textbee

Getting Started

1. Go to textbee.dev and register or login with your account
2. Install the app on your Android phone from textbee.dev/download
3. Open the app and grant the permissions for SMS
4. Go to textbee.dev/dashboard and click register device / generate API key
5. Scan the QR code with the app or enter the API key manually
6. You're ready to send SMS from the dashboard or from your application via the REST API

Sending an SMS

Messages go out through your default device, or otherwise the enabled device with the most recent heartbeat. Pass an optional deviceId in the request body to send from a specific device instead. The older /gateway/devices/{deviceId}/send-sms route still works but is deprecated.

const API_KEY = 'YOUR_API_KEY';
 
await axios.post('https://api.textbee.dev/api/v1/gateway/send-sms', {
  recipients: [ '+12025550123' ],
  message: 'Hello World!',
}, {
  headers: { 'x-api-key': API_KEY },
});

Python

import requests
 
API_KEY = 'YOUR_API_KEY'
 
requests.post(
    'https://api.textbee.dev/api/v1/gateway/send-sms',
    json={
        'recipients': ['+12025550123'],
        'message': 'Hello World!',
    },
    headers={'x-api-key': API_KEY},
)

curl

curl -X POST "https://api.textbee.dev/api/v1/gateway/send-sms" \
  -H 'x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
    "recipients": [ "+12025550123" ],
    "message": "Hello World!"
  }'

Receiving SMS

Enable SMS receiving in the mobile app, then access incoming messages via the REST API, the dashboard, or webhook notifications delivered to your preferred URL. Message history is account-level: one call covers every device, no device id needed.

const API_KEY = 'YOUR_API_KEY';
 
await axios.get('https://api.textbee.dev/api/v1/gateway/messages?direction=received', {
  headers: { 'x-api-key': API_KEY },
});

curl

curl -X GET "https://api.textbee.dev/api/v1/gateway/messages?direction=received" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Use with AI agents (MCP)

The official textbee MCP server lets Claude, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible client send and read SMS through your account. Three tools: send_sms (send to one or many recipients), get_messages (read replies and verification codes, check delivery status), and list_devices. Plan limits apply server-side like any other send.

claude.ai, Claude Desktop, and the Claude mobile apps (nothing to install; the Free plan allows one custom connector):

1. In claude.ai or Claude Desktop, open Customize, then Connectors, then + Add and Add custom connector.
2. Enter the name textbee and the URL https://mcp.textbee.dev/mcp, then click Continue twice.
3. Choose Sign in now, leave the OAuth client on the recommended option, and click Add.
4. Paste your API key on the textbee sign-in page and click Connect.

The mobile apps use connectors added on the web or desktop. On Team and Enterprise plans, an owner adds the connector for the organization first.

Claude Code:

# Hosted: run /mcp afterwards and choose Authenticate to sign in with your API key
claude mcp add --transport http -s user textbee https://mcp.textbee.dev/mcp

# Or local: the key stays on your machine
claude mcp add textbee -s user -e TEXTBEE_API_KEY=YOUR_API_KEY -- npx -y @textbee/mcp

Cursor and other MCP clients (local server, the key stays on your machine):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "textbee": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@textbee/mcp"],
      "env": { "TEXTBEE_API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY" }
    }
  }
}

With the hosted connector, textbee checks your key and does not store it. Self-hosted instances use the local server with TEXTBEE_BASE_URL. Full setup at textbee.dev/mcp and the MCP docs.

Use Cases

• OTP / 2FA delivery for your app
• Order and appointment notifications
• Alerts from servers, cron jobs, and home automation
• Form-to-SMS and lead follow-ups
• Bulk announcements to a contact list (CSV upload)

FAQ

Will my carrier block my number for sending too many messages?

Carriers apply their own rate limits and anti-spam policies, which vary by country and plan. For personal and low-volume use this is rarely an issue. For higher throughput, use multiple devices/SIMs and keep sending rates reasonable. You are responsible for staying within your carrier's terms.

Is it legal to send marketing SMS this way?

SMS marketing is regulated in most countries (e.g., TCPA in the US, GDPR/ePrivacy in the EU). textbee is a tool. You are responsible for obtaining consent and complying with the laws that apply to you and your recipients.

