diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 394607a..762dc10 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -9,6 +9,16 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 
 ## 2026-08-23
 
+### Added
+
+- **whatsapp: chats and messages now survive a restart (v8 / 2.2.0)** — closes the gap left open by v7. WhatsApp delivers a history sync at *login*, not on reconnect, so with a purely in-memory store every process restart left the connector blind until new messages happened to arrive — and the process had restarted 23 times in two weeks. The store is now mirrored to `store/`, next to `auth/` and bind-mounted the same way, so it outlives both a restart and a container recreate.
+  - **No SQLite, deliberately.** `node:sqlite` needs Node 22 (and is only unflagged from Node 24); the runtime image ships Debian trixie's `nodejs` = 20.19.2. `better-sqlite3` is a native module the slim image has no toolchain to build. So: `store/messages.jsonl`, an append-only log (one `appendFileSync` per message, O(1)), plus `store/meta.json`, a debounced snapshot of chats/contacts (5s, since they churn in bursts during a history sync). Both written via write-tmp-then-`rename`, which is atomic — a crash mid-write cannot truncate the store.
+  - The log is compacted on load and every 500 appends: the capped in-memory Maps are re-serialised, so the file cannot creep upward across restarts.
+  - **Fixes a pre-existing duplication bug in the process.** `pushMessage` appended unconditionally, so every history re-sync re-added messages already held. It now returns false on a known message id (a ≤500-element scan per message) and `ingestMessage` skips both the transcript and the log — without it, persistence would have multiplied the duplicates once per restart instead of merely showing them.
+  - `MAX_MSGS_PER_CHAT` 200 → 500, worth more now that it is not thrown away at every restart. `logout` deletes `store/` along with `auth/`, so re-linking a different phone cannot inherit the previous account's history.
+  - ⚠️ Data at rest: message text is now written to disk in the user's bind-mounted home. Nothing was persisted before this change beyond the session keys.
+  - Verified on `skald-runtime:v4` with a seeded store — 751 log lines containing 50 exact duplicates, a 700-message chat, and a deliberately torn trailing line → loaded as 701 messages (duplicates collapsed, torn line skipped, no crash), compacted to 501 lines, the 700-message chat trimmed to its most recent 500, `meta.json` round-tripped, and a second run reloading 501 → 501 unchanged ✅
+
 ### Fixed
 
 - **whatsapp: history sync silently disabled, and Signal sessions corrupted by reconnects (v7 / 2.1.0)** — diagnosed from the live server, where two users (two separate accounts, separate `auth/` dirs) share one log file. Four distinct defects, plus a dependency upgrade.
diff --git a/connectors/connectors.json b/connectors/connectors.json
index ef54c9f..d6929a9 100644
--- a/connectors/connectors.json
+++ b/connectors/connectors.json
@@ -794,14 +794,14 @@
         "type": "qr"
       },
       "folder": "whatsapp",
-      "version": 7,
-      "version_string": "2.1.0",
+      "version": 8,
+      "version_string": "2.2.0",
       "version_release_date": "2026-08-23",
       "files": [
         {
           "path": "connector.json",
-          "sha256": "87bac98a524c604ca016a80b26200ae16aaee3926baecfe99e1c336833823307",
-          "size": 1485
+          "sha256": "7efc38c81915ecef2ecdd5bc16b4e3fbccc9ef735a5ae6262317b823a64d6f31",
+          "size": 1609
         },
         {
           "path": "icon_lg.png",
@@ -815,8 +815,8 @@
         },
         {
           "path": "index.js",
-          "sha256": "fa1f1c31c1f3b6b32df3de0a1175e1cb51a0417dce7e3aa52fa8655900dd2967",
-          "size": 29495
+          "sha256": "291a450714859e9f579bd2594bc6a5120daf17a9c77cf6c7cb1e59c64d5aa4f4",
+          "size": 33564
         },
         {
           "path": "package.json",
diff --git a/connectors/whatsapp/connector.json b/connectors/whatsapp/connector.json
index 8a057ac..677683d 100644
--- a/connectors/whatsapp/connector.json
+++ b/connectors/whatsapp/connector.json
@@ -23,7 +23,8 @@
     "Skald installs dependencies automatically (npm install).",
     "Open the connector in Skald and scan the QR code with your WhatsApp phone.",
     "The session is persisted and survives restarts.",
-    "The phone lists this device as \"Mac OS Chrome\": that browser identity is what makes WhatsApp deliver the full history sync."
+    "The phone lists this device as \"Mac OS Chrome\": that browser identity is what makes WhatsApp deliver the full history sync.",
+    "Chats and messages are mirrored to ./store/ so they survive a restart; `logout` deletes them along with the session."
   ],
   "docs": [
     {
@@ -45,7 +46,7 @@
   "homepage": "https://github.com/WhiskeySockets/Baileys",
   "icon_small": "icon_sm.png",
   "icon_large": "icon_lg.png",
-  "version": 7,
-  "version_string": "2.1.0",
+  "version": 8,
+  "version_string": "2.2.0",
   "version_release_date": "2026-08-23"
 }
diff --git a/connectors/whatsapp/fragment.json b/connectors/whatsapp/fragment.json
index e741d46..0a80045 100644
--- a/connectors/whatsapp/fragment.json
+++ b/connectors/whatsapp/fragment.json
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
     "type": "qr"
   },
   "folder": "whatsapp",
-  "version": 7,
-  "version_string": "2.1.0",
+  "version": 8,
+  "version_string": "2.2.0",
   "version_release_date": "2026-08-23"
 }
diff --git a/connectors/whatsapp/index.js b/connectors/whatsapp/index.js
index eb99fa1..45fde2f 100644
--- a/connectors/whatsapp/index.js
+++ b/connectors/whatsapp/index.js
@@ -125,22 +125,126 @@ const RECONNECT_BASE_MS = 1500;
 const RECONNECT_MAX_MS = 60_000;
 let backoffMs = RECONNECT_BASE_MS;
 
