Quick Start Guide

Facebook now has an official API for chat bots here. This API is still the only way to automate chat functionalities on a user account. We do this by emulating the browser. This means doing the exact same GET/POST requests and tricking Facebook into thinking we're accessing the website normally. Because we're doing it this way, this API won't work with an auth token but requires the credentials of a Facebook account.

Disclaimer: We are not responsible if your account gets banned for spammy activities such as sending lots of messages to people you don't know, sending messages very quickly, sending spammy looking URLs, logging in and out very quickly... Be responsible Facebook citizens.

See below for projects using this API.

Install

npm install facebook-chat-api

Example Usage

var login = require("facebook-chat-api");
 
// Create simple echo bot 
login({email: "FB_EMAIL", password: "FB_PASSWORD"}, function callback (err, api) {
    if(err) return console.error(err);
 
    api.listen(function callback(err, message) {
        api.sendMessage(message.body, message.threadID);
    });
});

Documentation

• login
• api.addUserToGroup
• api.changeArchivedStatus
• api.changeGroupImage
• api.changeThreadColor
• api.changeThreadEmoji
• api.changeNickname
• api.deleteMessage
• api.deleteThread
• api.getAppState
• api.getCurrentUserID
• api.getFriendsList
• api.getThreadHistory
• api.getThreadInfo
• api.getThreadList
• api.getUserID
• api.getUserInfo
• api.handleMessageRequest
• api.listen
• api.logout
• api.markAsRead
• api.muteThread
• api.removeUserFromGroup
• api.searchForThread
• api.sendMessage
• api.sendTypingIndicator
• api.setOptions
• api.setTitle

Main Functionality

Sending a message

api.sendMessage(message, threadID, [callback])

Various types of message can be sent:

• Regular: set field body to the desired message as a string.
• Sticker: set a field sticker to the desired sticker ID.
• File or image: Set field attachment to a readable stream or an array of readable streams.
• URL: set a field url to the desired URL.

Note that a message can only be a regular message (which can be empty) and optionally one of the following: a sticker, an attachment or a url.

Tip: to find your own ID, you can look inside the cookies. The userID is under the name c_user.

Example (Basic Message)

login({email: "FB_EMAIL", password: "FB_PASSWORD"}, function callback (err, api) {
    if(err) return console.error(err);
 
    var yourID = 0000000000000;
    var msg = {body: "Hey!"};
    api.sendMessage(msg, yourID);
});

Example (File upload)

login({email: "FB_EMAIL", password: "FB_PASSWORD"}, function callback (err, api) {
    if(err) return console.error(err);
 
    // Note this example uploads an image called image.jpg 
    var yourID = 0000000000000;
    var msg = {
      body: "Hey!",
      attachment: fs.createReadStream(__dirname + '/image.jpg')
    }
    api.sendMessage(msg, yourID);
});

Listening to a chat

api.listen(callback)

Listen watches for messages sent in a chat. By default this won't receive events (joining/leaving a chat, title change etc...) but it can be activated with api.setOptions({listenEvents: true}). This will by default ignore messages sent by the current account, you can enable listening to your own messages with api.setOptions({selfListen: true}).

Example

// Simple echo bot. He'll repeat anything that you say. 
// Will stop when you say '/stop' 
 
login({email: "FB_EMAIL", password: "FB_PASSWORD"}, function callback (err, api) {
    if(err) return console.error(err);
 
    api.setOptions({listenEvents: true});
 
    var stopListening = api.listen(function(err, event) {
        if(err) return console.error(err);
 
        switch(event.type) {
          case "message":
            if(event.body === '/stop') {
              api.sendMessage("Goodbye...", event.threadID);
              return stopListening();
            }
            api.markAsRead(event.threadID, function(err) {
              if(err) console.log(err);
            });
            api.sendMessage("TEST BOT: " + event.body, event.threadID);
            break;
          case "event":
            console.log(event);
            break;
        }
    });
});

FAQS

1. How do I run tests?

For tests, create a test-config.json file that resembles example-config.json and put it in the test directory. From the root >directory, run npm test.

1. Why doesn't sendMessage always work when I'm logged in as a page?

Pages can't start conversations with users directly; this is to prevent pages from spamming users.

1. What do I do when login doesn't work?

First check that you can login to Facebook using the website. If login approvals are enabled, you might be logging in incorrectly. For how to handle login approvals, read our docs on login.

1. How can I avoid logging in every time? Can I log into a previous session?

We support caching everything relevant for you to bypass login. api.getAppState() returns an object that you can save and pass into login as {appState: mySavedAppState} instead of the credentials object. If this fails, your session has expired.

1. Do you support sending messages as a page?

Yes, set the pageID option on login (this doesn't work if you set it using api.setOptions, it affects the login process).

login(credentials, {pageID: xxxxx}, function(api) { ... }

1. I'm getting some crazy weird syntax error like SyntaxError: Unexpected token [!!!

Please try to update your version of node.js before submitting an issue of this nature. We like to use new language features.