Does my phone need to stay on?

Yes. Messages are sent through your phone, so it needs to be powered on with the app running and connected to the internet. A spare Android phone plugged into a charger works great as a dedicated gateway.

Is there a limit on the cloud-hosted version?

See textbee.dev for current plans and limits. You can always self-host for full control.

Self-Hosting

Technology stack: React, Next.js, Node.js, NestJS, MongoDB, Android, Kotlin, Jetpack Compose, Java (legacy)

Setting Up Database

1. Install MongoDB on Your Server: Follow the official MongoDB installation guide for your operating system.
2. Using MongoDB Atlas: Alternatively, you can create a free database on MongoDB Atlas. Sign up at MongoDB Atlas and follow the instructions to set up your database.

Firebase Setup

1. Create a Firebase project.
2. Enable Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) in your Firebase project.
3. Obtain the Firebase credentials for backend use and the Android app.

Building the Android App

1. Clone the repository and navigate to the Android project directory.
2. Update the google-services.json file with your Firebase project configuration.
3. Update every occurrence of textbee.dev with your own domain in the project.
4. Build the app using Android Studio or the command line:

   ./gradlew assembleRelease
   

Building the Web

1. Navigate to the web directory.
2. Copy the .env.example file to .env:

   cp .env.example .env
   

3. Update the .env file with your own credentials.
4. Install dependencies:

   pnpm install
   

5. Build the web application:

   pnpm build
   

Building the API

1. Navigate to the api directory.
2. Copy the .env.example file to .env:

   cp .env.example .env
   

3. Update the .env file with your own credentials.
4. Install dependencies:

   pnpm install
   

5. Build the API:

   pnpm build
   

Analytics and telemetry

A self-hosted instance reports nothing to anyone by default. With no analytics environment variables set, the web app loads no analytics or ad-platform scripts and the API sends no analytics events to any external service. Every provider below is opt-in, and one that is listed without its id is skipped.

(This is separate from the services the API talks to when you configure them yourself: Firebase for push, Cloudflare Turnstile, Polar for billing, and your own SMTP server.)

Web (web/.env, and the marketing site if you run it):

API (api/.env):

NEXT_PUBLIC_ values are baked in at build time, so changing them means a rebuild, not just a restart. ANALYTICS_PROVIDERS on the API is read at runtime, so unsetting it and restarting stops all outbound events immediately.

Signup attribution (which channel an account came from) is separate from the providers above. It is stored only in your own database, makes no external request, and is always on.

Hosting on a VPS

1. Install pnpm, pm2, and Caddy on your VPS.
2. Use pm2 to manage your Node.js processes:

   pm2 start dist/main.js --name textbee-api
   

3. Configure Caddy to serve your web application and API. Example Caddyfile:

   textbee.dev {
       reverse_proxy /api/* localhost:3000
       reverse_proxy /* localhost:3001
   }
   

4. Ensure your domain points to your VPS and Caddy is configured properly.

Dockerized env

Requirements:

• Docker installed

1. After setting up Firebase, update your .env in web && api folder.

   cd web && cp .env.example .env \
   && cd ../api && cp .env.example .env
   

2. Navigate to root folder and execute docker-compose.yml file.
   This will spin up web container, api container alongside with MongoDB and MongoExpress. textbee database will be automatically created.

   docker compose up -d
   

   To stop the containers simply type

   docker compose down
   

Contributing

Contributions are welcome!

1. Fork the project.
2. Create a feature or bugfix branch from main branch.
3. Make sure your commit messages and PR comment summaries are descriptive.
4. Create a pull request to the main branch.

Bug Reporting and Feature Requests

Please feel free to create an issue in the repository for any bug reports or feature requests. Make sure to provide a detailed description of the issue or feature you are requesting and properly label whether it is a bug or a feature request.

Please note that if you discover any vulnerability or security issue, we kindly request that you refrain from creating a public issue. Instead, send an email detailing the vulnerability to [email protected].

For support, feedback, and questions

Feel free to reach out to us at [email protected] or Join our Discord server

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