How to Create a Gemini AI WhatsApp Bot for Free on GitHub Without Writing Code

How to Create a Gemini AI WhatsApp Bot for Free with GitHub (No Coding Experience Needed)

Are you interested in creating a WhatsApp bot powered by Google's Gemini AI but don’t have any coding experience? Don’t worry! In this guide, I’ll show you how to set up your bot using GitHub for free—no programming skills required.

Here’s an expanded version of the "What You Need" section for your blog post:

What You Need

Before we start, make sure you have the following:

1. GitHub Account (Free)

• GitHub is a cloud-based platform where we will host and manage the bot's code.
• If you don’t have an account, sign up at GitHub.

2. Google Cloud Account (Free Tier Available)

• Google provides access to Gemini AI through its API.
• You’ll need a Google Cloud account to generate an API key.
• Sign up at Google Cloud Console and activate your free trial if needed.

3. WhatsApp Business API (Cloud API or Twilio)

• WhatsApp doesn’t allow bots on personal numbers, so you must use an official API.
• There are two main ways to connect WhatsApp:
  • WhatsApp Cloud API (Recommended): Official solution by Meta (free for basic usage).
  • Twilio WhatsApp API: Third-party service with a free trial and paid plans.
• You can sign up for WhatsApp Cloud API at Meta for Developers or Twilio at Twilio.

4. Google AI API Key (Gemini API)

• This key allows your bot to access Google's AI models.
• We’ll generate this inside Google AI Studio later in the setup.

5. Basic Understanding of GitHub

• No coding required! But you should know how to:
  • Create a repository
  • Fork a repository
  • Add secrets (API keys) to GitHub settings
  • Run GitHub Actions

Step 1: Set Up Your GitHub Repository

1. Go to GitHub and log in.
2. Click on the “+” sign at the top-right corner and select “New repository”.
3. Name your repository something like “gemini-whatsapp-bot”.
4. Set it to Public and check "Add a README file".
5. Click Create Repository.

Step 2: Deploy a Ready-to-Use Gemini AI Bot

You don’t need to write code! Instead, we will use a pre-built bot script.

1. Visit this GitHub repository: Gemini WhatsApp Bot Repo (search for open-source versions of Gemini bots).

2. Click Fork (this makes a copy in your GitHub account).

3. Once forked, go to the Settings tab.

4. Scroll down to Secrets and Variables > Actions.

5. Click New Repository Secret and add the following:

   • GEMINI_API_KEY: Get this from Google AI Studio (AI Studio).
   • WHATSAPP_API_KEY: Get this from Twilio or WhatsApp Cloud API.

Step 3: Set Up Google Gemini API

1. Go to Google Cloud Console.
2. Create a new project.
3. Enable Google AI API (Gemini AI).
4. Generate an API Key and copy it.
5. Go back to GitHub and paste this key as GEMINI_API_KEY in Secrets.

Step 4: Deploy Your Bot

1. Open your forked repository on GitHub.

2. Click on Actions > New Workflow.

3. Select Set Up a Workflow Manually.

4. Copy and paste this script into the workflow file:

   name: Deploy Gemini Bot
   
   on:
     push:
       branches:
         - main
   
   jobs:
     deploy:
       runs-on: ubuntu-latest
       steps:
         - name: Checkout code
           uses: actions/checkout@v2
   
         - name: Install dependencies
           run: |
             pip install openai twilio
   
         - name: Run bot
           run: python bot.py
   

5. Click Commit Changes.

Step 5: Connect WhatsApp to Your Bot

If using WhatsApp Cloud API:

1. Go to Facebook Developers.
2. Create an app and select WhatsApp Business.
3. Generate an access token and paste it into GitHub as WHATSAPP_API_KEY.
4. Set up a webhook (follow WhatsApp Cloud API docs).

If using Twilio:

1. Sign up on Twilio.
2. Get a WhatsApp-enabled Twilio number.
3. Generate an API key and paste it into GitHub.

Step 6: Test Your Bot

1. Go to GitHub Actions and run your workflow.
2. If successful, your bot is now live!
3. Send a WhatsApp message to your bot and get AI-powered responses.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully created a Gemini AI-powered WhatsApp bot without coding! By leveraging GitHub, Google Cloud, and WhatsApp API, you now have a functional AI chatbot at zero cost.

Do you have any questions? Let me know in the comments! 🚀