Codex + WhatsApp
Codex with your WhatsApp: one server address, one approval
Circles lets Codex read the WhatsApp chats you choose, over MCP. Add Circles as an MCP server with one address, approve on Circles' page, and Codex can pull what a client or a community said straight into your work.
To connect Codex to WhatsApp: link your number in Circles, add an MCP server in Codex with the address https://app.usecircles.app/api/mcp, and approve on Circles' page when Codex asks. There is no key to copy, and Circles is free for 2 chats, or $29 a month on Pro (₪99 in Israel) with 14 days free, as of October 2026.
Updated
Three steps, one address
ChatGPT and Codex connect by address with OAuth; the app shows the current steps. Codex registers itself, you approve, and no key is made.
Link your WhatsApp in Circles
Start your trial, then link your number as a linked device: a code typed on your phone, or a QR on your computer. Same number, same WhatsApp on your phone. History arrives in about 5 to 15 minutes, and you can connect your agent meanwhile.
Add an MCP server in Codex
Name it
circlesand give it the addresshttps://app.usecircles.app/api/mcp. The exact command or setting changes between Codex versions; the Circles app shows the current steps.Approve on Circles' page
Run
codex mcp login circles(or choose Authenticate in the Codex app or IDE), then approve on Circles' page. Sending starts ticked; untick it to connect a reader. Even with it, Codex sends only in chats you opened for sending.
The config, if you edit it by hand
Codex keeps MCP servers in its config file. The entry is a name and the address, as of October 2026:
[mcp_servers.circles]
url = "https://app.usecircles.app/api/mcp"Prefer a token, for example on a machine with no browser to approve in? Make one under New token on Circles' Agents page and give it to Codex as a bearer token; Codex can read it from an environment variable, and its own docs name the setting. Keep it out of anything you commit.
What to ask Codex
For developers whose clients, testers and communities live on WhatsApp. Invented examples, real shapes.
"Read what Yossi posted in the client group today and open an issue with the steps to reproduce"
Codex reads the group, voice notes as text, and writes the issue with the tools it already has for your tracker.
"Draft release notes for the community group from this week's merged changes"
Codex reads the repo and the group's tone. It posts only if you opened that group for sending; otherwise you paste it yourself.
"What exactly did the client ask for about the login page in yesterday's voice notes?"
The voice notes are already transcribed, Hebrew and English, so Codex can quote them back to you.
"Get the screenshot the tester sent and check it against the current settings page"
Codex fetches the image from the chat and looks at it itself. Circles does not describe images.
What Codex can and cannot do here
Codex can:
- See which chats you opened, and which of them moved since a time, with counts and no text (
allowed_chats,activity). - Catch up and search, in one chat or all of them, with senders by name and voice notes already transcribed (
catch_up,search). - See who you talk with and who is in a group, by the name you saved; group member lists never include numbers (
people,group_members). - List the documents sent in your chats and open a photo, PDF or file, up to 50 MB (
documents,get_media). Codex opens the file and reads it itself. - Send a message or a file, only in chats you opened for sending and within your daily cap (
send).
Codex cannot:
- See a hidden chat. It is not listed, not searchable, and never named, not even in a refusal.
- Send in a chat you opened for reading only, go past the daily cap (default 5 across all your agents), or have a send retried automatically.
- Reply with a quote or react with an emoji. Those exist only in the HTTP API.
- Keep access after you disconnect it. Disconnecting ends it at once, and every request it made stays in your activity log.
Questions and answers
Does Codex have a WhatsApp integration?
Not from OpenAI. Circles is a hosted WhatsApp MCP server Codex adds by address: it reads the WhatsApp chats you open, from your personal number.
Do I need an API key for Codex?
No. Codex registers itself with Circles and you approve on Circles' page. A token is there if you want one, for example on a machine without a browser.
Is it the same connection as ChatGPT?
The same address and the same approval flow. Circles recognizes clients from OpenAI and shows them in your agents list, each with its own Disconnect.
Can Codex send WhatsApp messages?
Sending starts ticked on the approval page; untick it to connect a reader. Even with it, Codex sends only in chats you opened for sending, within your daily cap. A send is never retried automatically.
Can Codex reply to a specific message or react?
Not over MCP. Quoted replies and emoji reactions are only in Circles' HTTP API, which Codex can call with a key if you build that in.
Connect your WhatsApp to your agent today.
14 days free. Link your number, pick the chats, then connect Instinct with one tap or Claude, ChatGPT and Codex with one address.