### Answer You need to configure separate agents for inbound and outbound SMS on the same phone number [(1) ]() . The phone number configuration supports both

inbound_sms_agents

and

outbound_sms_agents

arrays, which allows you to assign different agents for each direction [(2) ]() . This separation gives you more control over the conversation flow and context for each use case. For setting up two-way SMS conversations, once SMS capability is enabled for your number, you attach chat agents to handle both directions [(1) ]() . The inbound functionality works automatically once the chat agent is attached . For outbound SMS, you can send messages through the dashboard using the "Make an outbound SMS" button or programmatically via the Create Outbound SMS API . If you're using a custom Twilio number, you'll need to enable the

useInboundWebhookOnNumberCalled

option in your phone number configuration to support two-way SMS conversations [(1) ]() [(3) ]() .

​ To learn more, see the sources I considered: [[1] Send & receive SMS](https://docs.retellai.com/deploy/enable-sms) [[2] List Phone Numbers](https://docs.retellai.com/api-references/list-phone-numbers) [[3] Chat Agents not sending out texts to Twillio](https://discord.com/channels/1186424376300679209/1463233659208339668) ​

Feel free to tag @AI Evy with additional questions. I also appreciate feedback, it helps me improve.