How to start a Whereby video call from Mattermost

Imagine a team scattered across different time zones, an urgent discussion stuck in a text thread, and a decision that needs to be made right now. You open your browser, look for a meeting link, copy it, paste it into Mattermost — and lose precious minutes waiting for everyone to gather. Standard instructions become obsolete faster than you can read them, custom integrations require months of colossal effort and a mountain of DevOps resources, and for those who want a quick solution — both options miss the mark.

Integrating Whereby with Mattermost via no-code automation eliminates this routine entirely. A single slash command, and a video room is born automatically. The link is instantly published in the correct channel. Participants join immediately. No copy-pasting, no "where is the link?" and no wasted minutes. Just /whereby — and you're connected.

“Over eight years, we have tested — essentially trialed — 43 different approaches to automating the communication process among distributed teams. The conclusion was simple: if an integration requires more than three mouse clicks, nobody will use it. Whereby plus Mattermost via ASCN.AI is two clicks, and zero frustration.”

Introduction to Whereby and Mattermost: Why Connect Them

Whereby is a cloud-based video service independent of app installations. You can join a call directly from your browser via a link, without registration or unnecessary steps. A key difference from Google Meet and Zoom is the ability to create permanent rooms with fixed URLs, like whereby.com/your-room. The link can be used as many times as you like, without restrictions.

• Screen sharing — streaming up to 1080p;
• Audio-only mode — saves bandwidth for those who only need sound;
• Call recording — available on paid plans;
• API for automation — create rooms programmatically, manage access, and collect statistics.

For companies, Whereby’s GDPR compliance and white-label branding (available on Enterprise plans) are equally important, as are the minimal latencies achieved through servers in Europe and the US. The service already supports over 30,000 companies, ranging from remote teams to educational platforms.

What about Mattermost?

Mattermost is a self-hosted Slack alternative that allows you to eliminate confidential data leaks to external providers. It runs exclusively on your own servers or in a private cloud, without passing chat data to third parties. It is often chosen in highly competitive industries — finance, healthcare, the public sector — where data leaks inevitably lead to losses.

• Unlimited channels: public, private, and direct messages;
• Slash commands: shortcuts for running scripts;
• Webhook API: sending and receiving events in real-time;
• Plugins and extensions: add third-party tools without changing the core code.

The scale is enormous: over 800,000 servers, SSO support, Active Directory integration, and compliance with ISO 27001 and HIPAA standards. Mattermost is the choice for those who want full control without compromise.

Why Integrate Whereby with Mattermost

The main advantage of this integration is the removal of the gap between written communication and live conversation. Switching from chat to a video call takes 10 seconds instead of several minutes spent searching and coordinating links.

Response Speed: A support team can transition from chat to video in 5 seconds — critical for Enterprise-level clients where a minute of downtime costs thousands of dollars. In the Falcon Finance case study, automation reduced team reaction time — one slash command provided instant coordination. With 20 calls per week, the savings amount to about 2.6 hours of working time.
ASCN.AI Case Study: Falcon Finance (FF) Downtime

Communication Transparency: All video calls are automatically logged in the channel — a manager can see how often meetings occur, how long they last, and who is active. Data can be exported for detailed analysis and punctual reporting.

Compared to Jitsi (built-in calls in Mattermost), which requires complex server configuration and lacks branding, Whereby provides a ready-made infrastructure with a 99.9% SLA. Automation via ASCN.AI completely eliminates the need for DevOps.

Video Call Use Cases in Mattermost

• Daily Remote Team Standups: Calls at 09:00 UTC. The /whereby-standup command creates a room and notifies participants — no one oversleeps.
• Tech Support Escalation: If text isn't helping, one slash command moves the conversation to video, the link is sent to a private channel, and the engineer joins in 10 seconds. Incident resolution is accelerated by 40%.
• Sales Demos: A manager enters /whereby-demo, the system creates a branded room with a logo, sends the link, and sets a reminder. Conversion to deal increases by 18% because the client doesn't get lost in follow-ups.
• Internal Code Reviews: Developers switch from chat discussion to screen sharing in just 3 seconds, avoiding hour-long debates and resolving issues in 10 minutes. According to GitHub Octoverse, time savings can reach 35%.
• Onboarding New Employees: A new hire is immediately provided with an automated schedule of video meetings with a personal mentor, saving HR up to two hours a week on coordination.

What to Prepare Before Integration

To start, register at whereby.com/org. The free plan is limited to 4 participants and one room, which is suitable only for testing and not for full-scale operations. The Starter plan ($9.99/month) removes limits and adds call recording.

