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You can make your chatbot reachable over WhatsApp and SMS by connecting it to Twilio. VectorShift provides a webhook URL that Twilio calls every time a message arrives. The chatbot processes the message through your pipeline and sends the response back through Twilio. This guide walks through the full setup using WhatsApp as the example. The same steps apply to SMS: you configure the webhook in the SMS section of your Twilio console instead of the WhatsApp sandbox.

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Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:
  • A deployed chatbot in VectorShift (toggle Deployment Enabled in the Export tab).
  • A Twilio account. You can use Twilio’s free sandbox for testing. Production use requires an approved WhatsApp Business Profile.
  • Your VectorShift API key (found under your profile > API Keys).

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Step 1. Set up your Twilio account

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Step 1.1. Create a Twilio account

Navigate to twilio.com and sign up for an account. You will start in a sandbox environment, which is enough for testing. The Twilio signup page

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Step 1.2. Create an API key

Go to the Manage account page and navigate to the API Keys section. Click Create API Key. The Twilio API Keys page

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Step 1.3. Configure the API key

Give your key a name (for example, “VectorShift Chatbot”) and select a region. You can leave the key type set to Standard. Creating a new Twilio API key

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Step 2. Connect Twilio to VectorShift

Open the chatbot builder in VectorShift, go to the Export tab, and navigate to the WhatsApp / SMS sub-tab. You will see fields for your Twilio Account SID and Auth Token, along with a Twilio Webhook URL that VectorShift has generated for this chatbot. Copy your Account SID and Auth Token from Twilio and paste them into the corresponding fields. The WhatsApp/SMS section of the Export tab showing the webhook URL

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Step 3. Copy the webhook URL

Copy the Twilio Webhook URL from the VectorShift Export tab. You will paste this into the Twilio console in the next step. Copying the Twilio webhook URL from VectorShift

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Step 4. Configure the Twilio sandbox

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Step 4.1. Paste the webhook URL

In the Twilio console, navigate to the WhatsApp Sandbox settings. Paste the webhook URL into the “When a message comes in” field. Leave the “Status callback” field empty. The Twilio Sandbox configuration page with the webhook URL pasted

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Step 4.2. Append your VectorShift API key to the URL

The webhook URL contains a placeholder: {VectorShift_API_Key_Here}. Replace it with your actual VectorShift API key and click Save. You can find your API key under Settings > API Keys in VectorShift. The VectorShift Settings API Keys page
The webhook URL contains your chatbot ID. Do not share it publicly. Anyone with the URL and a valid API key can send messages to your chatbot.

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Step 5. Test in the sandbox

Follow Twilio’s sandbox instructions to connect your phone to the sandbox. You will typically send a specific message to a WhatsApp number that Twilio provides. Once connected, send a message and verify that your chatbot responds. Connecting to the WhatsApp sandbox from a phone The chatbot responding on WhatsApp
Twilio splits outgoing messages at 1,600 characters. If your chatbot produces long responses, the user will receive them in multiple consecutive messages rather than one.

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Step 6. Move to production

The sandbox is for testing only. To use your chatbot with a real WhatsApp number, you need to apply for a WhatsApp Business Profile through Twilio. Fill out Twilio’s WhatsApp Request Form to begin the approval process. Once approved, update the webhook URL in your production Twilio configuration (the same URL you used in the sandbox, with your real API key appended).

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Next steps

API access

Run the chatbot programmatically from your own application

Analytics

Track usage and review conversations across all channels