ChatLink (WhatsApp)

ChatLink lets you text your TabMail agent via WhatsApp—so you can ask questions, set reminders, or check your inbox even when you’re away from your computer. Your messages are securely relayed to your local TabMail instance running in Thunderbird.

How it works

  1. You send a WhatsApp message to TabMail.
  2. The message is relayed to your local TabMail agent in Thunderbird.
  3. TabMail processes your request using your local email, calendar, and knowledge base.
  4. The response is sent back to you via WhatsApp.

All processing happens as if you typed it in your TabMail chat window—ChatLink is just a relay.

Prerequisites

  • TabMail installed and signed in
  • Thunderbird running on your computer (can be minimized)
  • A WhatsApp account

Linking your WhatsApp

  1. Open Settings from the TabMail popup.
  2. Scroll to the External Accounts section.
  3. Click Connect for WhatsApp.
  4. You’ll receive a 6-character code (valid for 5 minutes).
  5. Click the WhatsApp button to open a chat with TabMail, or manually message the code to TabMail’s WhatsApp number.
  6. Send START {YOUR_CODE} (e.g., START ABC123).
  7. Once linked, you’ll receive a confirmation message and your status will show as Connected.

Sending your first message

Once linked, simply text your TabMail agent like you would any contact:

  • “What emails came in today?”
  • “Remind me to follow up with Sarah tomorrow at 2pm”
  • “Do I have any meetings this afternoon?”
  • “Archive all newsletters from last week”

TabMail will respond just like it does in the desktop chat window. If an action requires confirmation (like sending an email), you’ll see interactive buttons to approve or cancel.

Requirements

For ChatLink to work:

  • Thunderbird must be running — Your computer needs to be on with Thunderbird open (can be minimized) to process requests.
  • Internet connection — Both your phone and computer need to be online.

If Thunderbird is closed or your computer is offline, you’ll receive a notification that TabMail is unavailable. Because we never store your messages, messages sent while offline are thrown away—you’ll need to resend them when Thunderbird is back online.

Proactive check-ins

TabMail can send you proactive notifications via WhatsApp when something noteworthy happens—like an important email arriving or a deadline approaching.

With WhatsApp connected, you’ll receive them both on your TabMail Chat and WhatsApp simultaneously.

Coming soon

We’re actively working on expanding ChatLink to more platforms:

  • Telegram
  • Slack
  • Discord

Unlinking WhatsApp

To disconnect ChatLink, you can either:

From TabMail Settings:

  1. Open Settings from the TabMail popup.
  2. Scroll to the External Accounts section.
  3. Click Disconnect for WhatsApp.

From WhatsApp:

  • Simply text STOP to the TabMail WhatsApp number.

You can reconnect anytime by following the linking process again.

Privacy

  • No message storage — TabMail servers never store your messages or chat history. Messages are immediately relayed to your local Thunderbird instance and discarded.
  • You control the connection — You can unlink at any time from TabMail settings or by texting STOP.

Important: Your messages and TabMail’s responses—which may include email content—pass through Meta’s WhatsApp servers. Meta may store this data according to their privacy policy. TabMail has no control over data stored by Meta.

ChatLink is entirely optional. If you prefer to only use TabMail from within Thunderbird, simply don’t link any chat services.

For more details, see Privacy Policy.

Last updated: April 4, 2026