1. Go to the Whereby dashboard.
2. Navigate to Settings → Integrations → API Keys.
3. Click "Create New Key" and enter a name like mattermost-integration.
4. Copy the key (shown only once) and store it in the ASCN.AI Secret Manager.

You can verify the key in your terminal:

curl -X GET "https://api.whereby.dev/v1/meetings" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

A 200 OK response with an array confirms it works. A 401 Unauthorized error means the key is incorrect or expired. Important: The API key provides full access to the account. Store it securely and do not publish it.

Setting Up Mattermost for Integration

Mattermost version 5.0+ is recommended, with support for Slash Commands and Webhooks. In a self-hosted environment, ensure that HTTPS requests to api.whereby.dev are permitted.

1. Create a Slash Command: Integrations → Slash Commands → Add Slash Command, filling in the fields as shown.
2. Save and copy the token.
3. Create an Incoming Webhook to send links to the channel, and copy the URL.

Permissions: System Admin or delegated roles are required to create commands.

Permissions and Access

• Mattermost: create_post, manage_slash_commands, manage_webhooks.
• Whereby API: Key with permissions to create and delete meetings. Advanced permissions are available for Enterprise.
• ASCN.AI: Pro account ($29/mo) or higher for webhook triggers and HTTP requests. 10,000 operations per month is sufficient for 50 people making 20 calls a day.
• Firewall: Allow API access via port 443 for the domains api.whereby.dev and *.ascn.ai.

Check API availability:

curl -I https://api.whereby.dev

Step-by-Step Guide: Launching a Whereby Video Call from Mattermost

Step 1: Create a Whereby API Key

1. Register on Whereby via email or Google account.
2. In Organization Settings → Integrations → API Keys, click Generate New Key.
3. In the name field, enter something clear, for example: mattermost-integration. Scope: Full Access.
4. Copy the key and add it to the ASCN.AI Secret Manager.
5. Verify with a curl request: GET /v1/meetings.

Common errors observed:

• Key copied with extra spaces;
• Test key used in production;
• Key not saved — requires regeneration.

Step 2: Configure the Slash Command in Mattermost

1. In Mattermost, in any channel, go to Integrations → Slash Commands → Add Slash Command.
2. Enter /whereby in the command line, leave Request URL empty (it will be handled by ASCN.AI).
3. Enable autocomplete with a helpful hint.
4. Create an Incoming Webhook and copy the URL for sending messages.
5. Test the command by calling /whereby test-room — an error at this stage is normal.

Step 3: Configure the Automation

Log into ASCN.AI and create a workflow named "Mattermost Whereby Integration." Mattermost is chosen for the initial setup intentionally — it allows you to test the integration in an isolated environment and ensure the code works correctly. Once debugged, the workflow will work with Slack in a similar manner.

In the created workflow, add a Webhook trigger with the POST method — the system will generate a Webhook URL. Paste this URL into the Request URL field of the Mattermost Slash Command settings and save.

Next, add an HTTP Request node to create the room. Request address: POST https://api.whereby.dev/v1/meetings, headers:

• Authorization: Bearer {{$secrets.whereby_api_key}}
• Content-Type: application/json

In the request body, specify the parameters: endDate as a JS expression for +1 hour, the prefix mattermost, hostRoomUrl, etc.

Proceed to add a second HTTP Request node to forward the address to Mattermost via the incoming webhook. Connect the nodes with arrows: Webhook → HTTP Request (Whereby) → HTTP Request (Mattermost). Activate the workflow. Test it: enter /whereby in Mattermost — after a couple of seconds, the address will appear.

Step 4 — Running the Video Call Command

• The /whereby command creates a room with an automatically generated name.
• A command with a parameter, e.g., /whereby team-standup, will create the link whereby.com/mattermost-team-standup.
• Advanced settings such as specific duration, privacy, and automatic recording require workflow refinement.
• Links are published only to the channel from which the command was called — ensuring security.
• Works on iOS/Android via the browser without installing an app.
• The free plan allows up to 4 participants for 3 hours.

Customization and Advanced Settings

To expand functionality, additional ASCN.AI nodes can be used. For example, to process command parameters:

const durationMatch = $node["Webhook"].json.text.match(/(\d+)h/);
const hours = durationMatch ? parseInt(durationMatch[1]) : 1;
const endDate = new Date(Date.now() + hours * 3600000).toISOString();
return { endDate };

Branding and other settings are available for Whereby Business and Enterprise plans:

{
"endDate": "...",
"roomNamePrefix": "acme-corp",
"brandingSettings": {
"logo": "https://your-company.com/logo.png",
"primaryColor": "#FF5733"
}
}

Access can be restricted by email domains:

{
"endDate": "...",
"hostEmailDomains": ["@yourcompany.com"]
}

Multi-language responses are supported; the user's locale is recognized to personalize messages.

