Build a WhatsApp Assistant for Text, Audio & Images using GPT-4o & Evolution API

Description

Build an intelligent WhatsApp assistant that automatically responds to customer messages using AI. This template uses the Evolution API community node for WhatsApp integration and OpenAI for natural language processing, with built-in conversation memory powered by Redis to maintain context across messages.

> ⚠️ Self-hosted requirement: This workflow uses the Evolution API community node, which is only available on self-hosted n8n instances. It will not work on n8n Cloud.

What this workflow does

Receives incoming WhatsApp messages via Evolution API webhook
Filters and processes text, audio, and image messages
Transcribes audio messages using OpenAI Whisper
Analyzes images using GPT-4 Vision
Generates contextual responses with conversation memory
Sends replies back through WhatsApp

Who is this for?

Businesses wanting to automate customer support on WhatsApp
Teams needing 24/7 automated responses with AI
Developers building multimodal chat assistants
Companies looking to reduce response time on WhatsApp

Setup instructions

Evolution API: Install and configure Evolution API on your server. Create an instance and obtain your API key and instance name.
Redis: Set up a Redis instance for conversation memory. You can use a local installation or a cloud service like Redis Cloud.
OpenAI: Get your API key from platform.openai.com with access to GPT and Whisper models.
Webhook: Configure your Evolution API instance to send webhooks to your n8n webhook URL.

Customization options

Modify the system prompt in the AI node to change the assistant's personality and responses
Adjust the Redis TTL to control how long conversation history is retained
Add additional message type handlers for documents, locations, or contacts
Integrate with your CRM or database to personalize responses

Credentials required

Evolution API credentials (self-hosted)
OpenAI API key
Redis connection