RemoteAuth Authentication bug

[Harvey1419]

Is there an existing issue for this?

• I have searched the existing issues.

Is this a problem caused by your code, or is it specifically because of the library?

• I have double-checked my code carefully.

Describe the bug.

The bot based on whatsapp-web.js with RemoteAuth and MongoDB storage is experiencing an issue where it authenticates twice in the same session, causing inconsistencies in its operation.

Additionally, although the bot logs that the client is ready to receive messages, it does not receive the message event, preventing it from responding to incoming messages.

Expected Behavior

Get ready and then start receaving messages

Steps to Reproduce the Bug or Issue

npm i

const { Client, RemoteAuth } = require("whatsapp-web.js");
const qrcode = require("qrcode-terminal");
const { MongoStore } = require("wwebjs-mongo");
const mongoose = require("mongoose");

const startBot = async () => {
  await mongoose.connect(uri);
  console.log("Conectado a MongoDB");

  const store = new MongoStore({ mongoose: mongoose });

  const client = new Client({
    authStrategy: new RemoteAuth({
      store: store,
      backupSyncIntervalMs: 300000,
    }),
  });

  client.once("ready", () => {
    console.log("✅ Cliente listo!");
  });

  client.on("qr", (qr) => {
    console.log("⚡ Escanea este código QR:");
    qrcode.generate(qr, { small: true });
  });

  client.on("message_create", (message) => {
    if (message.body === "!ping") {
      client.sendMessage(message.from, "pong");
    }
  });

  client.on("authenticated", () => {
    console.log("🔑 Cliente autenticado");
  });

  client.on("remote_session_saved", () => {
    console.log("💾 Sesión remota guardada");
  });

  client.initialize();
};

// Llamar a la función para evitar múltiples inicializaciones
startBot().catch((err) => console.error("Error al iniciar el bot:", err));

{
  "name": "wp",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "description": "",
  "main": "index.js",
  "scripts": {
    "test": "echo \"Error: no test specified\" && exit 1"
  },
  "keywords": [],
  "author": "",
  "license": "ISC",
  "dependencies": {
    "mongoose": "^8.10.1",
    "qrcode-terminal": "^0.12.0",
    "whatsapp-web.js": "^1.26.0",
    "wwebjs-mongo": "^1.1.0"
  }
}

WhatsApp Account Type

Standard

Browser Type

Chromium

Operation System Type

MAC

Phone OS Type

IOS

WhatsApp-Web.js Version

1.26.0

WhatsApp Web Version

na

Node.js Version

18.18.0

Authentication Strategy

LocalAuth

Additional Context

output:

Conectado a MongoDB
🔑 Cliente autenticado
✅ Cliente listo!
🔑 Cliente autenticado

[Skylore]

Hey @Harvey1419, can you provide more details regarding non-receiving incoming messages
Looks like I met same issue

[Harvey1419]

@Skylore , im saving the session in a mongodb database, when i made changes in my code and server reestart, the cliente is ready message appears, but further that, i cant get any other event, like messages

[Skylore]

@Harvey1419 I tried to launch in headless: false mode and everything were fine, messages have been delivered

So currently I am trying to downgrade the puppeteer version to 13.7.0 to use older browser version

[Skylore]

It would be great if someone would share reccomended node.js and puppeteer version for this package

[Skylore]

@Harvey1419 Looks like I have great news, I've updated wweb.js version to 1.26.1-alpha.3, not to whatsapp-web@latest, it will install 1.26.0 version

And currently, everything is working fine in headless mode

Also have found more production-ready lib with similar functionality: https://github.com/WhiskeySockets/Baileys

[Harvey1419]

@Skylore thanks, i'll try that ! thanks for let me know

[Bardiaal]

Hi guys, I also have the same problem! (I don't really know if that's a problem)
The authenticate method triggers twice with mongodb remote auth:

mongoose.connect('mongodb://localhost:27017/whatsapp').then(() => {
        const store = new MongoStore({ mongoose: mongoose });
        whatsappClients[clientId] = new Client({
            clientId: clientId,
            authStrategy: new RemoteAuth({
                store: store,
                backupSyncIntervalMs: 300000
            }),
            puppeteer: {
                headless: true,
                args: [
                    '--no-sandbox',
                ],
            }
        });
        
