Twilio API keys can be scoped per service. Prefer a scoped API key (not the master auth token) and grant only the services the agent should call.

Does it support WhatsApp Business?

Yes — but WhatsApp requires template-approved messages outside the 24-hour conversation window. Plan that approval before going live.

Yes, with the usual per-country compliance (sender-ID rules, opt-in requirements). Twilio enforces destination caveats; your MCP loop should mirror them.

Per-minute billing per destination. Agent-triggered voice can compound costs quickly — add per-conversation budgets.

Twilio

Name: Top MCPs — curated MCP directory
Creator: Top MCPs
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Official

Send SMS, WhatsApp, and voice calls from an AI agent via Twilio.

Score 71(?)Community (twilio-mcp)Apache-2.0 105Verified May 31, 2026Top MCPs for Communication →

Install View on GitHub

Quick answer

What it does

Connects to a Twilio account and exposes SMS, WhatsApp, and outbound voice tools — plus account-level info like phone-number enumeration and message history.

Best for

Transactional SMS
On-call alerts via text
WhatsApp Business messages
Outbound voice notifications

Not for

High-volume marketing SMS
Full contact-center / IVR builds

Setup recipe

Pick your client, then follow the three steps.

Install

claude_desktop_config.jsonjson

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "twilio": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "twilio-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID": "${TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID}",
        "TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN": "${TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Paste under mcpServers. Fully quit and reopen Claude after editing.

CLI or .mcp.jsonshell

# export TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID=AC…
# export TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN=your-twilio-auth-token
claude mcp add twilio -- npx -y twilio-mcp

Run from your repo. Commit .mcp.json to share with your team.

.cursor/mcp.jsonjson

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "twilio": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "twilio-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID": "${TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID}",
        "TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN": "${TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Global path: ~/.cursor/mcp.json. Reload window after editing.

.vscode/mcp.jsonjsonc

{
  "servers": {
    "twilio": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "twilio-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID": "${TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID}",
        "TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN": "${TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN}"
      }
    }
  }
}

VS Code uses the "servers" key (not "mcpServers").

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.jsonjson

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "twilio": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "twilio-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID": "${TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID}",
        "TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN": "${TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Open via Cascade → hammer icon → Configure.

cline_mcp_settings.jsonjson

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "twilio": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "twilio-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID": "${TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID}",
        "TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN": "${TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Open via the Cline sidebar → MCP Servers → Edit.

~/.continue/config.jsonjson

{
  "experimental": {
    "modelContextProtocolServers": [
      {
        "transport": {
          "type": "stdio",
          "command": "npx",
          "args": [
            "-y",
            "twilio-mcp"
          ],
          "env": {
            "TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID": "${TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID}",
            "TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN": "${TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN}"
          }
        }
      }
    ]
  }
}

Continue uses modelContextProtocolServers with a transport block.

~/.codex/config.tomlshell

# ~/.codex/config.toml
[mcp_servers.twilio]
command = "npx"
args = [
  "-y",
  "twilio-mcp",
]
env = { TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID = "${TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID}", TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN = "${TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN}" }

Codex uses TOML. Each server is a [mcp_servers.<name>] subtable.

~/.config/zed/settings.jsonjsonc

{
  "context_servers": {
    "twilio": {
      "command": {
        "path": "npx",
        "args": [
          "-y",
          "twilio-mcp"
        ]
      },
      "env": {
        "TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID": "${TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID}",
        "TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN": "${TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Zed calls them "context_servers". Settings live-reload on save.

ChatGPT → Apps directorynone

Twilio doesn't ship a hosted HTTPS endpoint today. ChatGPT supports remote MCP servers only — to use this server in ChatGPT you'll need to deploy it to a public HTTPS URL first (e.g. via Cloudflare Workers or Vercel) or wait for an official remote build.

2
Set required secrets
Set TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID, TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN in your shell environment before launching your MCP client.
3
Try a minimum working prompt
Minimum working prompt pending verification. Try any prompt from the MCP’s README once installed.