-// ── Lightweight in-memory store ───────────────────────────────────────────────
+// ── Store ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 // Baileys keeps no chat/contact store of its own; we build a minimal one from the
-// history-sync event and live upserts. It lives for the process lifetime — enough
-// for "what's going on now", not a full archive.
+// history-sync event and live upserts. It is mirrored to `store/` (bind-mounted next
+// to `auth/`, so it survives a container recreate) because WhatsApp only delivers a
+// history sync at *login* — without a mirror every process restart left the connector
+// blind until new messages happened to arrive.
+//
+// Deliberately not SQLite: `node:sqlite` needs Node 22 (the runtime image is 20.19.2)
+// and `better-sqlite3` is a native module the slim image cannot build. So: an
+// append-only JSONL log for messages (O(1) per message) plus a small debounced
+// snapshot for chats/contacts.
 const chats    = new Map();   // jid -> { id, name, unread, conversationTimestamp }
 const contacts = new Map();   // jid -> { id, name }
 const messages = new Map();   // jid -> [ { id, fromMe, ts, text, author } ]  (capped)
 
-const MAX_MSGS_PER_CHAT = 200;
+const MAX_MSGS_PER_CHAT = 500;
 
+const STORE_DIR  = path.join(__dirname, 'store');
+const MSG_LOG    = path.join(STORE_DIR, 'messages.jsonl');
+const META_FILE  = path.join(STORE_DIR, 'meta.json');
+const COMPACT_EVERY = 500;    // appends between rewrites of the log
+const META_DEBOUNCE_MS = 5000;
+
+let appendsSinceCompact = 0;
+let metaTimer = null;
+
+// Returns false when the message was already known: history sync re-delivers the same
+// ids on every login, and without this both the log and the transcript would grow a
+// duplicate per restart.
 function pushMessage(jid, m) {
-  if (!jid) return;
+  if (!jid) return false;
   let arr = messages.get(jid);
   if (!arr) { arr = []; messages.set(jid, arr); }
+  if (m.id && arr.some((x) => x.id === m.id)) return false;
   arr.push(m);
   if (arr.length > MAX_MSGS_PER_CHAT) arr.splice(0, arr.length - MAX_MSGS_PER_CHAT);
+  return true;
+}
+
+function writeFileAtomic(file, data) {
+  const tmp = `${file}.tmp`;
+  fs.writeFileSync(tmp, data);
+  fs.renameSync(tmp, file);   // rename is atomic: a crash mid-write cannot truncate the store
+}
+
+function loadStore() {
+  try {
+    const meta = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(META_FILE, 'utf8'));
+    for (const c of meta.chats || []) if (c?.id) chats.set(c.id, c);
+    for (const c of meta.contacts || []) if (c?.id) contacts.set(c.id, c);
+  } catch { /* first run, or a snapshot we cannot parse — start empty */ }
+
+  let restored = 0;
+  try {
+    for (const line of fs.readFileSync(MSG_LOG, 'utf8').split('\n')) {
+      if (!line) continue;
+      try {
+        const { jid, m } = JSON.parse(line);
+        if (pushMessage(jid, m)) restored++;
+      } catch { /* skip a torn trailing line */ }
+    }
+  } catch { /* no log yet */ }
+
+  if (restored || chats.size || contacts.size) {
+    log(`store loaded: ${chats.size} chats, ${contacts.size} contacts, ${restored} messages`);
+  }
+  // Rewrite immediately: replays the per-chat cap and drops duplicates, so the log
+  // cannot creep upward across restarts.
+  if (restored) compactMessageLog();
+}
+
+function compactMessageLog() {
+  try {
+    fs.mkdirSync(STORE_DIR, { recursive: true });
+    const out = [];
+    for (const [jid, arr] of messages) for (const m of arr) out.push(JSON.stringify({ jid, m }));
+    writeFileAtomic(MSG_LOG, out.length ? out.join('\n') + '\n' : '');
+    appendsSinceCompact = 0;
+  } catch (e) {
+    log(`store compaction failed: ${e.message}`);
+  }
+}
+
+function appendMessage(jid, m) {
+  try {
+    fs.mkdirSync(STORE_DIR, { recursive: true });
+    fs.appendFileSync(MSG_LOG, JSON.stringify({ jid, m }) + '\n');
+    if (++appendsSinceCompact >= COMPACT_EVERY) compactMessageLog();
+  } catch (e) {
+    log(`store append failed: ${e.message}`);
+  }
+}
+
+function saveMeta() {
+  try {
+    fs.mkdirSync(STORE_DIR, { recursive: true });
+    writeFileAtomic(META_FILE, JSON.stringify({
+      chats: [...chats.values()],
+      contacts: [...contacts.values()],
+    }));
+  } catch (e) {
+    log(`store meta save failed: ${e.message}`);
+  }
+}
+
+// chats/contacts churn in bursts during a history sync; one write per burst is enough.
+function scheduleMetaSave() {
+  if (metaTimer) return;
+  metaTimer = setTimeout(() => { metaTimer = null; saveMeta(); }, META_DEBOUNCE_MS);
+}
+
+function flushStore() {
+  if (metaTimer) { clearTimeout(metaTimer); metaTimer = null; }
+  saveMeta();
+}
+
+function clearStore() {
+  try { fs.rmSync(STORE_DIR, { recursive: true, force: true }); } catch { /* nothing to clear */ }
+  appendsSinceCompact = 0;
+  if (metaTimer) { clearTimeout(metaTimer); metaTimer = null; }
 }
 
