# Twilio

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

[Canonical HTML page](https://top-mcps.com/mcp/twilio) · [server.json](https://top-mcps.com/mcp/twilio.json) · [methodology](https://top-mcps.com/about/methodology)

## Install

### Claude Desktop — `claude_desktop_config.json`

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

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

### Claude Code — `CLI or .mcp.json`

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

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

### Cursor — `.cursor/mcp.json`

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

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

### VS Code — `.vscode/mcp.json`

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

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

### Windsurf — `~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json`

Open via Cascade → hammer icon → Configure.

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

### Cline — `cline_mcp_settings.json`

Open via the Cline sidebar → MCP Servers → Edit.

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

### Continue — `~/.continue/config.json`

Continue uses modelContextProtocolServers with a transport block.

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

### Codex CLI — `~/.codex/config.toml`

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

```shell
# ~/.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}" }
```

### Zed — `~/.config/zed/settings.json`

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

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

### ChatGPT — `ChatGPT → Apps directory`

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.

```none

```

## At a glance

- **Maintainer:** Community (twilio-mcp)
- **Transport:** stdio
- **Auth model:** API key
- **Required secrets:** TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID, TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN
- **Supported clients:** Claude, Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf, Any MCP-compatible client, Twilio account
- **License:** Apache-2.0
- **Language:** TypeScript
- **Latest version:** latest
- **Last verified:** 2026-05-31
- **GitHub stars:** 105 (fetched 2026-06-02T11:55:52.424Z)
- **Score:** 71/100 (rubric 2026-04 — see https://top-mcps.com/about/methodology)
- **Source:** https://github.com/twilio-labs/mcp

## 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).

## 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
- Two-way interactive SMS flows

**Not for:**
- High-volume marketing SMS
- Full contact-center / IVR builds
- Markets without Twilio coverage

## Description

The official Twilio MCP lets an AI agent send SMS messages, WhatsApp Business messages, and outbound voice calls via Twilio. Designed for notification flows (text the on-call engineer), interactive flows (two-way SMS with the agent in the loop), and lightweight voice IVR (trigger a callback when a workflow finishes).

## Why it matters

SMS is the highest-deliverability channel that still exists. Agent-driven SMS unlocks alerts that route past spam filters, plus interactive two-way flows.

## Key features

- SMS via long-code, short-code, or toll-free
- WhatsApp Business (with template approval)
- Outbound voice with TwiML
- Message-history inspection
- Phone-number enumeration

## FAQ

### How is auth scoped?

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.

### International SMS?

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

### Voice cost?

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

## Changelog

- **2026-05-31** — Refreshed install snippets and fact sheet; verified for 2026.
- **2025-04-25** — Initial directory listing.