Tools & permissions

Tools list pending verification. The server exposes tools over MCP; we haven’t yet parsed its capability manifest into this page. Check the GitHub repo for the authoritative list.

Security & scope

Access scope: Network
Sandbox: Twilio auth token (or scoped API key) in env. Scoped keys are strongly preferred — never give an agent the account-level auth token.
Gotchas: SMS / WhatsApp / voice are billed per send — agent loops can run up a tab.
WhatsApp templated messages need pre-approval. Without it, sends fail outside 24-hour windows.
Compliance varies by country (10DLC in US, sender-ID registration in many EU countries).

Agent prompt pack

— copy into Claude, Cursor, or ChatGPT.

Paste into Claude, Cursor, or ChatGPT. Edit the [brackets] before sending.

Recommend the best MCP servers for [task: e.g. communication work] in [client: Claude].

Constraints:
- Prefer tools that are [official | open-source | read-only] — pick what matters for my use case.
- Exclude MCPs that require [e.g. a paid plan, OAuth-only flows, remote-only transport].
- Return at most 3 picks, ranked.

For each pick include:
1. One-sentence rationale.
2. The ready-to-paste install snippet for my client.
3. Any required secrets I need to create before installing.

Cross-check the top-mcps.com listing: https://top-mcps.com/top-mcps-for-communication

Compare Twilio against a real alternative. Swap the second MCP in [brackets] if you want a different match.

Compare Twilio MCP vs [Slack MCP] for the following job: [describe the job, e.g. "let an agent create GitHub issues on bug triage"].

Judge them on:
- Setup time and complexity (what a new user hits first).
- Auth model (none / API key / OAuth 2.1) and credential risk.
- Transport (stdio / Streamable HTTP / SSE) and where the server runs.
- Required secrets and the blast radius if they leak.
- Operational risk in an unattended agent loop.
- Which one is "good enough" for a weekend prototype vs. production.

End with one sentence: which should I pick for my scenario, which is: [my scenario].

References:
- https://top-mcps.com/mcp/twilio
- top-mcps.com listing for Slack

Asks the agent to install and verify. Works inside Claude Code, Cursor Agent, Codex CLI.

Install the Twilio MCP server for my [client: Claude] at the default config path for that client.

Use the exact install snippet published at https://top-mcps.com/mcp/twilio (fetch https://top-mcps.com/mcp/twilio.json for the canonical server.json if you can read URLs).

Before finishing:
1. Create the required secrets (TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID, TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN) and put them in the appropriate env block — do not hard-code them.
2. Restart or reload the client so it picks up the new server.
3. Verify the server is connected (green / running state) and at least one tool is listed.
4. If anything fails, read the client's MCP logs and report the exact error — do not silently retry.

Confirm when done and list the tools the server now exposes.

Frequently asked questions

What changed

— 2 updates tracked.

May 31, 2026
Refreshed install snippets and fact sheet; verified for 2026.
Apr 25, 2025
Initial directory listing.

More Communication MCPs

Other tools in the same category worth evaluating.

Slack

Read and send Slack messages, manage channels and threads.

slackmessagingcommunicationautomation

10 minMedium

Discord

Read and post to Discord channels — community management for AI agents.

discordchatcommunitybot

10 minMedium

Send messages and read channel history from a Telegram bot in an agent.

communicationmessagingtelegrambot

6 minLow

Compared with Twilio

Side-by-side breakdowns for the choices people most often weigh against this MCP.

TwiliovsSlack TwiliovsDiscord TwiliovsMicrosoft Teams TwiliovsTelegram

Exploring Top MCPs for Communication? See all Communication MCPs →

Quick answer

What it does

Best for

Not for

Setup recipe

Install

Set required secrets

Try a minimum working prompt

Tools & permissions

Security & scope

Agent prompt pack

Full details

Frequently asked questions

How is auth scoped?

Does it support WhatsApp Business?

International SMS?

Voice cost?

What changed

More Communication MCPs

Slack

Discord

Telegram

Compared with Twilio