 function contactName(jid) {
@@ -307,6 +411,7 @@ async function startSock() {
         contacts.set(c.id, { id: c.id, name: c.name || c.notify || c.verifiedName || null });
       }
       for (const m of hm || []) ingestMessage(m, false);
+      scheduleMetaSave();
       log(`history sync (type ${syncType ?? '?'}${progress != null ? `, ${progress}%` : ''}): ` +
           `+${(hc || []).length} chats, +${(hcs || []).length} contacts, +${(hm || []).length} messages ` +
           `→ ${chats.size} chats / ${contacts.size} contacts known`);
@@ -319,10 +424,12 @@ async function startSock() {
         unread: c.unreadCount || 0,
         conversationTimestamp: Number(c.conversationTimestamp) || 0,
       });
+      scheduleMetaSave();
     });
     s.ev.on('contacts.upsert', (cs) => {
       if (myGen !== generation) return;
       for (const c of cs) contacts.set(c.id, { id: c.id, name: c.name || c.notify || c.verifiedName || null });
+      scheduleMetaSave();
     });
     s.ev.on('contacts.update', (cs) => {
       if (myGen !== generation) return;
@@ -330,6 +437,7 @@ async function startSock() {
         const prev = contacts.get(c.id) || { id: c.id };
         contacts.set(c.id, { ...prev, name: c.name || c.notify || prev.name || null });
       }
+      scheduleMetaSave();
     });
 
     s.ev.on('messages.upsert', ({ messages: ms, type }) => {
@@ -363,19 +471,24 @@ function ingestMessage(m, live) {
     // and are pure noise in a transcript.
     if (!text) return;
 
-    pushMessage(jid, {
+    const stored = {
       id: m.key?.id,
       fromMe: !!m.key?.fromMe,
       ts: Number(m.messageTimestamp) || 0,
       text,
       author: m.key?.participant || (m.key?.fromMe ? meJid : jid),
-    });
+    };
+    if (!pushMessage(jid, stored)) return;   // already known — do not log it twice
+    appendMessage(jid, stored);
+
     if (live && !chats.has(jid)) {
       chats.set(jid, { id: jid, name: m.pushName || null, unread: 0, conversationTimestamp: Number(m.messageTimestamp) || 0 });
+      scheduleMetaSave();
     } else if (live) {
       const ch = chats.get(jid);
       ch.conversationTimestamp = Number(m.messageTimestamp) || ch.conversationTimestamp;
       if (m.pushName && !ch.name) ch.name = m.pushName;
+      scheduleMetaSave();
     }
   } catch { /* one malformed frame must not stop the stream */ }
 }
@@ -435,6 +548,7 @@ async function toolLogout() {
   if (reconnectTimer) { clearTimeout(reconnectTimer); reconnectTimer = null; }
   try { fs.rmSync(AUTH_DIR, { recursive: true, force: true }); } catch { /* nothing to clear */ }
   chats.clear(); contacts.clear(); messages.clear();
+  clearStore();
   curQr = null; state = 'connecting'; starting = false; meJid = null;
   backoffMs = RECONNECT_BASE_MS;
   scheduleReconnect(500);
@@ -634,6 +748,7 @@ async function handleRequest(msg) {
 async function main() {
   log('Starting WhatsApp MCP server (Baileys)');
   fs.mkdirSync(MEDIA_DIR, { recursive: true });
+  loadStore();
 
   if (await loadBaileys()) {
     startSock().catch((e) => log(`initial startSock failed: ${e.message}`));
@@ -658,6 +773,7 @@ function shutdown(code) {
   generation++;
   teardownSock(sock);
   sock = null;
+  flushStore();
   process.exit(code);
 }