        whatsappClients[clientId].initialize();
        whatsappClients[clientId].on('qr', (qr) => {
            //qrcode.generate(qr, {small: true})
            console.log("Generating QR code");
            io.to(clientId).emit('qrcode', { qr });
        });
        whatsappClients[clientId].on("loading_screen", (percent, msg) => {
            console.log(returnTime() + " -> Loading screen: " + percent + "% (" + msg + ")");
        })
        whatsappClients[clientId].on('ready', () => {
            console.log(returnTime() + " -> Client ready");
            io.to(clientId).emit('ready');
        });
        whatsappClients[clientId].on('change_state', (state) => console.log(returnTime() + " -> Client state changed: " + state));
        whatsappClients[clientId].on('authenticated', () => {
            console.log(returnTime() + " -> Authenticated successfully");
            io.to(clientId).emit('authenticated');
        });
        whatsappClients[clientId].on('auth_failure', (message) => console.error(returnTime() + " -> Authentication failed. Reason: " + message));
        whatsappClients[clientId].on('disconnected', (reason) => {
            console.error(returnTime() + " -> Client disconnected. Reason: " + reason);
            io.to(clientId).emit('disconnected');
        });
        whatsappClients[clientId].on('remote_session_saved', () => console.log(returnTime() + " -> Session saved"));
    }).catch(err => console.error('MongoDB connection error:', err));

The output reads like this:

2025-03-01 04:47:20 -> Server running on port 3000
2025-03-01 04:47:28 -> Loading screen: 100% (WhatsApp)
2025-03-01 04:47:28 -> Authenticated successfully
2025-03-01 04:47:28 -> Client ready
2025-03-01 04:47:36 -> Authenticated successfully

Will this address any issues in the future? What does it mean when it authenticates twice?

Also... Do you have any idea to check whether the whatsapp client status is connected, or unauthenticated etc.?

[Skylore]

@Bardiaal try to update wweb.js version manually to 1.26.1-alpha.3 and use node.js v18.20.7

[Bardiaal]

Hi @Skylore thanks for the suggestion but this made things even more confusing.
Now not only is the authenticated event is triggered twice, the ready event is triggered twice too. I've tried it several times and keeps happening the same thing:

2025-03-02 02:48:14 -> Loading screen: 100% (WhatsApp)
2025-03-02 02:48:14 -> Authenticated successfully
2025-03-02 02:48:15 -> Client ready
2025-03-02 02:48:22 -> Authenticated successfully
2025-03-02 02:48:23 -> Client ready

I have updated the wweb.js version to 1.26.1-alpha.3 and node to v18.20.7:

PS C:\WhatsappServer> node -v
v18.20.7
PS C:\WhatsappServer> npm list
whatsappserver@1.0.0 C:\WhatsappServer
+-- express@4.21.2
+-- mongoose@8.11.0
+-- qrcode-terminal@0.12.0
+-- socket.io@4.8.1
+-- whatsapp-web.js@1.26.1-alpha.3
+-- wwebjs-mongo@1.1.0

The code is unchanged, It's exactly the same as my last comment.
Any hints about what's happening?

[Bardiaal]

So I made a futher investigation changing the pupeteer headless mode to true:
Looking at the chromium window this is what happens:

1. https://web.whatsapp.com/ loads
2. The loading screen comes in
3. It authenticates and shows the chats screen (first time authenticated and ready events are fired)
4. Returns to loading screen
5. Authenticates again and returns the chats screen again (second time authenticated and ready events are fired).

This looks more like a Whatsapp issue more than a wweb.js bug.
Hope it helps

[Spartan1404]

Hello, I have a simmilar problem, currently using wweb.js version 1.26.0 and node 20.11.1. The only difference is that it works as expected in my machine but it breaks when I deploy the code to Heroku. Is downgrading the node to version 18.20.7 the only working fix ?

const initializeWSClient = async () => {
  await mongoose.connect(process.env.DBURL);
  const store = new MongoStore({ mongoose: mongoose });
  const client = new Client({
    puppeteer: {
      executablePath: process.env.PORT ? "/app/.chrome-for-testing/chrome-linux64/chrome" : 'C:/Users/**********/.cache/puppeteer/chrome/win64-132.0.6834.110/chrome-win64/chrome.exe',
      args: ["--headless", "--no-sandbox"],
    },
    authStrategy: new ModifiedRemoteAuth({
      clientId: sessionName,
      store: store,
      backupSyncIntervalMs: 300000,
    }),
  });

  client.on("qr", (qr) => {
    // Generate and scan this code with your phone
    qrcode.generate(qr, { small: true });
    console.log("QR RECEIVED", qr);
  });

  client.on("authenticated", () => {
    console.log("AUTHENTICATED");
  });

  client.on("auth_failure", (msg) => {
    // Fired if session restore was unsuccessful
    console.error("AUTHENTICATION FAILURE", msg);
  });

  client.on("remote_session_saved", () => {
    console.log("session saved");
  });

  client.on("ready", () => {
    console.log("Client is ready!");
  });

  return client;
};

[personalrad]

Hi. Have a similar problem: client is ready, but can't send messages, etc. The problem is you're callin client.initialize() "too fast" after instantiating a "new Client". Don't know why, but seens it takes more time to load things when authStrategy is set to remote or even localdata. A quick fix is to wait a few seconds BETWEEN issuing "new Client()" and calling client.initialize()