How to send SMS from ChatGPT

Can ChatGPT send text messages?

Out of the box, no. ChatGPT can write the perfect message, but it has no phone number and no way to reach a carrier. You copy the text, open your phone, paste it, and send it yourself.

That changes when you add an app to ChatGPT. Apps (built on the Model Context Protocol, or MCP) let ChatGPT call real services on your behalf. Connect an SMS app backed by Twilio, and ChatGPT can send texts, check delivery, and read replies, always after showing you the message first.

This guide uses EpicTexting, the app we built for exactly this. Setup takes about five minutes and no code.

What you need

• A ChatGPT account that can add apps.
• A Twilio account with a phone number. Twilio is the network that delivers the SMS. Using your own account means texts come from your number and you pay Twilio's price with no markup.
• A free EpicTexting account. It connects ChatGPT to Twilio, checks every recipient and keeps a log.

Step 1: Get a Twilio phone number

1. Sign up at twilio.com. New accounts get trial credit.
2. Buy a phone number with SMS capability (Phone Numbers → Buy a number). A US local number costs about $1.15 a month.
3. On the console home page, find Account Info and copy your Account SID (starts with AC) and Auth Token.

Texting US numbers? US carriers require A2P 10DLC registration for local numbers (or toll-free verification for toll-free numbers). Do it in the Twilio console, or messages may be blocked. On a Twilio trial account you can only text numbers you have verified in Twilio.

Prefer to watch? These two short videos show the whole Twilio sign-up:

Step 2: Connect Twilio to EpicTexting

1. Go to epictexting.app and continue with Google.
2. Paste your Account SID and Auth Token and press Connect Twilio.
3. EpicTexting checks the keys with Twilio and lists your numbers. Pick the one you want to send from.

Your Auth Token is encrypted before it's stored and is never shared with ChatGPT. You can send a test text from the dashboard right away to check everything works.

Step 3: Add EpicTexting to ChatGPT

1. In ChatGPT, open your settings and go to Plugins (apps), then Add → Create MCP App.
2. Name it EpicTexting and paste the server URL shown on your EpicTexting dashboard.
3. Choose OAuth as the authentication. ChatGPT opens an EpicTexting window.
4. Check the permissions and press Allow. You're back in ChatGPT with EpicTexting connected.

Step 4: Send your first text

Start a chat and ask the way you'd ask an assistant. Include the number in international format, with the + and country code:

ChatGPT calls EpicTexting, shows you the recipient, the sender number and the exact words, and waits. Press Confirm and the SMS goes out from your Twilio number. ChatGPT tells you it's sent and how many texts you have left this month.

Text a whole list, each by name

Paste a list (or a table copied from a spreadsheet) and write the message once. Use {name} where each person's name should go:

Each person gets their own text with their own name. EpicTexting removes duplicate numbers, refuses numbers that aren't in a valid format (so nothing half-sends), and allows up to 50 people per send. ChatGPT shows the full list before anything goes out.

Check delivery and read replies

• Did my text to Priya get delivered? returns the Twilio status: queued, sent, delivered, undelivered or failed, with the reason if it failed.
• Show me my last 10 messages lists sent and received texts, so you can see who replied.
• Your EpicTexting dashboard keeps a log of everything you sent from ChatGPT or the web.

What it costs

There are two small bills. EpicTexting charges for the software, and Twilio charges for delivery at its own price.

Twilio US list price of $0.0083 per SMS segment, plus your number (about $1.15 a month) and small carrier fees. A segment is up to 160 plain characters, or 70 if the message has emoji. See the pricing calculator for your own numbers.

Troubleshooting

“Twilio rejected that Account SID / Auth Token”

Copy both again from the Account Info box in the Twilio console. If you rotated your Auth Token, reconnect in the dashboard.

Error 21608: the number is unverified

Twilio trial accounts can only text verified numbers. Verify the recipient in Twilio, or upgrade your Twilio account.

Error 30034: message blocked in the US

Your US number isn't registered for A2P 10DLC yet. Register it in the Twilio console. Approval usually takes a few days.

“Some numbers aren't in international format”

Write numbers with a plus and the country code, like +14155550123 or +447700900123. Spaces and dashes are fine, since EpicTexting strips them.

ChatGPT doesn't use the app

Mention it by name (“using EpicTexting, text…”) or select it in the composer. If it says it isn't connected, remove the app in ChatGPT, add it again, and press Allow.

Other ways to send SMS from ChatGPT

Prefer Claude? The same app works there too. See how to send SMS from Claude. And if your contacts live in a spreadsheet, the Google Sheets add-on texts a whole sheet at once.

Frequently asked questions