✅💬Build Your Own WhatsApp Fact-Checking Bot with AI
Tired of misinformation spreading on WhatsApp? 🤨 This workflow transforms your n8n instance into a powerful, automated fact-checking bot! Send any news, claim, or question to a designated WhatsApp number, and this bot will use AI to research it, provide a verdict, and send back a summary with direct source links.
Fight fake news with the power of automation and AI! 🚀
How it works ⚙️
This workflow uses a simple but powerful three-step process:
- 📬 WhatsApp Gateway (Webhook node): This is the front door. The workflow starts when the Webhook node receives an incoming message from a user via a Twilio WhatsApp number.
- 🕵️ The Digital Detective (Perplexity node): The user's message is sent to the Perplexity node. Here, a powerful AI model, instructed by a custom system prompt, analyzes the claim, scours the web for reliable information, and generates a verdict (e.g.,
✅ Likely True
, ❌ Likely False
).
- 📲 WhatsApp Reply (Twilio node): The final, formatted response, complete with the verdict, a simple summary, and source citations, is sent back to the original user via the Twilio node.
Setup Guide 🛠️
Follow these steps carefully to get your fact-checking bot up and running.
Prerequisites
1. Configure Credentials
You'll need to add API keys for both Perplexity and Twilio to your n8n instance.
- Perplexity AI:
- Go to your Perplexity AI API Settings.
- Generate and copy your API Key.
- In n8n, go to Credentials & New, search for "Perplexity," and add your key.
- Twilio:
- Go to your Twilio Console Dashboard.
- Find and copy your
Account SID
and Auth Token
.
- In n8n, go to Credentials & New, search for "Twilio," and add your credentials.
2. Set Up the Webhook and Tunnel
To allow Twilio's cloud service to communicate with your n8n instance, you need a public URL. The n8n tunnel is perfect for this.
- Start the n8n Tunnel: If you are running n8n locally, you'll need to expose it to the web. Open your terminal and run:
n8n start --tunnel
- Copy Your Webhook URL:
- Once the tunnel is active, open your n8n workflow.
- In the Receive Whatsapp Messages (Webhook) node, you will see two URLs: Test and Production.
- Copy the Test/Production URL. This is the public URL that Twilio will use.
3. Configure Your Twilio WhatsApp Sandbox
- Go to the Twilio Console and navigate to Messaging & Try it out & Send a WhatsApp message.
- Select the Sandbox Settings tab.
- In the section "WHEN A MESSAGE COMES IN," paste your n8n Production Webhook URL.
- Make sure the method is set to
HTTP POST
.
- Click Save.
How to Use Your Bot 🚀
- Activate the Sandbox: To start, you (and any other users) must send a WhatsApp message with the join code (e.g.,
join given-word
) to your Twilio Sandbox number. Twilio provides this phrase on the same Sandbox page.
- Fact-Check Away! Once joined, simply send any claim or question to the Twilio number. For example:
Did Elon Musk discover a new planet?
- Within moments, the workflow will trigger, and you'll receive a formatted reply with the verdict and sources right in your chat!
Further Reading & Resources 🔗