2. Enable your agent
Enabling MBA on a number is three things: a one-time terms acceptance in Meta Business Manager, adding a valid payment method for the MBA usage and an onboarding call that prepares the agent. The API stays locked until the terms are accepted.
Accept the Meta Business AI Terms of Service
The Meta Business AI Terms are accepted per WABA, in Meta Business Manager → WhatsApp Manager → Business AI tab.
Business AI tab may be hidden, but you can always access it using the following urll:
https://business.facebook.com/latest/whatsapp_manager/business_ai?business_id={BUSINESS_PORTFOLIO_ID}&asset_id={WABA_ID} where business_id is the Business Portfolio ID and asset_id is the WABA ID
Only someone with access to the WABA's owning Business Manager can accept the terms. You can open the Business AI page by passing your own Business Manager ID, but the Accept action only works if you have access to the business that owns the WABA. If a client owns the WABA, the client (or an admin on the owning BM) must accept. Plan for this in partner setups — it's a common blocker.
API calls return 403 Forbidden until the terms are accepted. The error reads: "The Meta Business AI Terms of Service must be accepted for this WhatsApp Business Account before using this API." If you see this 403, the terms haven't been accepted for that WABA yet.
Add a valid payment method
Since 1 August, Meta requires a client credit line for Meta Business Agent usage. Meta plans to support credit-card payments in September.
Use Billing Hub to manage the credit line for your Meta Business Agent account:
If you already have a credit line, add the account in Billing Hub.
If you need a credit line, apply in Billing Hub.
Credit-line management may not yet be available in the Meta UI. Contact Meta support if Billing Hub does not offer the required action.
Onboard the number
Once the terms are accepted, onboard the number to create the agent's configuration and knowledge scaffolding. This is a required step before you can turn the agent on. You can do it two ways.
Option A — in WhatsApp Manager (no code). Right after you accept the terms, an Onboard call-to-action appears in the Business AI tab. Click it to onboard the number.
The "Onboard" button sometimes shows an error even when it worked. If the CTA returns an error, the number is often onboarded anyway. Wait about a minute and refresh the page before retrying — you'll usually see it's already onboarded.
Option B — via API:
Onboarding schedules some background preparation, so it may take a moment before configuration endpoints are fully ready.
Onboarding ≠ live. After onboarding, the agent still won't reply to customers. It only starts responding once you enable it and set its audience — see Go live and Roll out to everyone. Configure it first (Step 3).
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