How do I install the Phone Calls skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add modbender/phone-calls in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Phone Calls safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. Independent scanners report: SkillSpector: CAUTION, Skill Scanner: PASS. Capability flags: executes scripts, makes network calls. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Phone Calls?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Phone Calls free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Phone Calls?

modbender (@modbender) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Phone Calls by modbender — Agent Skill

Name: Phone Calls
Rating: 4.2 (5 reviews)
Author: modbender

File contents

Phone Calls Skill

Make AI-powered phone calls on behalf of the user — book restaurants, make appointments, inquire about services, etc.

Provider: Bland AI

Why Bland AI?

Simplest API of all options (Vapi, Retell are more complex)
Just need phone_number + task to make a call
Low latency, natural-sounding voices
Pay-per-minute, no platform fees
Self-hosted (data stays secure)

Setup Required

1. Create Bland AI Account

Go to https://app.bland.ai
Sign up with email
Add payment method (or use free trial credits)

2. Get API Key

Go to https://app.bland.ai/dashboard
Click your profile → API Keys
Copy your API key

3. Configure Clawdbot

Add to your environment or .env:

BLAND_API_KEY=sk-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Or store in ~/.clawd/secrets.json:

{
  "bland_api_key": "sk-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
}

Usage

Basic Call

./phone-call.sh "+447123456789" "Call the restaurant and book a table for 2 at 7pm tonight under the name John"

With Custom Voice

./phone-call.sh "+447123456789" "Ask about their opening hours" --voice maya

Check Call Status

./check-call.sh <call_id>

How It Works

You provide a phone number and a task/objective
Bland AI calls the number with an AI agent
The AI follows your instructions naturally
You get a transcript and summary after the call

Example Tasks

Restaurant Booking:

Call this restaurant and book a table for 4 people on Saturday at 8pm. 
The booking should be under the name "Smith". If they ask for a phone 
number, give them +447123456789.

Appointment Inquiry:

Call this dental office and ask what appointments are available next 
week for a routine checkup. Get at least 3 options if possible.

Service Inquiry:

Call this plumber and ask if they can come out tomorrow to fix a 
leaking tap. Get a quote for the callout fee.

Pricing (Bland AI)

Outbound calls: ~$0.09/minute (US)
Varies by country — check https://app.bland.ai for current rates
First calls may have free credits

Voice Options

Built-in voices:

josh - Male, professional
maya - Female, friendly (default)
florian - Male, European accent
derek - Male, casual
june - Female, professional
nat - Male, natural
paige - Female, upbeat

Advanced Features

Voicemail Handling

The AI can detect voicemails and either hang up, leave a message, or ignore.

Call Recording

Set record: true to get a recording URL after the call.

Webhooks

Get notified when calls complete by setting a webhook URL.

Conversation Pathways

For complex flows (IVR menus, multi-step processes), create pathways in the Bland dashboard.

Limitations

Cannot call emergency services (999, 911, etc.)
Some numbers may be blocked (DNC lists)
Rate limited: 1 call per 10 seconds to the same number
Max call duration: 30 minutes default (configurable)

Troubleshooting

"Invalid phone number"

Include country code: +44 for UK, +1 for US
Remove spaces and parentheses

"Insufficient balance"

Add credits at https://app.bland.ai/dashboard/billing

"Rate limit exceeded"

Wait a few seconds between calls to the same number

Files

phone-call.sh — Make a phone call
check-call.sh — Check call status/transcript
bland.sh — Low-level API wrapper

---name: phone-callsdescription: Make AI-powered phone calls via Bland AI - book restaurants, make appointments, inquire about services. The AI calls on your behalf and reports back with transcripts.--- # Phone Calls Skill Make AI-powered phone calls on behalf of the user — book restaurants, make appointments, inquire about services, etc. ## Provider: Bland AI **Why Bland AI?** - Simplest API of all options (Vapi, Retell are more complex) - Just need `phone_number` + `task` to make a call - Low latency, natural-sounding voices - Pay-per-minute, no platform fees - Self-hosted (data stays secure) ## Setup Required ### 1. Create Bland AI Account 1. Go to https://app.bland.ai 2. Sign up with email 3. Add payment method (or use free trial credits) ### 2. Get API Key 1. Go to https://app.bland.ai/dashboard 2. Click your profile → API Keys 3. Copy your API key ### 3. Configure Clawdbot Add to your environment or `.env`: ```bash BLAND_API_KEY=sk-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ``` Or store in `~/.clawd/secrets.json`: ```json { "bland_api_key": "sk-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx" } ``` ## Usage ### Basic Call ```bash ./phone-call.sh "+447123456789" "Call the restaurant and book a table for 2 at 7pm tonight under the name John" ``` ### With Custom Voice ```bash ./phone-call.sh "+447123456789" "Ask about their opening hours" --voice maya ``` ### Check Call Status ```bash ./check-call.sh <call_id> ``` ## How It Works 1. You provide a phone number and a task/objective 2. Bland AI calls the number with an AI agent 3. The AI follows your instructions naturally 4. You get a transcript and summary after the call ## Example Tasks **Restaurant Booking:** ``` Call this restaurant and book a table for 4 people on Saturday at 8pm. The booking should be under the name "Smith". If they ask for a phone number, give them +447123456789. ``` **Appointment Inquiry:** ``` Call this dental office and ask what appointments are available next week for a routine checkup. Get at least 3 options if possible. ``` **Service Inquiry:** ``` Call this plumber and ask if they can come out tomorrow to fix a leaking tap. Get a quote for the callout fee. ``` ## Pricing (Bland AI) - **Outbound calls:** ~$0.09/minute (US) - **Varies by country** — check https://app.bland.ai for current rates - First calls may have free credits ## Voice Options Built-in voices: - `josh` - Male, professional - `maya` - Female, friendly (default) - `florian` - Male, European accent - `derek` - Male, casual - `june` - Female, professional - `nat` - Male, natural - `paige` - Female, upbeat ## Advanced Features ### Voicemail Handling The AI can detect voicemails and either hang up, leave a message, or ignore. ### Call Recording Set `record: true` to get a recording URL after the call. ### Webhooks Get notified when calls complete by setting a webhook URL. ### Conversation Pathways For complex flows (IVR menus, multi-step processes), create pathways in the Bland dashboard. ## Limitations - Cannot call emergency services (999, 911, etc.) - Some numbers may be blocked (DNC lists) - Rate limited: 1 call per 10 seconds to the same number - Max call duration: 30 minutes default (configurable) ## Troubleshooting **"Invalid phone number"** - Include country code: `+44` for UK, `+1` for US - Remove spaces and parentheses **"Insufficient balance"** - Add credits at https://app.bland.ai/dashboard/billing **"Rate limit exceeded"** - Wait a few seconds between calls to the same number ## Files - `phone-call.sh` — Make a phone call - `check-call.sh` — Check call status/transcript - `bland.sh` — Low-level API wrapper

Frequently asked questions

Phone Calls