WhatsApp Link

Captures the WhatsApp pairing QR, converts it to a clean PNG on disk, and sends it to the user.

⚠️ The QR expires in ~60 seconds. Only generate it when the user is ready to scan immediately.

⚠️ The script takes ~25–28 seconds to run (WhatsApp-controlled — this cannot be shortened). Tell the user upfront so they're not waiting in silence.

Tell the user: "Have WhatsApp open, go to Settings → Linked Devices → Link a Device. It'll take about 30 seconds to generate — let me know when you're ready." Wait for their confirmation before proceeding.

Steps

1. Fire the script immediately — as your very first action after confirmation:

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⚡ Do not fetch thread context, read other files, or do any other work before starting the script. Every second of delay eats into the 60s QR window. Start the exec first, then do anything else while it runs.

• - The script forks a background process to keep the session alive for ~55s
• It exits immediately once the PNG is written (stdout = file path, stderr = progress)
• Exit code 0 = success; exit code 1 = error (already linked, failed, etc.)

2. Send the file to the user:

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Mattermost thread delivery

If you are in a Mattermost thread (inbound metadata has topic_id or reply_to_id), the message tool cannot post files into threads. Use the Mattermost API directly:

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Replace CHANNEL_ID with the channel from inbound metadata and TOPIC_ID with topic_id (or reply_to_id).

3. Tell the user:

"Scan that QR code in WhatsApp now — it expires in about 60 seconds. Once you've scanned it, WhatsApp will confirm the link. If it expires before you scan, just ask me to generate a new one."

Notes

• - generate_qr.py handles capture, filtering, and PNG conversion internally
• INLINECODE8 is a standalone utility used by generate_qr.py — no need to call it directly
• Use media: "/tmp/whatsapp_qr.png" to send the file — never pass base64 image data through context
• If already linked, the script exits with code 1 and an error message — no QR needed
• Works on any channel (Mattermost, Signal, etc.) — message tool routes to current conversation
• Set COLUMNS=120 is handled internally by the script
• Interactive testing: run the script manually and open the PNG to verify before distributing

Interactive test (console)

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