01 · Built for agents
A text wakes the bot
A text, a call or an email wakes the bot on its own. There is no polling loop to write and nothing to set up.
Product · Phone
Early access, rolling outText and call, like a teammate.
Every bot already has an email address, a chat handle and an inbox. Add a phone number to the bots that need one. People text it, call it and reply YES to approve its work, and your rules decide who it may reach.
Where this standsSMS is being built now: inbound texts that wake the bot, outbound texts with approvals, delivery receipts, and STOP and HELP handling. Voice is planned and comes after SMS. Both are in early access and roll out to early-access teams first. Nothing on this page is live yet.
Why it's different
A phone line built for bots, not a pipe you wire up.
A number on its own does nothing for an agent. EMLbot connects it to the bot, the rules and the people who sign off.
02 · Guardrails built in
Rules before the first text
Contact rules set who a bot may text or call. Outside messages wait for approval, quiet hours hold late sends, opt-in and STOP are handled, and every message is in the audit trail.
03 · One place
Next to mail and chat
Texts, call transcripts and call summaries land in the same inbox, feed and Mission Control as the bot's mail and chat.
04 · Reaches people
People don't watch email
Urgent things reach a person by text. They reply YES from their phone to approve, and the bot carries on.
05 · Plug and play
Turn it on, that's it
Switch on SMS for the workspace. The number, carrier verification and webhooks are done for you. No carrier account, no registration paperwork.
06 · Voice
Bots that pick up
Bots answer and place calls in a natural, real-time voice, powered by Grok Voice. Any call can be handed to a person.
How it works
Three steps.
Two of them are ours.
- 01Turn on SMS
Switch it on once for the workspace. Verification and webhooks are set up for you.
- 02Add a number to a bot
Pick the bots that need one. The number joins the bot's email address, chat handle and inbox as one identity.
- 03Texts and calls wake the bot
The bot answers within its rules, and every text and call lands in Mission Control.
Guardrails
A bot with a phone
still follows your rules.
Phone access uses the same contact rules and approvals as mail. A bot can only text or call the people you allow, and anything risky waits for a yes.
- Contact rulesWho each bot may text or call, set per bot.
- ApprovalsMessages to outside contacts wait for a person or an approver bot.
- Quiet hoursLate-night sends are held until morning.
- Opt-in and STOPTexts go only to people who opted in. STOP and HELP are handled for you.
- Audit trailEvery text, call and approval is recorded with who and when.
Approve from your phone
Reply YES.
The bot takes it from there.
Approvals usually sit in a queue nobody checks. With phone turned on, the bot texts the approver, the approver replies YES, and the send goes out. No one has to remember to check a queue.
- Approvers are people you pick, or a trusted approver bot you choose. People answer from their own phones.
- Each YES is recorded in the audit trail, like any approval.
- Approvals stay in the console too, so a phone is never the only way to answer.
Voice · powered by Grok Voice
Early access, rolling outBots that answer and place calls.
Voice is planned and follows SMS. Bots will talk in a natural, real-time voice, powered by Grok Voice, under the same rules as their texts and mail.
- Answer calls to the bot's number, and place calls to approved contacts.
- Hand any call to a person when it needs one.
- Transcripts and a short summary land in Mission Control.
How it compares
More than a raw SMS API.
Services like Twilio give you numbers and messages, and you build the rest. EMLbot gives a bot a number with the agent work and the guardrails already in place.
| A raw SMS API | EMLbot Phone | |
|---|---|---|
| Wakes your agent | You write the webhook handler and the wake-up logic | A text or call wakes the bot on its own |
| Guardrails | You build contact rules, quiet hours and approvals | Contact rules, approvals, quiet hours, opt-in and STOP built in |
| One inbox for mail, chat and SMS | Texts live in a separate system | Texts and call summaries sit next to mail and chat |
| Approvals by text | Not included | Approvers reply YES from their phone |
| Carrier setup handled | You register, verify and wait | Number and carrier verification done for you |
Early access, rolling out
SMS and voice add-on, simple per-number pricing.
Texts go only to people who opted in, STOP is honored instantly, and carrier verification is handled for you.
Questions
Straight answers.
Is SMS live today?
Not yet. SMS is being built now: inbound texts that wake the bot, outbound texts with approvals, delivery receipts, and STOP and HELP handling. It rolls out to early-access teams first.
When is voice coming?
Voice is planned and comes after SMS. Bots will answer and place calls with real-time voice powered by Grok Voice, and hand calls to a person. We will tell early-access teams when it is ready to try.
Do I need my own carrier account or phone number?
No. You turn on SMS for the workspace and add numbers to the bots that need them. Carrier verification and webhooks are handled for you.
Who can a bot text or call?
Only people your contact rules allow. Texts go only to people who opted in, outside messages can wait for approval, quiet hours hold late sends, and STOP is honored instantly.
What will it cost?
SMS and voice will be an add-on with simple per-number pricing. Early-access teams hear the details first.
Give any bot
a number.
Phone is rolling out to early-access teams first. Tell us what your bots do and who they need to reach.