25519. Always verify signatures in production:

from telnyx.webhooks import Webhook

event = Webhook.construct_event(
    payload=request.body,
    sig_header=request.headers["telnyx-signature-ed25519"],
    timestamp=request.headers["telnyx-timestamp"],
    public_key=TELNYX_PUBLIC_KEY,
)

Webhooks

These webhook payload fields are inline because they are part of the primary integration path.

Message Delivery Update

Field	Type	Description
`data.event_type`	enum: message.sent, message.finalized	Delivery status event
`data.payload.id`	uuid	Message ID
`data.payload.to[0].status`	string	`queued`, `sent`, `delivered`, `read`, `failed`
`data.payload.template_id`	string	Telnyx template UUID (if template message)
`data.payload.template_name`	string	Template name (if template message)

Template Status Change

Field	Type	Description
`event_type`	string	`whatsapp.template.approved`, `whatsapp.template.rejected`, `whatsapp.template.disabled`
`payload.template_id`	string	Telnyx template UUID
`payload.template_name`	string	Template name
`payload.status`	string	New template status
`payload.reason`	string	Rejection/disable reason

Template Best Practices

Naming: Use lowercase with underscores. Be descriptive (e.g., appointment_reminder, not msg1).
Sample values: Provide realistic examples in the example field — Meta reviewers check these.
Category selection:
- AUTHENTICATION — OTP/verification codes only. Gets special pricing.
- UTILITY — Transactional (order updates, shipping, account alerts).
- MARKETING — Promotional content, offers, newsletters.
Keep it concise: Meta prefers shorter templates. Avoid unnecessary formatting.
Parameters: Use {{1}}, {{2}}, etc. for variable content. Always provide the correct number of parameters when sending.

Important Supporting Operations

Operation	SDK Method	Use Case
Get template details	`client.whatsapp_message_templates.retrieve()`	Check template status
Get business profile	`client.whatsapp.phone_numbers.profile.retrieve()`	View business profile
Update WABA settings	`client.whatsapp.business_accounts.settings.update()`	Configure webhook URL and events

Additional Operations

Operation	SDK Method	Endpoint	Required Params
Send WhatsApp message	`client.messages.send_whatsapp()`	`POST /messages/whatsapp`	`from_`, `to`, `whatsapp_message`
List WABAs	`client.whatsapp.business_accounts.list()`	`GET /v2/whatsapp/business_accounts`	—
Get WABA	`client.whatsapp.business_accounts.retrieve()`	`GET /v2/whatsapp/business_accounts/{id}`	`waba_id`
List templates	`client.whatsapp.templates.list()`	`GET /v2/whatsapp/message_templates`	—
Get template	`client.whatsapp_message_templates.retrieve()`	`GET /v2/whatsapp_message_templates/{id}`	`template_id`
Create template	`client.whatsapp.templates.create()`	`POST /v2/whatsapp/message_templates`	`waba_id`, `name`, `category`, `language`, `components`
List phone numbers	`client.whatsapp.phone_numbers.list()`	`GET /v2/whatsapp/phone_numbers`	—
Get WABA settings	`client.whatsapp.business_accounts.settings.retrieve()`	`GET /v2/whatsapp/business_accounts/{id}/settings`	`waba_id`
Update WABA settings	`client.whatsapp.business_accounts.settings.update()`	`PATCH /v2/whatsapp/business_accounts/{id}/settings`	`waba_id`

telnyx-whatsapp-python

Telnyx WhatsApp Business API - Python

Installation

Setup

Error Handling

WhatsApp-Specific Errors

Important Notes

Operational Caveats

Reference Use Rules

Core Tasks

Send a WhatsApp template message

Send a free-form WhatsApp text message

List WhatsApp Business Accounts

List templates

Create a message template

List phone numbers

Webhook Verification

Webhooks

Message Delivery Update

Template Status Change

Template Best Practices

Important Supporting Operations

Additional Operations

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