Screen Sharing and Audio-Only Mode

By default, Whereby supports screen sharing and an audio-only mode (camera off) to save traffic. You can also make cameras mandatory, assign roles (host/viewer), and automatically start recordings (on Starter+ plans). If the internet is slow, use the ?audio=true parameter — the call will then be audio-only, saving bandwidth.

Integration with Other Tools and Processes

• Google Calendar — create an event with a call link and a reminder;
• Slack Bridge — duplicate messages containing links to Slack;
• CRM — create call events automatically via API;
• Analytics — send call creation events to Google Analytics or Mixpanel;
• AI Agent Integration — analyze message content and manage call priorities.

Automation Implementation Options to Boost Productivity

• Recurring meetings with cron triggers;
• Conditional room creation during working hours only;
• Automatic deletion of obsolete rooms via API.

Troubleshooting and Common Errors

• 401 Unauthorized during webhook operation: Invalid or expired API key — check and update;
• Quota exceeded: Limits reached — delete old rooms or upgrade your plan;
• Command not found: Slash command disabled or insufficient permissions;
• Webhook timeout: Requests are too heavy — optimize the payload or split into multiple requests.

Permissions and Connection Difficulties

• Whereby API access blocked: Add domains and ports to the whitelist;
• Incoming webhooks not working: Check integration settings and ensure the bot has permission to send messages to the channel;
• Private channels not accepting bot messages: Either add the bot to the channel or use a separate webhook.

What is the Goal of Automating Whereby Video Calls in Mattermost?

Manually creating a call on a website, copying the link, and pasting it into Mattermost takes about 25 seconds. What if you have 20 calls a day? That is almost 83 hours a month — nearly two full working weeks. Automation creates a call in 3 seconds, saving 88% of that time. Significant savings in labor and resources, isn't it?

Furthermore, automation reduces cognitive load and minimizes errors. In the "flash crash" event on October 11, automation helped coordinate the actions of 7 traders in real-time, reducing reaction latency by a full 90 seconds — enough to contest a trade and achieve success.
Case Study: Profiting from the October 11 Flash Crash

Comparison Table with Other Video Integrations

Whereby is the optimal balance of simplicity, price, and functionality for groups of ten to fifty employees without dedicated IT resources. For self-hosted teams seeking full control, Jitsi is the way to go. For large corporate teams with existing subscriptions, Zoom and Google Meet are recommended solutions.

How Automation Saves Time and Reduces Errors

Manual labor errors — forgotten links, wrong rooms, incorrect pasting — are eliminated entirely. The process becomes unified and convenient. A newcomer learns to use the system in 10 seconds; the learning curve is almost non-existent. For a group of 10 people, the time savings amount to up to 83 hours a month, which, at an automation cost of $39 per month, is equivalent to $4150. The ROI of automation is 10,600%.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How secure is the Whereby integration?

Whereby uses End-to-End Encryption (E2EE) based on WebRTC: keys are generated locally on demand, and in the local environment, servers do not have access to decrypted video and audio. Compliance with GDPR, ISO 27001, and HIPAA is confirmed by certificates, and servers are located in Europe. API keys are under AES-256 encryption in the ASCN.AI Secret Manager. Additionally, to ensure greater security, access can be restricted by email domain, and a "waiting room" can be enabled for participant moderation. Meeting metadata logging is available for auditing and compliance.

Does the integration work on mobile devices?

Mattermost slash commands are available in mobile apps on iOS and Android. Whereby rooms open directly in the mobile browser — without installing a separate app. Video, audio, screen sharing, and chat are supported.

On iOS, the microphone must be turned on manually: the platform does not allow apps to activate it automatically. For unstable or slow internet connections, it is recommended to use the ?audio=true parameter to switch to audio-only mode. The room interface adapts to the mobile device screen.

What are the limitations of the free Whereby plan?

The main limitations are:

• Up to 4 participants simultaneously;
• One room (permanent);
• Meeting duration — no more than 45 minutes;
• No recording, no branding;
• API limit — 10 requests per minute;
• Metadata storage — 7 days.

For more productive work, the Starter plan ($9.99/mo) with expanded limits and recording is better.

How do I cancel or regenerate API keys?

1. Go to the Whereby Dashboard → API.
2. Find the desired key and click Regenerate or Delete.
3. Copy the new key and update it in the ASCN.AI Secret Manager.
4. Update the workflow settings and test after the change.

It is recommended to rotate keys every 90 days to enhance security levels.