twilio
Add SMS, voice calls, and WhatsApp messaging with Twilio. Use when a user asks to send SMS messages, make phone calls programmatically, add two-factor authentication via SMS, send WhatsApp messages, build an IVR system, set up phone number verification, receive incoming SMS, or build communication features into an app. Covers SMS, MMS, WhatsApp, Verify API (2FA), voice calls, and webhooks.
Usage
Getting Started
- Install the skill using the command above
- Open your AI coding agent (Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, or Cursor)
- Reference the skill in your prompt
- The AI will use the skill's capabilities automatically
Example Prompts
- "Review the open pull requests and summarize what needs attention"
- "Generate a changelog from the last 20 commits on the main branch"
Documentation
Overview
Twilio is the leading cloud communications platform. This skill covers sending SMS/MMS messages, WhatsApp messaging, two-factor authentication (Verify API), voice calls, and handling incoming messages via webhooks. Twilio provides phone numbers in 100+ countries and handles carrier-level complexity so you work with a simple API.
Instructions
Step 1: Setup
# Node.js
npm install twilio
# Python
pip install twilio
// lib/twilio.ts — Client initialization
import twilio from 'twilio'
const client = twilio(
process.env.TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID,
process.env.TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN
)
Step 2: Send SMS
// sms.ts — Send and receive SMS messages
import twilio from 'twilio'
const client = twilio(process.env.TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID, process.env.TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN)
// Send SMS
const message = await client.messages.create({
body: 'Your order #1234 has shipped! Track it at: https://track.example.com/1234',
from: process.env.TWILIO_PHONE_NUMBER, // your Twilio number
to: '+15551234567', // recipient (E.164 format)
})
console.log(message.sid) // SM1234567890abcdef
// Send MMS (with image)
await client.messages.create({
body: 'Check out this photo!',
from: process.env.TWILIO_PHONE_NUMBER,
to: '+15551234567',
mediaUrl: ['https://example.com/photo.jpg'],
})
Step 3: Two-Factor Authentication (Verify API)
// lib/verify.ts — Phone number verification / 2FA
// Uses Twilio Verify — handles code generation, delivery, and validation
const client = twilio(process.env.TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID, process.env.TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN)
const VERIFY_SERVICE_SID = process.env.TWILIO_VERIFY_SERVICE_SID! // create in Twilio console
export async function sendVerificationCode(phoneNumber: string) {
/**
* Send a 6-digit verification code via SMS.
* Twilio handles code generation, expiry (10 min), and rate limiting.
*/
const verification = await client.verify.v2
.services(VERIFY_SERVICE_SID)
.verifications.create({
to: phoneNumber,
channel: 'sms', // or 'call', 'email', 'whatsapp'
})
return verification.status // 'pending'
}
export async function checkVerificationCode(phoneNumber: string, code: string) {
/**
* Verify a code entered by the user.
* Returns 'approved' if correct, 'pending' if wrong.
*/
const check = await client.verify.v2
.services(VERIFY_SERVICE_SID)
.verificationChecks.create({
to: phoneNumber,
code,
})
return check.status // 'approved' or 'pending'
}
Step 4: WhatsApp Messaging
// whatsapp.ts — Send WhatsApp messages via Twilio
// Requires WhatsApp Business API setup in Twilio console
await client.messages.create({
body: 'Your appointment is confirmed for tomorrow at 2 PM.',
from: 'whatsapp:+14155238886', // Twilio WhatsApp sandbox number
to: 'whatsapp:+15551234567',
})
// WhatsApp with template (required for initiating conversations)
await client.messages.create({
from: 'whatsapp:+14155238886',
to: 'whatsapp:+15551234567',
contentSid: 'HXb5b62575e6e4ff6129ad7c8efe1f983e', // approved template SID
contentVariables: JSON.stringify({ '1': 'John', '2': 'March 15' }),
})
Step 5: Receive Incoming Messages (Webhooks)
// app/api/webhooks/twilio/route.ts — Handle incoming SMS/WhatsApp messages
import { NextRequest, NextResponse } from 'next/server'
import twilio from 'twilio'
const { MessagingResponse } = twilio.twiml
export async function POST(req: NextRequest) {
const formData = await req.formData()
const from = formData.get('From') as string
const body = formData.get('Body') as string
const messageSid = formData.get('MessageSid') as string
console.log(`Incoming from ${from}: ${body}`)
// Auto-reply with TwiML
const response = new MessagingResponse()
if (body.toLowerCase().includes('status')) {
response.message('Your order is on its way! Expected delivery: tomorrow.')
} else if (body.toLowerCase().includes('help')) {
response.message('Available commands: STATUS, HELP, CANCEL')
} else {
response.message('Thanks for your message! Reply HELP for options.')
}
return new NextResponse(response.toString(), {
headers: { 'Content-Type': 'text/xml' },
})
}
Step 6: Voice Calls
// voice.ts — Make automated phone calls
// TwiML controls what happens during the call
await client.calls.create({
url: 'https://myapp.com/api/voice/greeting', // TwiML endpoint
from: process.env.TWILIO_PHONE_NUMBER!,
to: '+15551234567',
})
// Voice webhook endpoint
// app/api/voice/greeting/route.ts
import twilio from 'twilio'
const { VoiceResponse } = twilio.twiml
export async function POST() {
const response = new VoiceResponse()
response.say({ voice: 'alice' }, 'Hello! Your appointment is confirmed for tomorrow at 2 PM.')
response.say('Press 1 to confirm, or 2 to reschedule.')
const gather = response.gather({ numDigits: 1, action: '/api/voice/handle-input' })
gather.say('Please make your selection.')
return new Response(response.toString(), {
headers: { 'Content-Type': 'text/xml' },
})
}
Examples
Example 1: Add SMS-based 2FA to a login flow
User prompt: "Add phone number verification to our signup flow. Users enter their phone number, receive a code, and verify it."
The agent will:
- Create a Twilio Verify service in the console.
- Build API endpoints:
/api/verify/sendand/api/verify/check. - Frontend flow: phone input → send code → code input → verify.
- Handle edge cases: rate limiting, expired codes, invalid numbers.
Example 2: Build an order notification system
User prompt: "Send customers an SMS when their order ships, and a WhatsApp message when it's delivered. Include tracking link."
The agent will:
- Set up SMS and WhatsApp messaging channels.
- Create notification functions triggered by order status changes.
- Use WhatsApp templates (required for business-initiated messages).
- Handle delivery status callbacks via webhooks.
Guidelines
- Use E.164 format for all phone numbers (
+15551234567, not555-123-4567). Twilio rejects incorrectly formatted numbers. - Use the Verify API for 2FA instead of sending raw SMS codes — it handles code generation, expiry, rate limiting, and fraud detection.
- WhatsApp requires pre-approved message templates for business-initiated conversations. User-initiated conversations (replies within 24h) allow freeform messages.
- Always validate webhook requests using Twilio's signature validation to prevent forged webhooks.
- SMS costs vary by country — US SMS costs ~$0.0079/message, international can be 10-50x more. Use WhatsApp for international messaging when possible (often cheaper).
- Set up a status callback URL to track message delivery. Not all SMS messages are delivered — carriers can silently drop them.
Information
- Version
- 1.0.0
- Author
- terminal-skills
- Category
- Development
- License
- Apache-2.0