diff --git a/src/bridge.ts b/src/bridge.ts
index 3c1ced3..2964d5c 100644
--- a/src/bridge.ts
+++ b/src/bridge.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import { StreamableHTTPClientTransport } from "@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/client/
 import { UnauthorizedError } from "@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/client/auth.js";
 import { createHash } from "node:crypto";
 import { join, dirname } from "node:path";
+import { spawn, type ChildProcess } from "node:child_process";
 import type { ConnectorsConfig, ServerConfig } from "./config.js";
 import { saveConfig } from "./config.js";
 import { KeychainOAuthProvider, takePendingAuthUrl } from "./oauth.js";
@@ -91,6 +92,9 @@ interface ServerEntry {
 
 export class ConnectorBridge {
   private servers = new Map<string, ServerEntry>();
+  // Companion sidecar processes (e.g. the WhatsApp bridge), keyed by connector id. Started on
+  // connect, killed on disconnect/shutdown. v1 lifecycle = child-of-connectd (dies with the app).
+  private companions = new Map<string, ChildProcess>();
   // The live config the bridge owns and persists. UI edits mutate this and call saveConfig.
   private config: ConnectorsConfig = { servers: {} };
 
@@ -166,6 +170,49 @@ export class ConnectorBridge {
     if (entry?.client) {
       try { await entry.client.close(); } catch { /* best effort */ }
     }
+    const comp = this.companions.get(id);
+    if (comp) {
+      try { comp.kill(); } catch { /* best effort */ }
+      this.companions.delete(id);
+    }
+  }
+
+  // Ensure a connector's companion sidecar is running before we spawn its MCP server.
+  // If healthUrl already responds, something is serving (reuse it). Otherwise spawn the companion
+  // as a child and poll healthUrl until it's up (or time out). Throws if it never becomes healthy.
+  private async ensureCompanion(id: string, comp: NonNullable<ServerConfig["companion"]>): Promise<void> {
+    const ping = async (): Promise<boolean> => {
+      if (!comp.healthUrl) return false;
+      try {
+        const r = await fetch(comp.healthUrl, { signal: AbortSignal.timeout(1500) });
+        return r.ok || r.status === 401; // 401 = up but unauthorized (still "running")
+      } catch { return false; }
+    };
+    if (await ping()) return; // already running (this session or a prior one)
+    if (this.companions.has(id)) return; // we already started it
+    const child = spawn(
+      resolveRuntimeCommand(comp.command),
+      (comp.args ?? []).map(resolveBundledArg),
+      { env: { ...process.env, ...(comp.env ?? {}) } as Record<string, string>, stdio: "ignore" },
+    );
+    this.companions.set(id, child);
+    child.on("exit", () => this.companions.delete(id));
+    if (!comp.healthUrl) return; // no health probe configured — best-effort start
+    const deadline = Date.now() + 15000;
+    while (Date.now() < deadline) {
+      await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 400));
+      if (await ping()) return;
+    }
+    throw new Error(`companion for "${id}" did not become healthy within 15s`);
+  }
+
+  // Kill every companion sidecar — called on connectd shutdown so we never orphan a child
+  // process (e.g. the WhatsApp bridge) when the app/daemon exits.
+  disposeCompanions(): void {
+    for (const [id, child] of this.companions) {
+      try { child.kill(); } catch { /* best effort */ }
+      this.companions.delete(id);
+    }
   }
 
   private async connectServer(id: string, cfg: ServerConfig): Promise<void> {
@@ -204,6 +251,20 @@ export class ConnectorBridge {
       // not a code change — we set the common names so swapping servers stays config-only.
       extraEnv = { GOOGLE_ACCESS_TOKEN: token, GOOGLE_OAUTH_ACCESS_TOKEN: token };
     }
+    // Start the companion sidecar (e.g. the WhatsApp bridge) before the MCP server that talks to it.
+    if (cfg.companion) {
+      try {
+        await this.ensureCompanion(id, cfg.companion);
+      } catch (err) {
+        const msg = err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err);
+        this.servers.set(id, {
+          id, cfg, status: "needs_setup", tools: [],
+          error: "Couldn't start the connector's helper service — try toggling it off and on.",
+        });
+        console.error(`[connectd] ${id}: companion failed (${msg}) — needs_setup`);
+        return;
+      }
+    }
     try {
       const transport = new StdioClientTransport({
         command: resolveRuntimeCommand(cfg.command!),
diff --git a/src/config.ts b/src/config.ts
index fe2f39c..c8817c0 100644
--- a/src/config.ts
+++ b/src/config.ts
@@ -11,6 +11,16 @@ export interface ServerConfig {
   command?: string;
   args?: string[];
   env?: Record<string, string>;
+  // Companion sidecar: a long-running process this connector's MCP server talks to (e.g. the
+  // WhatsApp bridge on :8080 that holds the paired session). connectd starts it as a CHILD when the
+  // connector connects, waits for healthUrl to respond, then spawns the MCP server; it is killed on
+  // disconnect/shutdown. `command` supports @bin//@node//@bundled resolution like the server itself.
+  companion?: {
+    command: string;
+    args?: string[];
+    env?: Record<string, string>;
+    healthUrl?: string;
+  };
   // http (Phase 3)
   url?: string;
   auth?: "none" | "oauth" | "token" | "google";
diff --git a/src/index.ts b/src/index.ts
index a8ea66b..cd76574 100644
--- a/src/index.ts
+++ b/src/index.ts
@@ -16,6 +16,14 @@ async function main(): Promise<void> {
   console.error(`[connectd] ready — ${total} tool(s) across ${bridge.serverStatuses().length} server(s)`);
 
   startServer(bridge);
+
+  // Clean shutdown: kill companion sidecars (e.g. the WhatsApp bridge) so they don't orphan.
+  for (const sig of ["SIGINT", "SIGTERM"] as const) {
+    process.on(sig, () => {
+      bridge.disposeCompanions();
+      process.exit(0);
+    });
+  }
 }
 
 main().catch((err) => {