Telnyx Agent CLI

The Telnyx Agent CLI (@telnyx/agent-cli, bin telnyx-agent) is a command-line tool built for AI agents and for developers who want the shortest path from API key to working capability. Where the Telnyx CLI exposes each API resource individually, the Agent CLI ships composite commands: one call creates the messaging profile, finds and buys a number, and wires everything together.

Install

npm install -g @telnyx/agent-cli
export TELNYX_API_KEY="KEY_xxx"

Requires Node.js 20+. No separate login step — the CLI reads TELNYX_API_KEY from the environment.

Quick start

# Account health at a glance — balance, numbers, profiles, connections
telnyx-agent status

# Machine-readable list of everything the CLI can do
telnyx-agent capabilities --json

# Zero to sending SMS: creates a profile, buys an SMS-capable number,
# and assigns it — in one command
telnyx-agent setup-sms --json

Every command supports --json for machine-readable output. setup-sms, setup-voice, and setup-verify are idempotent: re-running them reuses the resources they already provisioned instead of buying more (--force provisions fresh resources). Other setup commands — setup-ai, setup-10dlc, setup-porting — create new resources on each run, so check for existing resources before repeating them.

When to use the Agent CLI vs the Telnyx CLI

Use case	Agent CLI (`telnyx-agent`)	Telnyx CLI (`telnyx`)
Zero-to-working-capability setup	✅ One composite command	Multiple commands
AI agents provisioning autonomously	✅ Idempotent, `--json`, self-describing	Works, but more steps
Fine-grained control over one resource	Limited	✅ Per-resource CRUD
Exploring the full API surface	Limited	✅ Full coverage

The two install side by side and share the TELNYX_API_KEY environment variable.

Composite setup commands

Command	What it does
`setup-sms`	Messaging profile + SMS-capable number, purchased and assigned
`setup-voice`	Voice connection + voice-capable number
`setup-ai`	AI assistant on a voice-capable phone number
`setup-verify`	Verify profile ready to send verification codes
`setup-10dlc`	10DLC brand and campaign registration flow
`setup-whatsapp`	WhatsApp Business Account wiring and number verification
`setup-iot`	IoT SIM setup
`setup-porting`	Portability check + port-in order creation and submission
`setup-wireguard`	WireGuard network and interface

Beyond setup, the CLI covers day-to-day operations — send-sms, call-dial, fax-send, tts/stt, rcs-send, verify-send, fund-account, and more. telnyx-agent capabilities --json returns a machine-readable catalog of API capabilities and selected composite commands — a curated catalog rather than the complete command inventory, so pair it with telnyx-agent --help for the full command list.

For AI agents

If you are an agent (or building one), the fast path is:

Get an API key — programmatic signup runbook at telnyx.com/agent-signup.md.
npm install -g @telnyx/agent-cli
telnyx-agent capabilities --json to discover what you can do, then run the setup-* command for the capability you need.

The machine-readable agent entry point at telnyx.com/agents/start and the team-telnyx/ai repo’s agent.json manifest both describe the CLI in structured form.

Source and issues

The Agent CLI lives in the open-source team-telnyx/ai repository — file issues and PRs there.

​Install

​Quick start

​When to use the Agent CLI vs the Telnyx CLI

​Composite setup commands

​For AI agents

​Source and issues