WhatsApp: templates and campaigns

The CLI covers the outbound WhatsApp surface: templates (reusable HSM messages that Meta must approve to send outside the 24-hour window) and campaigns (bulk sends to recipient lists using an approved template).

The --bot-id these commands ask for is the referenceId that appears in jelou channels list --type Whatsapp.

`jelou channels testers`

Before connecting a real WhatsApp Business number, you can use the shared Jelou sandbox to test sending and receiving messages with your own phone.

Subcommand	Description
`testers list <channel-id>`	Lists whitelisted tester phone numbers on the sandbox
`testers add <channel-id> --phone <phone>`	Whitelists a phone number on the sandbox
`testers remove <channel-id> --phone <phone> --yes`	Removes a phone number from the sandbox

jelou channels testers list channel-id-xyz
jelou channels testers add channel-id-xyz --phone +14155550100
jelou channels testers remove channel-id-xyz --phone +14155550100 --yes

<channel-id> is the channel’s own id, not the --bot-id/referenceId used by template and campaign. It only applies to sandbox channels — once you connect a real WhatsApp Business number, the tester whitelist is no longer needed. The phone must be in E.164 format (+14155550100).

`jelou template`

Subcommand	Description
`list --bot-id <id>`	Lists templates (filters: status, type, category)
`get <id> --bot-id <id>`	Shows a template with its body and parameters
`validate <file>`	Validates a template payload locally
`create --bot-id <id> …`	Creates (and optionally submits to Meta) a template
`update <id> --bot-id <id> …`	Updates an APPROVED or REJECTED template
`delete <id> --bot-id <id> --yes`	Deletes a template
`upload-media <file>`	Uploads an image/video to the CDN and returns its URL

jelou template list --bot-id bot-abc123 --status APPROVED --category UTILITY --type text
jelou template create --bot-id bot-abc123 \
  --display-name "Order confirmation" \
  --element-name order_confirmation \
  --template "Hi {{1}}, your order {{2}} is ready." \
  --language es --category UTILITY --type text
jelou template create --bot-id bot-abc123 ... --draft   # save without submitting to Meta
jelou template create --bot-id bot-abc123 --from-file ./template.json   # full payload as JSON
jelou template upload-media ./header.png

Categories: UTILITY, MARKETING, AUTHENTICATION. Statuses: APPROVED, PENDING, REJECTED. Content types (--type): text (default), IMAGE, VIDEO, DOCUMENT, CAROUSEL. Use --header to add a text header, and {{1}}, {{2}}, … as placeholders in the body. Just like campaign create, --from-file takes the path to a JSON file with the full template payload instead of passing every flag individually.

Only APPROVED or REJECTED templates can be edited; PENDING ones are locked. Templates without --draft go to Meta immediately, and the approval quota is finite per company (rejections count). Meta prepends a random 4-character prefix to the elementName — use the returned elementName (with prefix) in campaigns.

Updating a template

jelou template update only accepts discrete flags: --display-name, --template, --header, --footer, --media-url, and --draft. The CLI fetches the template’s current state, applies only the overrides you pass, and PATCHes the full payload — you don’t need to repeat fields that stay the same.

jelou template update template-id-xyz --bot-id bot-abc123 \
  --template "Hi {{1}}, your order {{2}} just shipped." \
  --footer "Support team"
jelou template update template-id-xyz --bot-id bot-abc123 \
  --footer "New footer" --draft   # save without resubmitting to Meta

Header with media

URL=$(jelou template upload-media ./banner.png --json | jq -r '.url')
jelou template create --bot-id bot-abc123 \
  --display-name "Weekly offer" --element-name weekly_offer \
  --template "This week: {{1}} with {{2}}% off" \
  --media-url "$URL" --category MARKETING

`jelou campaign`

Subcommand	Description
`list`	Lists campaigns (filters: bot, status, type, template name, elementName, date range)
`get <id>`	Detail of a campaign (recipients and schedule)
`create --from-file <file>`	Creates a bulk campaign from a local JSON + CSV
`cancel <id>`	Stops a SCHEDULED or IN_PROGRESS campaign
`reschedule <id> --at <iso>`	Reschedules or revives a cancelled campaign

jelou campaign list --bot-id bot-abc123 --status SCHEDULED --json
jelou campaign list --type text --name "Order confirmation" --element-name xy12_order_confirmation
jelou campaign create --from-file ./campaign.json --json
jelou campaign cancel campaign-id-xyz
jelou campaign reschedule campaign-id-xyz --at "2026-06-20T15:30:00-05:00"
jelou campaign reschedule campaign-id-xyz --at "2026-07-01T09:00:00-05:00" --revive

--type filters by campaign type (text, carousel, …), --name by the template’s display name, and --element-name by its elementName. Statuses: SCHEDULED → IN_PROGRESS → COMPLETED; CANCELLED is terminal unless you use --revive.

--start-at and --end-at filter by the campaign’s creation date (createdAt), not its scheduled send date (scheduledAt). If you’re looking for “campaigns scheduled for next week”, these filters won’t get you there — they return campaigns created in that range, regardless of when they’re scheduled to send.

Campaign file structure

campaign.json

{
  "campaignName": "Seasonal blast",
  "botId": "bot-abc123",
  "elementName": "xy12_holiday_offer",
  "language": "es",
  "csvPath": "./recipients.csv",
  "date": "2026-06-15T10:00:00-05:00",
  "params": [
    { "param": 1, "column": "name" },
    { "param": 2, "column": "discount" }
  ]
}

recipients.csv

phone_number,name,discount
+14155550100,Alice,20
+14155550101,Bruno,30

The CSV includes a phone column in E.164 format. The parameter mapping is explicit: { "param": <n>, "column": "<column>" }. Use the date field to schedule (omit it for immediate sending).

A campaign consumes real credits when dispatched. Review the recipient count and cost before creating it. A wrong parameter mapping sends the literal placeholder text (Hi {{1}}) to thousands of people — verify first. Cancelling an IN_PROGRESS campaign produces a partial send.

Getting Started

Developer

Jelou CLI

Outbound Messaging

Management

Marketplace

Channels

Configuration

Billing

WhatsApp: templates and campaigns

`jelou channels testers`

`jelou template`

Updating a template

Header with media

`jelou campaign`

Campaign file structure

​jelou channels testers

​jelou template

​Updating a template

​Header with media

​jelou campaign

​Campaign file structure

`jelou channels testers`

`jelou template`

Updating a template

Header with media

`jelou campaign`

Campaign file structure