SMS
Connect a Twilio SMS number, point its incoming-message webhook at the channel, verify signatures, and keep replies short enough for SMS.
SMS runs on Twilio and answers with AI by default. See Channels overview.
What you need
A Twilio account with an SMS-capable number, and its Account SID and Auth Token.
Connect
- 1On the chatbot's Channels tab, add an SMS channel with:
| Field | Value | | ----------- | ----------------------- | | Account SID | From the Twilio console | | Auth Token | From the Twilio console | | From number | +1… in E.164 format |
- 1Copy the webhook URL shown after connecting.
- 2In the Twilio console, open the number and set "A message comes in" to
that webhook URL, with method
POST.
Credentials are stored encrypted.
If the number is already connected to another chatbot for the same type, you get a duplicate-number warning naming that bot — the same number and type map to one Twilio webhook slot, so the newer connection takes it over. You can still proceed deliberately.
Verify it works
Text the number. The message should appear in the Inbox tagged SMS, and the AI should text back.
Inbound requests are verified against Twilio's X-Twilio-Signature header using your auth token.
Keep replies short
SMS renders no formatting, and long messages are split by the carrier. Replies are already normalised to plain text, but it is worth setting the chatbot's max reply sentences for an SMS-heavy deployment — see Chatbot settings.
Attachments cannot be sent from the inbox on SMS; agents see "Attachments aren't supported on this channel". Send a link instead.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Cause |
|---|---|
| No messages yet | The number's incoming webhook is not pointed at the channel URL |
| Signature rejected | The auth token on the channel does not match the Twilio account |
| Outbound marked Not delivered | Twilio rejected the send — read the stored reason, then Retry |
| Messages land on the wrong chatbot | Another channel claimed the same number; see the duplicate warning |
Where to go next
- WhatsApp via Twilio — the same credentials,
a different from-number format.
- Voice — the same Twilio account, a different pipeline.
Last updated