Native WhatsApp Phone Number Registration and Persistent Sessions
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Just describe the feature
Disclaimer: This feature request was drafted with the assistance of AI after researching and thinking through the use case. Some technical details or assumptions may be inaccurate, incomplete, or based on an incorrect understanding of WhatsApp's current authentication architecture. Please treat this as a proposal/discussion rather than a technically verified implementation specification. Corrections and feedback from the Baileys maintainers and community are very welcome.
Summary
I would like to propose adding support for complete WhatsApp phone-number registration directly through Baileys, without requiring an Android/iOS device or QR-code linking.
WhatsApp recently introduced the ability to use WhatsApp on the web with a phone number without requiring the phone to remain connected to the session. It would be very useful if Baileys could provide a similar experience.
Proposed Feature
Allow Baileys to handle the complete WhatsApp registration/login flow:
User │ │ Enter WhatsApp phone number ▼ Baileys │ │ Handle registration/authentication ▼ WhatsApp │ │ Verify phone number / OTP ▼ Baileys Session │ ▼ Persistent WhatsApp Web Session
Important Consideration
I understand that WhatsApp's authentication protocol and policies may impose technical limitations, and this feature may require implementing parts of the official WhatsApp Web registration flow.
The goal is not necessarily to remove all verification/security steps, but rather to allow Baileys itself to manage the complete registration and session lifecycle, instead of requiring the user to initially link the account through a mobile device and QR code.
This would make Baileys significantly more suitable for fully headless server deployments.
Source: WhiskeySockets/Baileys