# Get started with WhatsApp automation

> Sign up, fill in your knowledge base, test an AI answer and send your first WhatsApp message in Pathshala — in about fifteen minutes.

Source: https://pathshala.mjxtechnologies.com/docs/whatsapp/getting-started/

This guide takes you from sign-up to a working WhatsApp assistant: the AI answers from your own information, sends your PDFs, and you can see every chat. In Pathshala, all of it lives under **Apps › WhatsApp**.

::: steps
### Sign up

Open [the WhatsApp Automation sign-up](~/signup?modules=whatsapp_auto) (or [sign up](~/signup) and pick WhatsApp Automation). Fill in the one form. Your portal is ready in about a minute and the 14-day trial starts with no card. After you sign in, Pathshala opens the **Knowledge Base**.

### Fill in your knowledge base

Go to **Apps › WhatsApp › Knowledge Base**. Open each category card — for example **Fees Structure**, **Timings**, **Admission Process**, **Facilities** — press **Add Content**, write it in your own words and press **Save**. The bar at the top shows how complete it is. See [AI replies](whatsapp/ai-replies) for what each part does.

### Upload the PDFs people ask for

On Basic and Pro (and during the trial), go to **Apps › WhatsApp › Documents** and press **📤 Upload Document** (owner login). Upload your fee structure, brochure or syllabus, give each a **Document Name**, a **Category** and some **Trigger Keywords** (for example `fees, fee, fee structure`). When someone writes one of those words, the AI sends the file.

### Test an answer

On the Knowledge Base page, open **See what WhatsApp knows now — and try a question**. Under **Try a question**, type what a parent would ask and press **Ask**. You see the reply WhatsApp would send. Nothing is sent.

### Check your number and switch on AI replies

Go to **Apps › WhatsApp › WhatsApp**. The card **Your WhatsApp number** shows **Shared MJX** or **Own number**.

- On the shared number there is nothing to set up.
- If the card says *"Nothing can be sent until you connect one"*, your account must use its own number — follow [Connect your own number](whatsapp/connect-your-own-number).

Then open **Settings** (the **⚙️ Setup** tab) and check that **AI Auto-Reply** is on under **WhatsApp Settings**. Press **Save Settings** (owner only).

### Complete KYC if you are asked to

If MJX collects payments for you, WhatsApp messages start only after KYC. Open **Settings › Getting paid & KYC** (Settings is at the foot of the menu) and finish its steps — PAN and the bank account. WhatsApp switches on by itself once your account is verified.

### Send a test message

From your own phone, send a WhatsApp message to your number (or, on the shared number, scan your **WhatsApp enquiry code** — see below). Within a few seconds the AI answers. The chat appears in **Apps › WhatsApp › WhatsApp Inbox** (Basic and Pro).
:::

> [!SUCCESS]
> The AI answered in the language you wrote in, and the chat shows in the WhatsApp Inbox. Your knowledge base is working.

## How do people find me on the shared number?

On the shared MJX number, several institutes share one number, so Pathshala needs to know who a person means. Give people your own **WhatsApp enquiry code**:

> [!PATH] Sidebar › Settings › Integrations & developers › QR codes › 💬 WhatsApp enquiry code

![QR Generator screen with the Create WhatsApp code button marked](media/whatsapp/getting-started-1.jpg "Sidebar › Settings › Integrations & developers › QR codes › 💬 WhatsApp enquiry code")

1. Keep or change **Name it** (default: "WhatsApp enquiries").
2. Optionally add a **Campaign**, for example `admission-poster`.
3. Press [[Create WhatsApp code]].

The QR opens WhatsApp with a message already typed. Whoever scans it lands in **your** inbox, even if they have never contacted you before. Print it on posters, fee slips and your website. Only an owner or admin can create one.

## Who can do what?

| Task | Who |
|---|---|
| Edit the knowledge base | Any signed-in staff member |
| Upload or delete documents | Owner |
| Add **Latest updates**, use **Try a question** | Owner, Admin |
| Connect or change the WhatsApp number | Owner, Admin |
| Read WhatsApp Settings | Any signed-in staff member |
| WhatsApp Inbox | Owner, Admin (or a role given the WhatsApp send permission) |
| Pay the WhatsApp bill | Owner, Admin |

See [Users and roles](account/users-and-roles) to add your team.

## What next?

- [Message templates](whatsapp/templates) — needed for anything you send first.
- [Automatic messages](whatsapp/automatic-messages) — what goes out without you pressing anything.
- [Best practices](whatsapp/best-practices) — a weekly routine that keeps answers right.

## Questions people ask

### How long does setup take?

About fifteen minutes on the shared MJX number — most of it is writing your knowledge base. Connecting your own number adds about ten minutes, and Meta then approves your templates, usually within minutes to a day or two.

### Do I need a card for the trial?

No. Every sign-up starts with a 14-day trial of every feature, with no card.

### Can I test the AI without messaging a real parent?

Yes. Use "Try a question" on the What WhatsApp knows page. You see the answer WhatsApp would send, and nothing is sent to anybody.

### Why are no WhatsApp messages going out yet?

WhatsApp switches on after KYC when MJX collects payments for you. Complete PAN and bank verification on Getting paid & KYC. Login codes are always sent.