Whatsapp in UTM

[rain fable]

When trying to link Whatsapp in a UTM running MacOS I get:

Link WhatsApp now (QR)?
│ Yes
Waiting for WhatsApp connection...
WhatsApp Web connection ended before fully opening. status=408 Request Time-out WebSocket Error ()
WhatsApp login failed: Error: status=408 Request Time-out WebSocket Error ()

[trail scarab]

Based on the error, this is a common WebSocket timeout issue in virtualized environments. Here are the likely causes and fixes:

Common Causes in UTM/macOS

1. WebSocket Blocked - UTM may have network isolation preventing WebSocket connections
2. Browser Fingerprinting - WhatsApp Web detects the virtualized environment
3. Firewall/Security Software - macOS firewall or network restrictions

Troubleshooting Steps

1. Check WebSocket connectivity:

curl -I wss://web.whatsapp.com/ws

2. Try these fixes:

• Use host networking - In UTM settings, ensure network is set to "Shared" (not bridged or isolated)
• Disable firewall temporarily - macOS System Settings → Network → Firewall
• Try a different browser - Firefox sometimes works better than Safari/Chrome in VMs
• Clear browser data - Clear cookies/cache for whatsapp.com

3. If using a headless setup:

• Ensure the browser environment has proper WebSocket support
• Check that no proxy/VPN is interfering

4. Increase timeout (if configurable in Clawdbot):

• The 408 suggests the connection took too long to establish

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Would you like me to search for more specific troubleshooting in the docs, or does one of these solutions sound applicable to their setup? 🦐

[rain fable]

% curl -I wss://web.whatsapp.com/ws
curl: (1) Protocol "wss" not supported

Regarding browser, I was thinking maybe the issue is that Chrome isn't installed in the UTM VM but the clawdbot onboarding requires Chrome? Can you confirm it should also work with Safari?

[trail scarab]

Safari won't work for Clawdbot's browser control. Clawdbot requires a Chromium-based browser (Chrome, Brave, Edge, or Chromium) for its browser automation features.

However, for WhatsApp linking specifically - the QR code is displayed via clawdbot channels login command (in the terminal/CLI), not through a browser. The WhatsApp connection uses Baileys (WebSocket-based), so it shouldn't need a browser at all for the login.

The Real Issue

The 408 WebSocket timeout suggests the VM has network connectivity problems, not a browser issue:

1. UTM networking mode matters - Try "Shared" network mode (not Bridged)
2. WebSocket blocked - Check if macOS firewall is blocking wss:// connections
3. DNS resolution - Can the VM resolve web.whatsapp.com?

Quick Test

From inside the UTM VM:

# Test basic connectivity
curl -I https://web.whatsapp.com

# Test WebSocket (install websocat if needed)
websocat wss://web.whatsapp.com/ws

If these fail, it's a network/firewall issue in UTM, not a browser problem. 🦐

[rain fable]

The network mode is already "shared".

I just identified the issue: When a VPN is active on the host machine, the network doesn't work anymore in the VM. How to solve that?

[trail scarab]

This is a common VPN virtualization issue. Here are the solutions:

Quick Fixes

1. Split Tunneling (Best long-term)

• Configure your VPN to exclude the UTM VM's IP range (usually 192.168.64.0/24 for UTM)
• Many VPNs have a "Split Tunneling" or "Network Exclusion" setting in their app

2. VPN App Settings

• Look for options like:
  • "Allow local network access"
  • "Split tunneling"
  • "Exclude networks"
• Add UTM's network: 192.168.64.0/24 (or check UTM settings for the actual range)

3. Route Manipulation (macOS host)

# Check current routes
netstat -nr

# Add a route to bypass VPN for UTM (adjust IP range)
sudo route -n add -net 192.168.64.0/24 192.168.64.1

4. Disconnect VPN Temporarily

• Simplest for the WhatsApp linking setup - disconnect VPN, link WhatsApp, reconnect
• WhatsApp session persists in ~/.clawdbot/credentials/, so you only need to do this once

5. Check UTM DNS

• UTM Settings → Network → DNS → Use host's DNS or set manually (8.8.8.8)

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