fix(whatsapp): store and surface unavailable coexistence messages (CW-7166) (#14547)

In WhatsApp coexistence setups (Business App + Cloud API on the same
number), some inbound customer messages arrive from Meta as `type:
unsupported` with error `131060` ("This message is unavailable") and no
content — typically the first message of a Click-to-WhatsApp /
Instagram-ad conversation, or a message synced from a companion device.
Chatwoot was dropping these webhooks entirely, so no contact,
conversation, or message was created. The conversation only surfaced
once an agent replied (via an `smb_message_echoes` event), starting
"headless" with zero customer context.

This change persists a placeholder message for these events so the
contact and conversation are created, and renders it with the dedicated
unsupported-message bubble that points agents to the WhatsApp app —
where the original message is still visible.
Fixes
https://linear.app/chatwoot/issue/CW-7166/whatsapp-coexistence-inbound-messages-are-silently-dropped
and https://github.com/chatwoot/chatwoot/issues/13464

<img width="3448" height="1604" alt="CleanShot 2026-05-22 at 17 49
35@2x"
src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/0a90ec84-9085-4cba-883d-08d9de33fa3c"
/>


## How to reproduce
1. Connect a WhatsApp Cloud (coexistence) inbox.
2. Receive an inbound message that Meta delivers as `type: unsupported`
with error `131060` (e.g. a Click-to-WhatsApp ad message, or a message
handled on a companion/primary device that fails to sync to the API).
3. **Before:** nothing is created — the conversation only appears after
an agent replies, with no record of the customer's first message.
4. **After:** the contact and conversation are created with an incoming
placeholder message rendered as the amber "unsupported" bubble: _"This
message is unsupported. You can view this message on the WhatsApp app."

---------

Co-authored-by: Muhsin <12408980+muhsin-k@users.noreply.github.com>
Co-authored-by: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
Co-authored-by: Sojan Jose <sojan@pepalo.com>

app/javascript/dashboard/components-next/message/bubbles/Unsupported.vue

@@ -6,9 +6,12 @@ import BaseBubble from './Base.vue';
 
 const { inboxId } = useMessageContext();
 
-const { isAFacebookInbox, isAnInstagramChannel, isATiktokChannel } = useInbox(
-  inboxId.value
-);
+const {
+  isAFacebookInbox,
+  isAnInstagramChannel,
+  isATiktokChannel,
+  isAWhatsAppChannel,
+} = useInbox(inboxId.value);
 
 const unsupportedMessageKey = computed(() => {
   if (isAFacebookInbox.value)
@@ -16,6 +19,8 @@ const unsupportedMessageKey = computed(() => {
   if (isAnInstagramChannel.value)
     return 'CONVERSATION.UNSUPPORTED_MESSAGE_INSTAGRAM';
   if (isATiktokChannel.value) return 'CONVERSATION.UNSUPPORTED_MESSAGE_TIKTOK';
+  if (isAWhatsAppChannel.value)
+    return 'CONVERSATION.UNSUPPORTED_MESSAGE_WHATSAPP';
   return 'CONVERSATION.UNSUPPORTED_MESSAGE';
 });
 </script>

app/javascript/dashboard/i18n/locale/en/conversation.json

@@ -62,6 +62,7 @@
     "UNSUPPORTED_MESSAGE_FACEBOOK": "This message is unsupported. You can view this message on the Facebook Messenger app.",
     "UNSUPPORTED_MESSAGE_INSTAGRAM": "This message is unsupported. You can view this message on the Instagram app.",
     "UNSUPPORTED_MESSAGE_TIKTOK": "This message is unsupported. You can view this message on the TikTok app.",
+    "UNSUPPORTED_MESSAGE_WHATSAPP": "This message is unsupported. You can view this message on the WhatsApp app.",
     "SUCCESS_DELETE_MESSAGE": "Message deleted successfully",
     "FAIL_DELETE_MESSSAGE": "Couldn't delete message! Try again",
     "NO_RESPONSE": "No response",

app/services/whatsapp/incoming_message_base_service.rb

@@ -67,6 +67,8 @@ class Whatsapp::IncomingMessageBaseService
 
   def create_messages
     message = messages_data.first
+    return create_unsupported_message(message) if message_type == 'unsupported'
+
     log_error(message) && return if error_webhook_event?(message)
 
     process_in_reply_to(message)
@@ -74,6 +76,18 @@ class Whatsapp::IncomingMessageBaseService
     message_type == 'contacts' ? create_contact_messages(message) : create_regular_message(message)
   end
 
+  # WhatsApp delivers messages it cannot render (e.g. coexistence companion-device syncs that
+  # fail with error 131060) as type: unsupported with no content. We still persist a placeholder
+  # so the contact/conversation isn't created "headless" and agents know to check the WhatsApp app.
+  def create_unsupported_message(message)
+    log_error(message) if error_webhook_event?(message)
+    process_in_reply_to(message)
+    create_message(message, source_id: message[:id])
+    @message.content = I18n.t('conversations.messages.whatsapp.unsupported_message')
+    @message.content_attributes = @message.content_attributes.merge(is_unsupported: true)
+    @message.save!
+  end
+
   def create_contact_messages(message)
     message['contacts'].each do |contact|
       # Pass source_id from parent message since contact objects don't have :id

app/services/whatsapp/incoming_message_service_helpers.rb

@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ module Whatsapp::IncomingMessageServiceHelpers
   end
 
   def unprocessable_message_type?(message_type)
-    %w[reaction ephemeral unsupported request_welcome].include?(message_type)
+    %w[reaction ephemeral request_welcome].include?(message_type)
   end
 
   def processed_waid(waid)

config/locales/en.yml

@@ -258,6 +258,7 @@ en:
       whatsapp:
         list_button_label: 'Choose an item'
         call_permission_request_body: 'We would like to call you regarding your conversation.'
+        unsupported_message: 'This message is unavailable.'
       voice_call:
         twilio: 'Voice Call'
         whatsapp: 'WhatsApp Call'

spec/services/whatsapp/incoming_message_service_spec.rb

@@ -206,7 +206,7 @@ describe Whatsapp::IncomingMessageService do
         expect(whatsapp_channel.inbox.messages.count).to eq(0)
       end
 
-      it 'ignores type unsupported and does not create ghost conversation' do
+      it 'stores type unsupported as a placeholder message so the conversation is not headless' do
         params = {
           'contacts' => [{ 'profile' => { 'name' => 'Sojan Jose' }, 'wa_id' => '2423423243' }],
           'messages' => [{
@@ -217,9 +217,12 @@ describe Whatsapp::IncomingMessageService do
         }.with_indifferent_access
 
         described_class.new(inbox: whatsapp_channel.inbox, params: params).perform
-        expect(whatsapp_channel.inbox.conversations.count).to eq(0)
-        expect(Contact.count).to eq(0)
-        expect(whatsapp_channel.inbox.messages.count).to eq(0)
+        expect(whatsapp_channel.inbox.conversations.count).to eq(1)
+        expect(Contact.count).to eq(1)
+        expect(whatsapp_channel.inbox.messages.count).to eq(1)
+        message = whatsapp_channel.inbox.messages.last
+        expect(message.content).to eq('This message is unavailable.')
+        expect(message.content_attributes['is_unsupported']).to be(true)
       end
     end