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dialpad

Send SMS and make voice calls via Dialpad API

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Dialpad Skill

Send SMS and make voice calls via the Dialpad API.

Available Phone Numbers

Number Purpose Format
(415) 520-1316 Sales Team Default for sales context
(415) 360-2954 Work/Personal Default for work context
(415) 991-7155 Support SMS Only SMS only (no voice)

Use --from <number> to specify which number appears as caller ID.

Setup

Required environment variable:

DIALPAD_API_KEY=your_api_key_here

Optional (for ElevenLabs TTS in calls):

ELEVENLABS_API_KEY=your_elevenlabs_api_key

Get your Dialpad API key from Dialpad API Settings.

Usage

Send SMS

# Basic SMS
python3 send_sms.py --to "+14155551234" --message "Hello from Clawdbot!"

# From specific number (e.g., work phone)
python3 send_sms.py --to "+14155551234" --message "Hello!" --from "+14153602954"

# Batch SMS (up to 10 recipients)
python3 send_sms.py --to "+14155551234" "+14155555678" --message "Group update"

Make Voice Calls

# Basic call (ring recipient - they'll answer to speak with you)
python3 make_call.py --to "+14155551234"

# Call with Text-to-Speech greeting (Dialpad's robotic TTS)
python3 make_call.py --to "+14155551234" --text "Hello! This is a call from ShapeScale."

# Call from specific number with TTS
python3 make_call.py --to "+14155551234" --from "+14153602954" --text "Meeting reminder"

# With custom voice (requires ELEVENLABS_API_KEY)
python3 make_call.py --to "+14155551234" --voice "Adam" --text "Premium voice test"

From Agent Instructions

SMS:

python3 send_sms.py --to "+14155551234" --message "Your message here"

Voice Call:

python3 make_call.py --to "+14155551234" --text "Optional TTS message"

Voice Options

Low-Cost Voices (Recommended for Budget)

Voice Style Notes
Eric ⭐ Male, smooth, trustworthy Low-cost, available!
Daniel Male, British, steady Budget
Sarah Female, mature Budget
River Male, neutral Budget
Alice Female, clear Budget
Brian Male, deep Budget
Bill Male, wise Budget

Premium Voices (Higher Quality)

Voice Style Notes
Adam Male, deep, clear Best for professional
Antoni Male, warm Friendly tone
Bella Female, soft Warm, engaging

To use a specific voice, add --voice "VoiceName".

API Capabilities

SMS

  • Endpoint: POST https://dialpad.com/api/v2/sms
  • Max recipients: 10 per request
  • Max message length: 1600 characters
  • Rate limits: 100-800 requests/minute (tier-dependent)

Voice Calls

  • Endpoint: POST https://dialpad.com/api/v2/call
  • Requires: phone_number + user_id
  • Features: Outbound calling, Text-to-Speech
  • Caller ID: Must be assigned to your Dialpad account

Known Users (Auto-Detected)

Name Phone User ID
Martin (415) 360-2954 5765607478525952
Lilla (415) 870-1945 5625110025338880
Scott (415) 223-0323 5964143916400640

Response

SMS Response

{
  "id": "4612924117884928",
  "status": "pending",
  "message_delivery_result": "pending",
  "to_numbers": ["+14158235304"],
  "from_number": "+14155201316",
  "direction": "outbound"
}

Call Response

{
  "call_id": "6342343299702784",
  "status": "ringing"
}

Error Handling

Error Meaning Action
invalid_destination Invalid phone number Verify E.164 format
invalid_source Caller ID not available Check --from number assignment
no_route Cannot deliver Check carrier/recipient
user_id required Missing user ID Use --from with known number

SMS Storage (SQLite with FTS5)

Messages are stored in a single SQLite database with full-text search.

Storage

~/.dialpad/sms.db  # Single file with messages + FTS5 index

Commands

# List all SMS conversations
python3 sms_sqlite.py list

# View specific conversation thread
python3 sms_sqlite.py thread "+14155551234"

# Full-text search across all messages
python3 sms_sqlite.py search "demo"

# Show unread message summary
python3 sms_sqlite.py unread

# Statistics
python3 sms_sqlite.py stats

# Mark messages as read
python3 sms_sqlite.py read "+14155551234"

# Migrate from legacy storage
python3 sms_sqlite.py migrate

Features

  • Full-text search via FTS5 (search "keyword")
  • Fast queries with indexes on contact, timestamp, direction
  • ACID transactions — no corruption on concurrent writes
  • Unread tracking with per-contact counts
  • Denormalized contact stats for instant list views

Webhook Integration

from webhook_sqlite import handle_sms_webhook, format_notification, get_inbox_summary

# Store incoming message
result = handle_sms_webhook(dialpad_payload)
notification = format_notification(result)

# Get inbox summary
summary = get_inbox_summary()

Legacy JSON Storage (Deprecated)

The original JSON-based storage is still available but not recommended:

python3 sms_storage.py [list|thread|search|unread]

Requirements

  • Python 3.7+
  • No external dependencies (uses stdlib only)
  • Valid DIALPAD_API_KEY environment variable
  • For ElevenLabs TTS: ELEVENLABS_API_KEY + webhook setup for audio playback

Reading SMS Messages

Dialpad doesn't provide a direct "GET /sms" endpoint. Instead, use:

1. Real-Time: SMS Webhooks

Receive SMS events in real-time when messages are sent/received.

# Create a webhook subscription
python3 create_sms_webhook.py create --url "https://your-server.com/webhook/dialpad" --direction "all"

# List existing subscriptions
python3 create_sms_webhook.py list

Webhook Events:

  • sms_sent — Outgoing SMS
  • sms_received — Incoming SMS

Note: Add message_content_export scope to receive message text in events.

2. Historical: Stats Export API

Export past SMS messages as CSV.

# Export all SMS
python3 export_sms.py --output all_sms.csv

# Export by date range
python3 export_sms.py --start-date 2026-01-01 --end-date 2026-01-31 --output jan_sms.csv

# Export for specific office
python3 export_sms.py --office-id 6194013244489728 --output office_sms.csv

Output: CSV file with columns:

  • date — Timestamp
  • from_number — Sender
  • to_number — Recipient
  • text — Message content
  • status — Delivery status

Architecture

Dialpad SMS Skill
├── send_sms.py           # Send SMS (working)
├── make_call.py          # Make voice calls (working)
├── create_sms_webhook.py # Create webhook subscriptions (new)
├── export_sms.py         # Export historical SMS (new)
├── sms_sqlite.py         # SQLite storage with FTS5 (RECOMMENDED)
├── webhook_sqlite.py     # Webhook handler for SQLite
├── sms_storage.py        # Legacy JSON storage (deprecated)
└── webhook_receiver.py   # Legacy webhook handler