Capture WhatsApp Leads to Google Sheets with Instant Hebrew Auto-Reply

High-Level Summary

This workflow automatically captures incoming WhatsApp messages as leads, stores them in a Google Sheet, and sends an instant confirmation reply in Hebrew. It is designed for businesses using either the WAHA (WhatsApp HTTP API or the Meta WhatsApp Cloud API. The workflow ignores group chats and outgoing messages to avoid clutter. This template is ideal for Israeli businesses or any organization that wants to instantly acknowledge WhatsApp inquiries while building a lead database.

Node-by-Node Walkthrough

• WhatsApp Incoming Message (Webhook) — No auth — Listens for incoming HTTP POST requests at the path `whatsapp-lead-intake. The webhook URL is generated automatically when the workflow is activated. It receives the raw WhatsApp payload from WAHA or WhatsApp Cloud API.
• Normalize Lead Data (Code) — No auth — A JavaScript code node that parses both WAHA and WhatsApp Cloud payloads, extracts the sender name, message text, and normalizes the phone number to Israeli E.164 format (+972...). It also filters out group chats and messages sent by the business itself.
• Add Lead to Google Sheets (Google Sheets) — OAuth2 — Appends a new row to the specified Google Sheet with columns: Timestamp, Name, Phone, Message, Source. The column mapping is configured using expressions from the normalized data.
• Send WhatsApp Auto-Reply (WAHA) (HTTP Request) — Header Auth — Sends a POST request to the WAHA server endpoint /api/sendText with a header X-Api-Key. The body includes the session, chatId (from normalized data), and a Hebrew reply thanking the lead.

Setup Instructions

1. Create a Google Sheet with columns: Timestamp, Name, Phone, Message, Source. Note the spreadsheet ID and sheet name.
2. Connect Google Sheets in n8n using OAuth2 (authorize with your Google account).
3. Set up WAHA (or WhatsApp Cloud API). For WAHA, you need a running WAHA server. Obtain its base URL (e.g., `https://your-server/api).
4. Create a Header Auth credential in n8n** with the header name `X-Api-Key and paste your WAHA API key.
5. Update the HTTP Request node Replace `YOUR-WAHA-SERVER with your actual WAHA server URL.
6. Edit the Hebrew reply in the HTTP Request node to match your business name.
7. **Activate the workflow and copy the webhook URL (Production URL). Point your WAHA webhook settings to this URL.

Use Cases and Variations

• Change country prefix Change the 972 inside the Code node to another country code.
• Switch to WhatsApp Cloud API Replace the HTTP Request node with the official WhatsApp Business Cloud node (message → send) and adjust the Code node to output the correct chat ID format.
• Add notifications Branch after the Google Sheets node to send a Slack message, email, or Telegram alert.
• Multi-language Modify the auto-reply text in the HTTP Request node to any language.

Category

sales

Tools

• WhatsApp
• Google Sheets
• WAHA

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    {
      "parameters": {
        "content": "## Capture WhatsApp leads into Google Sheets\n\nEvery incoming WhatsApp message becomes a lead row in Google Sheets, and the sender instantly gets a confirmation reply in Hebrew.\n\n**Flow:**\n1. Webhook receives the message (WAHA or WhatsApp Cloud API)\n2. Code node extracts name + text and normalizes the phone to +972 E.164\n3. The lead is appended to Google Sheets\n4. An auto-reply is sent back on WhatsApp\n\nGroup chats and your own outgoing messages are ignored on purpose.\n\nBuilt by [Achiya Automation](https://achiya-automation.com) — WhatsApp & automation studio from Israel.",
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        "content": "## Setup (5 minutes)\n1. Point your WAHA webhook (or Meta app webhook) at this workflow's webhook URL — use the **Production URL** after activating.\n2. Create a Google Sheet with the columns: `Timestamp | Name | Phone | Message | Source`.\n3. Connect your Google Sheets credential and pick the spreadsheet + tab in the Sheets node.\n4. In the HTTP node, replace `YOUR-WAHA-SERVER` with your WAHA base URL and attach a Header Auth credential (header `X-Api-Key`).\n5. Edit the Hebrew auto-reply text to match your business, then activate.",
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        "content": "## Adapting this template\n- **WAHA vs WhatsApp Cloud API:** the Code node handles both payload shapes automatically.\n- **Not in Israel?** Change the `972` country prefix inside the Code node.\n- **Reply via Cloud API instead of WAHA:** swap the HTTP node for the official WhatsApp Business Cloud node (message → send).\n- **Want lead alerts too?** Branch after the Sheets node into Telegram / Email / Slack.",
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// ... truncated (copy to see full JSON)