Send SMS with Twilio

SMS is the highest-open-rate channel you have access to — 98% open rates, read within 3 minutes on average. Twilio is the easiest way to send it from your Hiveku site.

Common use cases: two-factor authentication, order confirmations, delivery notifications, abandoned cart recovery, appointment reminders, on-call paging.

Step 1: Set Up Twilio

Go to twilio.com and create an account. The free trial includes credit for testing, but you’ll only be able to send to numbers you’ve manually verified until you upgrade.

Buy a phone number

In the Twilio Console, go to Phone Numbers > Buy a Number. Pick one with SMS capabilities. US local numbers run about $1/month.

Find your credentials

On the Console homepage, find your Account SID and Auth Token. Copy both.

Store in Hiveku

In your project, go to Settings > Environment Variables and add:

TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID
TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN
TWILIO_FROM_NUMBER — the number you bought, in E.164 format like +15551234567

Step 2: Install the SDK

From your project’s code editor or terminal:

npm install twilio

Step 3: Create the Send Endpoint

Create api/send-sms.ts:

import twilio from 'twilio';

const client = twilio(
  process.env.TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID!,
  process.env.TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN!
);

export default async function handler(req: Request) {
  const { to, body } = await req.json();
  const message = await client.messages.create({
    from: process.env.TWILIO_FROM_NUMBER,
    to,
    body,
  });
  return Response.json({ sid: message.sid });
}

Deploy the project. Your endpoint is now live at https://yoursite.hiveku.com/api/send-sms.

Step 4: Call It from a Workflow

From any workflow, add an HTTP Request action pointing at your endpoint:

POST https://yoursite.hiveku.com/api/send-sms
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "to": "{{trigger.phone}}",
  "body": "Your order #{{trigger.order_id}} has shipped!"
}

Two-Factor Authentication Pattern

User enters phone number

On signup or login, capture the user’s phone in E.164 format.

Generate a one-time code

Create a 6-digit numeric code. Store it in a sms_codes table with:

phone — the number
code — the 6-digit string
expires_at — now + 10 minutes
used — false

Send the SMS

Your Acme code is 123456. Don't share this with anyone.

Keep it short and unambiguous. Mention your brand name.

Verify on entry

When the user enters the code, query the table: match phone + code, not expired, not used. If valid, mark used = true and mark the user’s phone as verified.

Receiving SMS (Webhooks)

When users reply to your SMS, Twilio can POST the message to your site:

Create the webhook endpoint

api/sms-webhook.ts:

export default async function handler(req: Request) {
  const form = await req.formData();
  const from = form.get('From');
  const body = form.get('Body');
  
  // Save, trigger a workflow, or auto-reply
  
  return new Response('', { status: 200 });
}

Twilio sends form-encoded data, not JSON.

Configure in Twilio

Console > Phone Numbers > click your number > Messaging section > set the Webhook to https://yoursite.hiveku.com/api/sms-webhook and set method to HTTP POST.

Respond with TwiML for auto-reply (optional)

<Response>
  <Message>Thanks! We'll get back to you soon.</Message>
</Response>

Cost Notes

Twilio charges per message:

US outbound: ~$0.0079/SMS
Inbound: free
International: varies widely by country

Check twilio.com/pricing for current rates. For high-volume sending, Twilio also offers discounted rates via committed spend.

Sending A2P (application-to-person) SMS in the US requires A2P 10DLC registration. Without it, your messages get filtered by carriers or blocked entirely. Register your business and use case in the Twilio console before you launch — approval can take several days.

Never send marketing SMS without explicit opt-in. TCPA violations in the US carry fines of

500-

1,500 per message. Include a clear opt-out instruction (“Reply STOP to unsubscribe”) and honor it immediately.

Verify It Worked

Hit your endpoint from the terminal

curl -X POST https://yoursite.hiveku.com/api/send-sms \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"to": "+15551234567", "body": "Test from Hiveku"}'

Replace the to with your own phone number.

Check your phone

The SMS should arrive within a few seconds.

Check the Twilio logs

In the Twilio Console, Monitor > Logs > Messaging shows every send attempt, status, and any error codes.

Troubleshooting

Trial account: can only send to verified numbers

Until you upgrade to a paid account, Twilio restricts sends to numbers you’ve manually verified. Verify recipient numbers in Console > Phone Numbers > Verified Caller IDs, or upgrade to unlock unrestricted sending.

'Invalid From number' error

Use E.164 format with country code: +15551234567, not (555) 123-4567 or 5551234567. Also confirm you’ve actually bought a number — the TWILIO_FROM_NUMBER must match an owned number in your Twilio account.

Messages show 'delivered' but never arrive

Most often an A2P 10DLC registration issue — carriers silently drop unregistered A2P traffic. Complete registration in Twilio Console > Messaging > Regulatory Compliance > A2P 10DLC.

Webhook not firing on inbound SMS

Check that the webhook URL in Twilio matches your live endpoint exactly (including protocol). Also check the request method is POST. Visit the endpoint directly in a browser — if you get a 404, the route isn’t deployed.

Costs adding up faster than expected

Switch marketing SMS to cheaper alternatives (email where possible, or push notifications for app users). Keep SMS for high-value use cases: 2FA, transactional confirmations, urgent alerts. Bulk marketing SMS gets expensive fast.

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Account & Settings

Partners

Step 1: Set Up Twilio

Step 2: Install the SDK

Step 3: Create the Send Endpoint

Step 4: Call It from a Workflow

Two-Factor Authentication Pattern

Receiving SMS (Webhooks)

Cost Notes

Verify It Worked

Troubleshooting

What’s Next?

Workflows

Environment Variables

​Step 1: Set Up Twilio

​Step 2: Install the SDK

​Step 3: Create the Send Endpoint

​Step 4: Call It from a Workflow

​Two-Factor Authentication Pattern

​Receiving SMS (Webhooks)

​Cost Notes

​Verify It Worked

​Troubleshooting

​What’s Next?

Workflows

Environment Variables

Step 1: Set Up Twilio

Step 2: Install the SDK

Step 3: Create the Send Endpoint

Step 4: Call It from a Workflow

Two-Factor Authentication Pattern

Receiving SMS (Webhooks)

Cost Notes

Verify It Worked

Troubleshooting

What’s Next?