Console

Create or update contact

.md

POST

https://whatsapp.paaltech.org/api/v1/businesses/{external_id}/contacts

Token ability: contacts.write · Authentication

Finds the contact by your external_id, else by phone, and updates it - or creates it. custom_fields must be fields defined for the business (see Define a contact field); tags replaces the contact's tags. Safe to repeat.

Path parameters

external_id string required

Your own ID for the business (Multi-SKUUL - the tenant ID).

Max 191 characters. Pattern ^[A-Za-z0-9._:-]+$.

Body parameters

external_id string | null

Max 191 characters. Pattern ^[A-Za-z0-9._:-]+$.

phone string | null

International number, digits with optional +. Needed when there is no external_id.

name string | null

Max 191 characters.

email string | null

Format email.

locale string | null

Max 16 characters.

timezone string | null

IANA, e.g. Africa/Accra.

custom_fields object

Values for the business's fields; null clears one.

tags array of strings

Replaces the contact's tags.

Responses

200

Updated - an existing contact matched.

201

Created.

401

unauthenticated - missing, invalid, revoked or expired token

403

missing_ability, product_suspended or product_token_required

404

not_found - not yours, or does not exist

422

validation_failed - fields are invalid; see errors.

429

rate_limited - over 300 requests/minute for this product

Errors always look like {"error": {"code", "message"}} - see Errors and status codes.

Language

Credentials

Authorization Bearer $PAALCHAT_TOKEN

Request

cURL

curl --request POST \
  --url 'https://whatsapp.paaltech.org/api/v1/businesses/presec/contacts' \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer $PAALCHAT_TOKEN" \
  --header 'Accept: application/json' \
  --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --data '{
  "external_id": "parent-77",
  "phone": "+233241234567",
  "name": "Ama Mensah",
  "custom_fields": {"class": "SHS 2"},
  "tags": ["parent"]
}'

const response = await fetch('https://whatsapp.paaltech.org/api/v1/businesses/presec/contacts', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.PAALCHAT_TOKEN}`,
    Accept: 'application/json',
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    "external_id": "parent-77",
    "phone": "+233241234567",
    "name": "Ama Mensah",
    "custom_fields": {"class": "SHS 2"},
    "tags": ["parent"]
  }),
});

const data = await response.json();
console.log(response.status, data);

use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Http;

$response = Http::withToken(env('PAALCHAT_TOKEN'))
    ->acceptJson()
    ->post('https://whatsapp.paaltech.org/api/v1/businesses/presec/contacts', [
        'external_id' => 'parent-77',
        'phone' => '+233241234567',
        'name' => 'Ama Mensah',
        'custom_fields' => ['class' => 'SHS 2'],
        'tags' => ['parent'],
    ]);

$data = $response->json();

import os
import requests

response = requests.post(
    "https://whatsapp.paaltech.org/api/v1/businesses/presec/contacts",
    headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['PAALCHAT_TOKEN']}", "Accept": "application/json"},
    json={
        "external_id": "parent-77",
        "phone": "+233241234567",
        "name": "Ama Mensah",
        "custom_fields": {"class": "SHS 2"},
        "tags": ["parent"],
    },
)

print(response.status_code, response.json())

require 'net/http'
require 'json'

uri = URI('https://whatsapp.paaltech.org/api/v1/businesses/presec/contacts')
request = Net::HTTP::Post.new(uri)
request['Authorization'] = "Bearer #{ENV['PAALCHAT_TOKEN']}"
request['Accept'] = 'application/json'
request['Content-Type'] = 'application/json'
request.body = <<~JSON
  {
    "external_id": "parent-77",
    "phone": "+233241234567",
    "name": "Ama Mensah",
    "custom_fields": {"class": "SHS 2"},
    "tags": ["parent"]
  }
JSON

response = Net::HTTP.start(uri.hostname, uri.port, use_ssl: true) { |http| http.request(request) }
puts response.code, JSON.parse(response.body)

package main

import (
	"fmt"
	"io"
	"net/http"
	"os"
	"strings"
)

func main() {
	req, err := http.NewRequest("POST", "https://whatsapp.paaltech.org/api/v1/businesses/presec/contacts", strings.NewReader(`{
  "external_id": "parent-77",
  "phone": "+233241234567",
  "name": "Ama Mensah",
  "custom_fields": {"class": "SHS 2"},
  "tags": ["parent"]
}`))
	if err != nil {
		panic(err)
	}
	req.Header.Set("Authorization", "Bearer "+os.Getenv("PAALCHAT_TOKEN"))
	req.Header.Set("Accept", "application/json")
	req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")

	res, err := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
	if err != nil {
		panic(err)
	}
	defer res.Body.Close()

	out, _ := io.ReadAll(res.Body)
	fmt.Println(res.StatusCode, string(out))
}

Try it with a test key

Only sk_test_ keys: requests reach your sandbox businesses, never real ones. The key is not saved.

Test key

external_id

JSON body

Response

Response

{
  "data": {
    "id": 41,
    "external_id": "parent-77",
    "name": "Ama Mensah",
    "phone": "233241234567",
    "email": "ama@example.com",
    "locale": "en",
    "timezone": "Africa/Accra",
    "status": "active",
    "custom_fields": {"class": "SHS 2", "fee_balance": 450.5},
    "tags": ["parent", "fees"],
    "identities": [
      {
        "channel": "whatsapp",
        "address": "233241234567",
        "profile_name": "Ama Mensah",
        "last_seen_at": "2026-10-01T09:12:00+00:00"
      }
    ],
    "created_at": "2026-10-01T08:00:00+00:00",
    "updated_at": "2026-10-01T09:12:00+00:00"
  }
}

{
  "error": {"code": "unauthenticated", "message": "A valid product token is required."}
}

{
  "error": {
    "code": "missing_ability",
    "message": "This token does not have the ability this request needs."
  }
}

{"error": {"code": "not_found", "message": "Business not found."}}

{
  "error": {
    "code": "validation_failed",
    "message": "The external id field format is invalid. (and 1 more error)"
  },
  "errors": {
    "external_id": ["The external id field format is invalid."],
    "name": ["The name field is required."]
  }
}

{
  "error": {
    "code": "rate_limited",
    "message": "Too many requests. Slow down and retry after the Retry-After header."
  }
}