> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.switchbord.ai/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Meta credentials — step-by-step setup > Gather every Meta credential Switchbord needs to send and receive WhatsApp messages, with deep-links and validation tips. # Meta credentials Switchbord talks to the WhatsApp Business Platform through Meta's Graph API. Before any message can flow, five things need to be in place: 1. **Meta access token** (System User token) 2. **App Secret** (webhook signing) 3. **Verify token** (webhook handshake) 4. **Phone Number ID** (which phone to send from) 5. **WhatsApp Business Account ID** (WABA ID — the account that owns the phone) You can paste all five from the Channel Settings page or the in-app welcome wizard at `/welcome`. Each field has a "Where do I find this?" toggle with the exact path in Meta Business Suite and a deep-link that jumps you straight there. ## 1 · Meta access token 1. Open [Meta Business Settings → Users → System Users](https://business.facebook.com/settings/system-users). 2. Select the System User assigned to your WABA (create one if you don't have it — it must have **Full control** over the WABA). 3. Click **Generate new token**, pick your WhatsApp app, and grant: * `whatsapp_business_management` * `whatsapp_business_messaging` 4. Copy the long `EAAG…` string and paste it into **Channel settings → Provider credentials → Meta Access Token**. Switchbord encrypts the token at rest in Supabase Vault. It never appears in application logs. ## 2 · App Secret 1. Open [Meta App Dashboard](https://developers.facebook.com/apps/) and pick your WhatsApp app. 2. Navigate to **App settings → Basic**. 3. Click **Show** next to **App secret**, authenticate, and copy the value. 4. Paste it into **Channel settings → Webhook Signing Secret**. The App Secret is how Switchbord verifies that inbound webhook payloads really came from Meta (HMAC-SHA256 over the raw body). ## 3 · Verify token This one is yours to invent — Switchbord can generate it for you. 1. In the welcome wizard step 3 (or **Channel settings → Meta verify token**), click **Generate**. 2. Copy the generated `swb_…` token. 3. In [Meta App Dashboard → WhatsApp → Configuration → Webhooks](https://developers.facebook.com/apps/), click **Edit**, paste the same token, and set the Callback URL to the one shown in the wizard. Meta calls `GET {callbackUrl}?hub.verify_token=…` once — Switchbord replies with the matching challenge if the tokens agree. ## 4 · Phone Number ID 1. Open [WhatsApp Manager — Phone Numbers](https://business.facebook.com/wa/manage/phone-numbers/). 2. Select the business that owns your WABA. 3. Find the row for the WhatsApp number you want to send from. 4. Copy the long numeric value in the **ID** column (typically 15 digits). 5. Paste it into **Channel settings → WhatsApp phone ID**. After you save, Switchbord calls `GET https://graph.facebook.com/v25.0/{phone_number_id}` to confirm the ID is real and belongs to the scope of your access token. You'll see a green "Verified with Meta" line on success, or a red "Meta rejected this ID" line with the exact error code on failure (typically `meta_graph_100` if the ID is wrong or `meta_graph_190` if the token lacks access). ## 5 · WhatsApp Business Account ID (WABA ID) 1. Open [Business Settings → Accounts → WhatsApp Accounts](https://business.facebook.com/settings/whatsapp-business-accounts/). 2. Select your WABA. 3. The numeric ID is shown under the account name (and in the URL — `business.facebook.com/settings/whatsapp-business-accounts/`). 4. Paste into **Channel settings → WhatsApp Business Account ID**. The WABA ID is used to submit templates and read account-level metadata. Switchbord validates it against `GET https://graph.facebook.com/v25.0/{waba_id}` immediately after save. ## Troubleshooting | Symptom | Likely cause | Fix | | ----------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `meta_graph_190` on any field | Token expired or missing scope | Generate a new System User token with `whatsapp_business_management` + `whatsapp_business_messaging`. | | `meta_graph_100` on Phone Number ID | Wrong ID or belongs to a different WABA | Re-copy from WhatsApp Manager → Phone Numbers → ID column. | | "Looks like a placeholder" | The field still has the seed value (`12345`, `default-phone`, etc.) | Paste the real numeric ID from Business Suite. | | Webhook returns 401 on inbound | App Secret mismatch | Re-copy from App Dashboard → Basic. | ## Alternative: Meta Embedded Signup The five steps above are the **bring-your-own-token** path — always available and the only path for self-hosted deployments. If your deployment has Embedded Signup enabled (`NEXT_PUBLIC_EMBEDDED_SIGNUP_ENABLED=1` plus the Meta app credentials), `/welcome` also offers a Meta-hosted sign-in flow that skips steps 1, 4, and 5 above entirely — Meta returns the WABA ID and Phone Number ID directly, and Switchbord exchanges a one-time code for the access token server-side. It also transparently supports onboarding a **second WABA** into the same workspace without touching the first WABA's stored token. See [Meta Embedded Signup & Multi-WABA](/platform/embedded-signup) for the full flow. ## Reference * `packages/whatsapp/validate-meta-ids.ts` — live-validates Phone Number ID and WABA ID against Meta's Graph API. * `apps/app/app/api/settings/meta/validate-ids/route.ts` — the endpoint the UI calls. * Channel settings live on `channels.phone_number_id` and `channels.waba_id` (see `packages/database/src/adapters/messages.ts`). * `apps/app/app/api/onboarding/meta/exchange/route.ts` — the Embedded Signup code-exchange endpoint (see [Meta Embedded Signup & Multi-WABA](/platform/embedded-signup)).