What is this?
The Meta Business Agent is an AI agent that runs on Meta’s side for one of your WhatsApp numbers. It answers customers using the business info, FAQs, instructions and tools you give it, and hands the chat to your team when it should. It is separate from the platform’s own AI Agents, which run inside your workspace.A Meta Business Agent runs on a connected WhatsApp number — each number can have one agent. You need the WhatsApp channel connected first, and the permission to view Meta Business Agents. Your WhatsApp Business account must have a payment method in Meta billing and have accepted Meta’s Business AI terms.
What can I do here?
- Create an agent for a WhatsApp number
- See where each agent stands — eligibility, payment method, Meta Business AI terms, onboarding and reply mode
- Switch Agentic Mode on or off for the active number
- Open an agent to set its behavior, knowledge, tools and skills, and test it
- Delete an agent
How to use it
Create an agent
- Go to WhatsApp → Meta Business Agent. The page shows Total agents and the Active agents.
- Click Create agent and choose the WhatsApp number it will answer on (every number can have one agent).
- The platform checks the number with Meta — that it can run an agent and that its terms are accepted — and then creates the agent. You can then add knowledge and instructions, test it, and turn Agentic Mode on.
The Overview checklist
Open an agent and look at Overview. It lists one row per requirement: Eligibility, Payment method, Meta Business AI terms, Onboarding and Reply mode. A problem appears as a red link on its own row, for example:
Use Check eligibility and Re-check status after you fix something. A summary at the top tells you where you are: Finish setup…, The agent is created but switched off, The agent is answering new conversations on this number, or Meta reported a problem.
Turn Agentic Mode on
Agentic Mode decides who answers new conversations on the number:- On — the Meta Business Agent answers new conversations and the platform’s local replies (welcome messages, keyword automations) are paused.
- Off — local replies answer new conversations.
Delete an agent
Click Delete agent on the agent page. It removes the agent from the number and clears its settings, and can’t be undone.Troubleshooting / Technical Notes
- “Connect a WhatsApp number first.” The agent runs on a WhatsApp number — connect one in Channels.
- “Every connected WhatsApp number already has an agent.” Each number can have one agent; open the existing one.
- “Create the agent in the Setup tab first.” Go to the agent’s Overview and create it before opening other tabs.
- Agentic Mode is greyed out. Create an agent for the active WhatsApp number first.
- Meta reports a problem. Read the red row on Overview, fix it, and click Re-check status.