SocialMate Local API
n8n overview
The native n8n node — what it is, why it changes WhatsApp automation, install it, and where to go next.
SocialMate is the only WhatsApp automation server with a first-class,
native n8n node. n8n-nodes-socialmate turns your self-hosted
SocialMate desktop server into typed n8n building blocks — an action
node and a trigger node — so you automate WhatsApp visually without
hand-wiring a single HTTP Request or Webhook node. Both sides are self-hosted and
talk over localhost or your own Cloudflare tunnel: no WABA, no
per-message bill, no third party in the middle.
- 2nodes — action + trigger
- 11resources, 50+ operations
- 35trigger events (9 on Free)
- 1 callfull AI conversation memory
The headline. The node ships a Get AI Context operation that hands your AI agent the entire conversation — role-mapped and token-windowed — in a single call. Stop fighting the n8n memory node and stop losing context between runs: SocialMate is the memory. See how it replaces agent memory →
Why a native node beats hand-wired HTTP
You can drive the local HTTP API with n8n's generic HTTP Request and Webhook nodes — and for tools with no native node (Make, Zapier, your own backend) that is still the recommended path. But the native node is a different class of experience:
| HTTP Request nodes | Native SocialMate node | |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | Copy/paste URLs, headers, JSON bodies into every node | Pick a resource & operation from a dropdown |
| Accounts | Paste account IDs by hand | Account dropdown, auto-scoped to your key |
| Incoming events | Build a Webhook node, register it, manage the secret yourself | Trigger node self-registers its webhook & verifies the HMAC signature |
| AI memory | Wire a memory node, hope it persists between runs | One Get AI Context call returns the whole transcript |
| Errors | Read raw HTTP codes | Typed operations, clear 402/403 messages, a 429 anti-ban block returned as branchable data (blocked: true), not a silent retry |
Install the node
Two standard paths for an n8n community node:
- From the n8n UI — Settings → Community Nodes → Install,
then enter
n8n-nodes-socialmate. - From npm (self-hosted n8n) — install into your n8n instance:
npm install n8n-nodes-socialmate
After it installs, SocialMate and SocialMate Trigger appear in the node picker. Next, create a connection: open the desktop app at API & Integrations → n8n → New connection, choose an account scope, and copy the Server URL and API key into the credential. Full walkthrough on the connection & settings page.
Explore the n8n section
- AI agents with real memory Pro Get AI Context: one call, the whole conversation, ready for your LLM. The reason to build agents on SocialMate.
- Agent system prompt A production system prompt that makes an agent behave like a human — the reply cadence, every tool, the anti-ban error contract, and what it must never claim.
- MCP server (Claude, Cursor) Prefer a desktop assistant? Connect WhatsApp to any MCP client — the config, 44 tools, and how an agent reacts to incoming messages.
- Connection, settings & operations The scope-aware credential, account settings, and every action-node operation with request/response examples.
- Trigger node & events Start a workflow on incoming WhatsApp events — self-registering webhook, signature verification, all 35 events.
- Recipes & example workflows Ready-to-import: AI concierge, auto-reply, scheduled batch send — and the patterns behind them.
- Changelog & updates Version history, the GitHub repo, how to update, and where to request features or get help.
- Webhook event catalogue The shared 35-event reference the trigger node fires on — payload shapes and the Free subset.
Safe by default
Every send from n8n — direct or queued — still passes through SocialMate's
anti-ban engine: rate
limits, jitter, warming and risk checks apply exactly as they do in the app. A runaway
workflow physically can't burn your number — on Pro an over-limit send is
auto-queued (202) and retried when it's safe, not dropped.
Open source & always current
The node is MIT-licensed and developed in the open. Star or watch the repo to get release notifications, browse the source, or open an issue:
See the changelog for the full version history and how to update.
Pro unlocks the node's full power. A stable Named tunnel lets n8n run anywhere and keeps the trigger URL fixed across restarts; Pro also unlocks Get AI Context, media send, group management, scheduling and the smart queue over the node. Compare plans →