---
type: overview
title: Quickstart
description: What the wh WhatsApp terminal client with per-chat AI autoreply does, how to build and run it, and where to find each topic in this wiki.
tags: [overview, quickstart, rust, whatsapp, tui, ai]
sources:
  - id: openwiki-source-651d1fb6c9e49916a916ab51
    resource: repo://Cargo.toml
  - id: openwiki-source-9fec9d1af408501c9c455161
    resource: repo://src/app.rs
  - id: openwiki-source-043e6252badc57a1ee6bfb48
    resource: repo://src/autoreply.rs
  - id: openwiki-source-2a737474d86fc75cc9d9694f
    resource: repo://src/config.rs
  - id: openwiki-source-b55a21a31ede1b56cd31a6a6
    resource: repo://src/main.rs
generated: { by: "claude-code", at: "2026-10-19T19:53:56.480Z" }
verified:
  - by: openwiki/0.7.2
    at: 2026-10-19T19:53:56.480Z
---

# Quickstart

`wh` (`Cargo.toml:1-5`) is a Rust terminal client for WhatsApp. It links as a
companion device by QR code, shows chats and contacts in a
[ratatui](architecture/terminal-ui.md) interface, stores messages locally in
SQLite and can answer incoming messages automatically with an
OpenAI-compatible model, chat by chat — in private chats and in groups
(broadcasts, status and newsletters excluded).

## Build and run

```sh
cargo build --release
cargo run --release
cargo test
```

The crate uses edition 2024. `whatsapp-rust` is built with
`default-features = false` because its default `simd` feature needs nightly
(`Cargo.toml:8-10`). `[lints.rust] linker_messages = "allow"`
(`Cargo.toml:25-27`) silences the informational MSVC linker line printed
because the binary exports symbols.

On first start the app shows a QR code: scan it from WhatsApp → *Linked
devices*. The session is kept in `session.db`, so later starts connect
directly. Main keys: `Tab` switches list/input, `F2` chats/contacts, `Enter`
opens a chat or sends, `Ctrl+A` toggles autoreply for the open chat,
`Ctrl+C` quits ([key bindings](architecture/app-state.md)).

## Configuration in short

Settings live in `config.toml` inside the data directory
`<platform config dir>/wh` (on Windows `%APPDATA%\wh`), next to `session.db`
and `history.db` (`src/config.rs:40-49`, `src/config.rs:144-148`). The two
databases are separate by design: `session.db` is the WhatsApp library's
session and key store, `history.db` holds the app's chats, messages and
autoreply flags. Without the file the app still runs as a plain WhatsApp
client; the autoreply needs `openai_api_key` and `system_prompt`. Optional
keys tune the cooldowns (`cooldown_seconds`, `group_cooldown_seconds`), the
startup catch-up (`catch_up_seconds`) and an AI request log (`ai_log`,
written to `ai_requests.log` in the same folder). Keys and defaults:
[Configuration and data](operations/configuration-and-data.md).

## Startup in one line

`main` loads the config, opens the history, starts the WhatsApp client and
an input thread, then runs the draw/receive loop until quit
(`src/main.rs:28-51`, see [Runtime and event loop](architecture/runtime-and-event-loop.md)).

## Where to look

| Task | Page | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Startup, channels, threads, main loop | [Runtime and event loop](architecture/runtime-and-event-loop.md) | `src/main.rs` |
| Events, state, keys, background tasks | [Application state](architecture/app-state.md) | `src/app.rs` |
| Screens, rendering, message formatting | [Terminal UI](architecture/terminal-ui.md) | `src/ui.rs` |
| WhatsApp session, events, JIDs, media | [WhatsApp client](integrations/whatsapp-client.md) | `src/whatsapp.rs` |
| AI HTTP requests, vision, errors | [AI client](integrations/ai-client.md) | `src/ai.rs` |
| When and how the AI replies (groups, cooldowns, deferred replies, catch-up) | [AI auto-reply workflow](workflows/ai-autoreply.md) | `src/autoreply.rs`, `src/app.rs` |
| Local SQLite messages, chats, contacts | [History store](concepts/history-store.md) | `src/history.rs` |
| Config keys, data dir, security notes | [Configuration and data](operations/configuration-and-data.md) | `src/config.rs` |
| Test suites and how to run them | [Unit tests](testing/unit-tests.md) | `src/*.rs` |