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+---
+name: "WhatsApp bot startup announcement after restart"
+---
+
+# Story 396: WhatsApp bot startup announcement after restart
+
+## User Story
+
+As a WhatsApp user, I want the bot to announce its presence when it starts up or restarts, like it does in Matrix, so I know it's back online and ready.
+
+## Acceptance Criteria
+
+- [ ] Bot sends a startup message to all known WhatsApp senders (from conversation history or ambient rooms) when the server starts
+- [ ] Startup message includes the bot name and indicates it is online/ready
+- [ ] Slack transport gets the same startup announcement treatment
+- [ ] Matrix startup announcement behavior is unaffected
+- [ ] After a rebuild command, the new process sends the announcement on startup
+
+## Out of Scope
+
+- TBD