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A Text agent holds a two-way conversation with your contacts over SMS (through your Twilio or Telnyx account) or WhatsApp. It uses the same script, variables, knowledge base, actions, and success criteria as a Voice agent, but it writes instead of speaks. Contacts can reply whenever they like, and the agent picks the conversation back up when they do. Use a Text agent when your contacts prefer to write, when a call would be intrusive, or as a follow-up channel next to your Voice agents. See Multichannel agents for how channels combine. To go live, connect Twilio, Telnyx, or WhatsApp in the App Center, build the script, pick your numbers under Channels → Text Channels, set hours and follow-ups, and start the agent.

Supported channels

Twilio SMS

Use SMS-capable numbers from your own Twilio account.

Telnyx SMS

Use SMS-capable numbers from your own Telnyx account.

WhatsApp

Start conversations with approved templates on WhatsApp Business.

Outgoing and incoming text agents

  • Outgoing. The agent messages each contact you add (CSV upload, API, or a trigger) during its schedule. If the contact doesn’t reply, it follows up. If the contact replies and then goes quiet, it can send drop-off follow-ups.
  • Incoming. The agent answers anyone who texts one of its numbers. A new conversation starts when a message arrives from a number that has no open chat with the agent.
You choose the direction in General Settings (Outgoing or Incoming).

How a conversation runs

  1. The agent sends its first message. On SMS the AI writes it from your script. On WhatsApp the approved template from the first script step is sent, with variables filled in.
  2. When the contact replies, the agent waits briefly for more messages, then answers. Replies are delayed by a few seconds to read naturally (see Message delay).
  3. The conversation stays open while messages keep coming. If the contact goes idle for longer than the Chat Window Duration (default 5 minutes), the chat closes and post-chat analysis runs.
  4. If the contact replies again later, the agent continues in context. Follow-ups and drop-off follow-ups re-engage contacts who stop replying.
  5. Results appear in the agent’s results table with a status, a summary, and success criteria, the same way calls do.

Pause, stop, and terminate

Open the status badge in the agent header to control a running Text agent.
Use Pause when you want to stop reaching out but still let current conversations finish. Use Stop only when the conversations themselves must end.

Opt-outs and unsubscribes

The agent stops messaging a contact who opts out, and marks the contact Unsubscribed:
  • Twilio. When a contact replies with a standard opt-out keyword such as STOP, Twilio flags the opt-out and Callers ends the chat. Twilio also blocks later sends to that number until the contact opts back in (for example with START).
  • Telnyx and Twilio carrier blocks. If the provider rejects a message because the recipient has unsubscribed, the chat ends with an unsubscribed reason instead of retrying.
  • Any channel. Post-chat analysis reads the conversation. If the contact asked to stop receiving messages in their own words, the contact is marked Unsubscribed.
You are responsible for having consent to message your contacts and for following the messaging rules in each country you send to (for example, A2P 10DLC registration in the US). See Compliance.
For how opt-outs relate to your account’s Do Not Call list, see Text message opt-outs.

Test before you launch

Click Test in the agent header. Enter a phone number in international format (for example +15551234567), fill in any variables, and click Start Chatting. The agent texts that number from the agent’s text channel, and the transcript appears live in the panel. For an incoming agent you also enter the Initial message the contact “sends” first. See Testing your agent.

Build faster with Studio Chat

Studio Chat can create a Text agent from a description, write the script, adjust follow-up settings, and summarize how your chats are going.

Text agent settings

Chat window, message delay, follow-ups, and drop-offs.

Create an agent

Pick a channel and generate a first script.

Upload contacts

Add the people your agent will message.

Statuses & outcomes

What each chat and contact status means.