# Twilio CLI Reference > Practical reference for the official twilio CLI — login, profiles, phone numbers, messages, serverless, and plugins. - Skill: `matrixx0070/twilio-cli-reference` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add matrixx0070/twilio-cli-reference` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/matrixx0070/twilio-cli-reference/raw - Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS) - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: DevOps & Infra - Author: Matrixx0070 (https://skillmd.com/u/matrixx0070) - Updated: 2026-09-08 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/matrixx0070/twilio-cli-reference --- ## When to use Use this when you want to drive Twilio from the terminal with the official `twilio` CLI — logging in, managing profiles/API keys, listing or configuring phone numbers, sending test messages, or deploying Serverless functions. Use it when you need the exact command and flag for a one-off operation instead of writing SDK code. **Not for:** designing inbound webhook handlers — use twilio-webhook-architecture. Production error handling and backoff — use twilio-reliability-patterns. Log/alert investigation — use twilio-debugging-observability. Email is a separate product — use twilio-email-send. ## Method 1. Install the CLI. On macOS `brew tap twilio/brew && brew install twilio`; cross-platform via npm `npm install -g twilio-cli`. Verify with `twilio --version`. 2. Authenticate. Run `twilio login` and paste your Account SID + Auth Token; the CLI stores an API Key in the OS keychain under a named profile. Decision point: for CI/headless use, skip interactive login and export `TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID` + `TWILIO_API_KEY` + `TWILIO_API_SECRET` (API Keys, never the raw Auth Token in scripts). 3. Manage profiles for multiple accounts/subaccounts: `twilio profiles:list`, `twilio profiles:use `, `twilio profiles:create`. Switch per-command with `--profile `. 4. Explore resources. `twilio phone-numbers:list` shows owned numbers; `twilio api:core:available-phone-numbers:local:list --country-code US --area-code 415` finds new ones; buy with `twilio api:core:incoming-phone-numbers:create --phone-number +1415...`. 5. Wire a number to your webhook: `twilio phone-numbers:update --sms-url https://app.example.com/sms --voice-url https://app.example.com/voice`. 6. Send a message: `twilio api:core:messages:create --from +1415... --to +1650... --body "hello"`. Add `-o json` for scriptable output. 7. Use the local tunnel for dev: `twilio phone-numbers:update --sms-url ...` pointed at an ngrok URL, or scaffold/deploy Functions with `twilio serverless:init`, `twilio serverless:deploy`. 8. Extend with plugins: `twilio plugins:install @twilio-labs/plugin-serverless`, `twilio plugins:install @twilio-labs/plugin-flex`. Enable shell completion with `twilio autocomplete`. 9. Prefer `--profile` and `-o json` in scripts for determinism; add `-l debug` to surface the underlying HTTP request when a command misbehaves. ## Example ```bash # Install + authenticate npm install -g twilio-cli twilio login # stores an API Key in a named profile # Profiles (multiple accounts / subaccounts) twilio profiles:list twilio profiles:use prod # Numbers twilio phone-numbers:list -o json twilio api:core:available-phone-numbers:local:list --country-code US --area-code 415 twilio phone-numbers:update +14155551234 \ --sms-url https://app.example.com/sms \ --voice-url https://app.example.com/voice # Send an SMS twilio api:core:messages:create \ --from +14155551234 --to +16505550100 --body "ping" -o json # Serverless twilio serverless:init my-service && cd my-service twilio serverless:deploy # Plugins + completion twilio plugins:install @twilio-labs/plugin-serverless twilio autocomplete zsh ``` ## Pitfalls - **Using the Auth Token in scripts.** `twilio login` provisions an API Key for a reason. In CI, set `TWILIO_API_KEY`/`TWILIO_API_SECRET`, not the Auth Token, so keys are revocable without rotating the account. - **Wrong active profile.** Commands silently target whatever profile is active. Confirm with `twilio profiles:list` or pass `--profile` explicitly; a mis-set profile can send real messages from the wrong account. - **Region/edge mismatch.** For non-US data residency set `TWILIO_REGION`/`TWILIO_EDGE` or `--region`; otherwise the CLI hits the default US1 region. - **Human-formatted output in scripts.** Default table output is unstable to parse. Always add `-o json` and pipe through `jq`. - **Stale plugins.** Serverless/Flex features live in plugins that version independently; run `twilio plugins:update` when a documented command is missing. - **E.164 formatting.** `--from`/`--to` must be `+`; unformatted numbers raise error 21211. ## Output format ``` CLI: twilio v profile= CMD: RESULT: status= ERROR: NEXT: ``` ## Reference - **Command grammar:** `twilio :: [--flags]`. The `api:core:*` tree mirrors the REST API 1:1 (e.g. `api:core:messages:create`, `api:core:calls:list`, `api:core:incoming-phone-numbers:update`). - **Global flags:** `-o json|columns`, `-l debug|info` (log level), `--profile `, `--region`/`--edge`, `--silent`. - **Auth model:** login creates an API Key (`SK...`) + secret stored in the OS keychain; env vars `TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID`, `TWILIO_API_KEY`, `TWILIO_API_SECRET`, or `TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN` override the active profile. - **Key namespaces:** `phone-numbers:*` (shortcuts for incoming numbers), `api:core:messages`, `api:core:calls`, `serverless:*`, `profiles:*`, `plugins:*`, `debugger:logs:list`, `autocomplete`. - **Serverless plugin:** `serverless:init`, `serverless:deploy`, `serverless:logs` come from `@twilio-labs/plugin-serverless`. - **Docs:** `twilio --help` and `twilio --help` list every subcommand; the CLI is open source at github.com/twilio/twilio-cli.