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Use the Chat API to send messages, manage channels, open support conversations, and read reactions. Channels are identified by experience_id or channel_id.
This page covers the server-side Chat API, for calling Whop from your backend to post, read, or moderate messages. If you want to render a live Whop chat UI inside your own frontend, see the embedded chat quickstart instead.

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Initialize the SDK

import Whop from "@whop/sdk";

const client = new Whop({
  appID: "app_xxxxxxxxxxxxx",
  apiKey: process.env.WHOP_API_KEY,
});

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Send a message

Messages support Markdown and optional attachments uploaded via the Files API. 
const message = await client.messages.create({
  channel_id: "chat_feed_xxxxxxxxxxxxx", // or an experience_id
  content: "Hello! **Markdown** is supported.",
  attachments: [
    { id: "file_xxxxxxxxxxxxx" }, // upload via the Files API first
  ],
});

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Read messages

List operations auto-paginate. Iterate the response and the SDK fetches additional pages for you. 
for await (const page of client.messages.list({
  channel_id: "chat_feed_xxxxxxxxxxxxx",
  direction: "desc",
  first: 20,
})) {
  console.log(page);
}

const single = await client.messages.retrieve("msg_xxxxxxxxxxxxx");

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Manage channels

Update moderation settings (banned words, cooldowns, who can post or react) or list every channel on a company. 
const channel = await client.chatChannels.update("chat_feed_xxxxxxxxxxxxx", {
  ban_media: false,
  ban_urls: false,
  banned_words: ["spam", "scam"],
  user_posts_cooldown_seconds: 10,
  who_can_post: "members_only",
  who_can_react: "everyone",
});

for await (const page of client.chatChannels.list({
  company_id: "biz_xxxxxxxxxxxxx",
  first: 10,
})) {
  console.log(page);
}
who_can_post and who_can_react accept everyone, members_only, or admins_only.

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React to a message

await client.reactions.create({
  resource_id: "msg_xxxxxxxxxxxxx",
  emoji: "😀", // Unicode or ':heart:' shortcode
});

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Support channels

Support channels are 1:1 threads between a user and a company, useful for help desks or concierge flows. create returns the existing channel if one already exists for the user. 
const support = await client.supportChannels.create({
  company_id: "biz_xxxxxxxxxxxxx",
  user_id: "user_xxxxxxxxxxxxx",
});

for await (const page of client.supportChannels.list({
  company_id: "biz_xxxxxxxxxxxxx",
  open: true,
  order: "last_post_sent_at",
  direction: "desc",
  first: 10,
})) {
  console.log(page);
}

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Required permissions

Add these from the Permissions guide before publishing your app.
PermissionNeeded for
chat:readReading messages, channels, reactions
chat:message:createPosting messages
chat:moderateUpdating channel settings
support_chat:createOpening support channels
support_chat:readReading support channels
{
  id: string;
  content: string | null;
  created_at: string;
  is_edited: boolean;
  is_pinned: boolean;
  message_type: "text" | "image" | "video" | "poll";
  poll: { options: Array<{ id: string; text: string }> | null } | null;
  poll_votes: Array<{ count: number; option_id: string | null }>;
  reaction_counts: Array<{ count: number; emoji: string | null }>;
  replying_to_message_id: string | null;
  updated_at: string;
  user: { id: string; name: string | null; username: string };
}
Full schema: see the Messages API reference.

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Next steps

Listen to events with webhooks

Receive chat events on your server instead of polling.

Send notifications

Push notifications to users who aren’t live in chat.

Upload files

Attach images and videos to messages.

Embed chat in your app

Drop-in Whop chat UI for your frontend (separate product).