> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.360dialog.com/docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.360dialog.com/docs/inbox/overview.md). # Overview What the Inbox is, what it handles for you, and which setup to choose. The Inbox is a complete conversation layer on top of your 360dialog channel. It takes WhatsApp as a channel — conversation windows, templates, media, opt-ins, delivery states, a single webhook — and turns it into something you can just talk to, whether that is a person clicking reply, your own software, or an AI agent. Whatever you build on top of it, you are not the one keeping track of which conversations are still open, where the media lives, or which of your services gets the next inbound message. There are four ways to reach that layer, and they all run on the same backend and the same data: a hosted web inbox, an MCP server for AI agents, a REST API, and an open-source front end you can host yourself. {% hint style="info" %} The Inbox is available to 360dialog direct clients on the Premium plan, at no extra charge. {% endhint %} ### Choose your setup You can combine them all for super-powered WhatsApp management, having humans, AI agents, and automations working together to properly attend your customers via WhatsApp. | I want to… | Use | Best for | Setup effort | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------- | ---------------- | | have multiple humans (and maybe also AI agents) replying to customers | [**Hosted Inbox**](/docs/inbox/hosted-inbox.md) | Business owners, front desks, sales teams | Minutes, no code | | Put WhatsApp messaging inside my own product or service | [**Inbox API**](/docs/inbox/inbox-api.md) | Developers, agencies, software vendors | Hours | | Let an AI agent send and receive WhatsApp without building conversation storage | **Inbox MCP** | Agent builders, automation-first teams | Minutes | | Keep our own interface, on your backend | **Open-source UI** | Vendors who need full white-label control | Days | *** {% columns %} {% column %} #### Hosted Inbox A ready-to-use web app. Open it from the Hub, invite your team, and start replying. Conversations can be assigned to a person, tagged, searched and resolved. Nothing to install. {% endcolumn %} {% column %} #### Inbox MCP A Model Context Protocol server that lets any AI agent read and send WhatsApp messages on your number. The agent gets conversations, contacts and history as tools — it does not have to store messages, track windows, or handle media. {% endcolumn %} {% endcolumns %} {% columns %} {% column %} #### Inbox API A REST API over the same backend, for putting WhatsApp into your own product or service. You keep your interface and your workflow; the Inbox keeps the conversation state, the windows, the media and the webhook fan-out. {% endcolumn %} {% column %} #### Open-source UI Our inbox front end is open source. Run it yourself, embed it in your product, or restyle it completely, with our API as the backend. {% endcolumn %} {% endcolumns %} *** ### What the Inbox handles for you Building on WhatsApp directly means solving the same set of problems every time. The Inbox solves them once: * **Conversation storage** — chats, contacts and full message history, searchable and persistent * **Conversation windows** — WhatsApp only lets you send free-form messages while a window is open, and how long it stays open depends on how the conversation started: 24 hours when a customer messages you, and 72 hours for free entry point conversations started from an Ad that Clicks to WhatsApp or a **Message** button on a Facebook or Instagram Page. The Inbox tracks which window applies to each conversation and when it expires, so you know when a free-form reply will go through and when you need a template * **Templates** — your approved templates are there to send when a window is closed, without a second integration * **Media** — upload, download and hosting for images, documents, audio and video * **One webhook, many consumers** — WhatsApp allows a single webhook per number. The Inbox receives it and fans it out to as many services as you need * **Multi-user access** — several people, or several systems, working the same number without stepping on each other * **Conversation state** — assignment, tags, quick replies and resolved status * **Delivery and health** — message status, instance health and error surfacing ### Combining them Most real setups use more than one: * **Bot plus human** — an agent or API integration answers automatically, while your team watches the same conversations in the hosted Inbox and takes over when needed. * **Your product, our backend** — your service talks to the Inbox API, and your support team still has the hosted Inbox as a fallback console. * **Your interface, our backend** — self-host the open-source front end and let the API handle storage, windows and delivery. {% hint style="success" %} If you already send through the WhatsApp API, your Inbox is already recording every conversation. Open it and you have a searchable history and a human fallback, with nothing left to build. {% endhint %} ### Before you start You need: * A 360dialog account with an active channel * The Premium plan * For the Inbox API and Inbox MCP: a user and token created in the Inbox admin panel — see [Authentication](/docs/inbox/inbox-api/authentication.md) Get your[ 36dialog Inbox here.](https://app.360dialog.com/onboarding/srMmqpPA?redirect_url=app.360dialog.com\&plan_selection=premium\&flow=inbox) ### Where to go next | Page | What it covers | | ----------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | [**Hosted Inbox**](/docs/inbox/hosted-inbox.md) | Opening the Inbox from the Hub, inviting your team, working conversations | | [**Inbox API**](/docs/inbox/inbox-api.md) | Quickstart, authentication and the full endpoint reference | | **Inbox MCP** | Connecting your agent and the available tools | | **Self-hosted UI** | Running, embedding and white-labelling the open-source front end | | **Concepts** | Chats, contacts, windows, users and webhooks, explained once for all four setups | --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. 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