message/sendDocument

When to Use

• Invoice and receipt delivery: An accounts workflow sends a PDF invoice directly to the client's WhatsApp the moment payment is due, providing a zero-friction path to payment confirmation.
• Contract distribution: A sales workflow sends a PDF contract to the prospect via WhatsApp for quick review before a scheduled signing call, bypassing email delays.
• Compliance document delivery: A regulatory workflow sends mandatory disclosure documents to customers at account opening, with the document reference in the caption for audit trail purposes.
• Report sharing: A BI workflow sends a weekly Excel or PDF report to a manager's WhatsApp at a scheduled time, ensuring the report is seen even when email is not monitored.
• Onboarding material dispatch: An HR workflow sends the employee handbook, IT setup guide, and policy documents to a new hire's WhatsApp on their first day.

Configuration

Connection

Operation

* Provide either mediaUrl or mediaId — exactly one is required.

Sample Configuration

{
  "resource": "message",
  "operation": "sendDocument",
  "accessToken": "{{ $credentials.whatsAppToken }}",
  "phoneNumberId": "123456789012345",
  "to": "{{ $input.clientPhone }}",
  "mediaUrl": "https://docs.example.com/invoices/{{ $input.invoiceId }}.pdf",
  "filename": "Invoice_{{ $input.invoiceId }}.pdf",
  "caption": "Invoice #{{ $input.invoiceId }} | Due: {{ $input.dueDate }} | Amount: ${{ $input.amount }}\n\nPlease confirm receipt by replying RECEIVED."
}

Validation Errors

Output

Success Port

Error Port

Sample Output

{
  "messageId": "wamid.HBgLMTQxNTU1NTI2NzEVAgARGBIyRTI4QUY0NjhFMEI4NCMAA",
  "phoneNumberId": "123456789012345",
  "to": "14155552671",
  "status": "sent",
  "errorCode": null,
  "errorMessage": null,
  "rawResponse": "{\"messaging_product\":\"whatsapp\",\"contacts\":[{\"input\":\"14155552671\",\"wa_id\":\"14155552671\"}],\"messages\":[{\"id\":\"wamid.HBgLMTQxNTU1NTI2NzEVAgARGBIyRTI4QUY0NjhFMEI4NCMAA\"}]}"
}

Expression Reference

Node Policies & GuardRails

Examples

Automated Invoice Delivery

{
  "resource": "message",
  "operation": "sendDocument",
  "accessToken": "{{ $credentials.whatsAppToken }}",
  "phoneNumberId": "123456789012345",
  "to": "{{ $input.clientPhone }}",
  "mediaUrl": "https://storage.example.com/invoices/{{ $input.invoiceNumber }}.pdf",
  "filename": "Invoice_{{ $input.invoiceNumber }}_{{ $input.period }}.pdf",
  "caption": "Your invoice for {{ $input.period }} is attached.\nAmount due: ${{ $input.amount }}\nDue date: {{ $input.dueDate }}\n\nPay online: {{ $input.paymentUrl }}"
}

A billing workflow triggers this node when an invoice is generated. The URL is a presigned S3 link valid for 5 minutes — sufficient for Meta to download it. The caption includes a direct payment link to reduce the steps to payment.

Employee Handbook on Onboarding

{
  "resource": "message",
  "operation": "sendDocument",
  "accessToken": "{{ $credentials.whatsAppToken }}",
  "phoneNumberId": "123456789012345",
  "to": "{{ $input.employeePhone }}",
  "mediaId": "{{ $config.employeeHandbookMediaId }}",
  "filename": "BizFirst_Employee_Handbook_2024.pdf",
  "caption": "Welcome to BizFirst, {{ $input.employeeName }}! Your employee handbook is attached. Please read Section 3 (IT Policy) before your first meeting. Reply READ when done."
}

The handbook is uploaded once at the start of each year via media/upload, and the resulting mediaId is stored in workflow configuration. All new hire onboarding workflows reuse the same mediaId, avoiding repeated uploads.

Weekly Report Distribution

{
  "resource": "message",
  "operation": "sendDocument",
  "accessToken": "{{ $credentials.whatsAppToken }}",
  "phoneNumberId": "123456789012345",
  "to": "{{ $input.managerPhone }}",
  "mediaUrl": "{{ $output.generateReport.reportUrl }}",
  "filename": "Weekly_Report_{{ $input.weekEnding }}.xlsx",
  "caption": "Weekly performance report for week ending {{ $input.weekEnding }}.\nKey metrics: Revenue ${{ $input.revenue }} | Orders {{ $input.orderCount }} | NPS {{ $input.nps }}"
}

A ScheduledTrigger fires every Friday at 5 PM. A Function node generates the Excel report, uploads it to S3, and returns the presigned URL. This node sends the document with a summary in the caption so the manager can see key numbers without opening the file.