How to build a secure WhatsApp AI assistant with Arcade and Claude Code (OpenClaw alternative)
Blog post from Arcade
An AI assistant integrated with WhatsApp demonstrates how emerging technologies, such as Claude Code and Arcade, can streamline task management by providing structured briefings via a simple text command. This setup illustrates the potential of AI to automate and enhance business workflows, offering real-time access to calendar events, emails, and Slack messages without the need for a laptop or browser. The architecture leverages a WhatsApp relay server and an MCP server to connect with Claude Code, while Arcade ensures secure, per-action authorization for tool access, addressing common issues like credential security and audit logging. The guide highlights the architectural challenges of building reliable AI agents, such as fragile API wrappers and context window bloat, and offers solutions using skills and tools to encode workflows effectively. Emphasizing the importance of auditability and tool reliability, it also outlines the transition from single-user to multi-user systems, ensuring secure and isolated handling of different users' data, which is critical for compliance and scalability in production environments.