How to Connect Plivo to ChatGPT via MCP

💡 No install? Use cloud.anythingmcp.com directly. Sign in, click Connectors → Plivo, paste your credentials, mint an MCP API key and you're done. No Docker, no git clone, no local server.

Plivo + ChatGPT

Let your AI work with Plivo: check balance and prices, send SMS and MMS, place calls and read call records, end live calls, list recordings and transcriptions, find and look up phone numbers, and send and check one-time codes with Verify.

Prerequisites

See the full setup instructions baked into the connector (visible in the in-app store when you select the connector). The required environment variables for this connector are:

PLIVO_AUTH_ID, PLIVO_AUTH_TOKEN

Step 1 — Get credentials

1. Sign in to the Plivo console at https://cx.plivo.com.
2. Copy the Auth ID (it starts with MA, or SA for a subaccount) and the Auth Token from the overview page. A subaccount (Account → Subaccounts) limits what the connector can reach.
3. Paste them into PLIVO_AUTH_ID and PLIVO_AUTH_TOKEN and install the connector.
4. Check the setup with plivo_get_account: it shows the account, the billing mode and the remaining cash credits.

A trial account works for reading; sending and calling need credit and, on a trial, verified numbers.

Who sees what: the Auth Token acts for the whole Plivo account and can spend its balance. Share the MCP server only with people who may spend money on it. Message logs, call records, phone numbers, recordings and transcriptions are personal data, and recording links play for anyone who has them.

Costs money and reaches real people, so the AI asks first: Plivo bills plivo_send_message (SMS and MMS, per message part and recipient), plivo_make_call (per minute) and plivo_send_verification (per verification plus the SMS or call). Before each of them the AI shows you sender, recipient and content, with the price from plivo_get_pricing when you ask, and waits for your yes. plivo_lookup_number is billed per lookup, so the AI tells you the count and the cost before it looks up more than a few numbers.

Switched off at install: plivo_buy_number, which rents a number for a setup fee and a monthly rent until the number is released; searching with plivo_search_available_numbers is free. plivo_hangup_call is off too: it cuts off a running call, and Plivo ends every running call on the account when the call id is missing. An administrator turns either one on deliberately; the AI then shows you the number with its costs, or the call with its numbers and start time, and acts only after you confirm.

SMS: plivo_send_message returns a message_uuid; plivo_get_message shows the delivery state, the billed parts and the price, and plivo_list_messages reviews your traffic (without message text). A US or Canadian sender must be registered for 10DLC or toll-free texting, or messages fail.

Calls need an answer URL: plivo_make_call rings the number and, when it is answered, fetches your answer_url, which must return Plivo XML hosted on your server (for example <Response><Speak>Hello</Speak></Response>). A time_limit caps the cost. Running calls: plivo_list_live_calls and plivo_get_live_call. Ended calls: plivo_list_calls and plivo_get_call, with duration, billed duration, price and hangup cause. Recordings: plivo_list_recordings, plivo_get_recording, and plivo_get_transcription when a transcription (a paid Plivo option) was ordered for the recording.

Verify: plivo_send_verification sends a one-time code by SMS or voice call, plivo_validate_verification checks the code the person typed (each try counts towards the attempt limit), and plivo_get_verification shows the status and the charges.

Numbers and times: send numbers in E.164 (+14155550123); Plivo lists them without the plus. Time filters are in UTC as YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS. Call and recording searches cover the last 7 days unless you give a range, at most 30 days per search.

Rate limit: 300 requests per 5 seconds per account; outbound calls also have a calls per second and a concurrent calls limit (403 Concurrency Limit Breached). A 429 means waiting and trying again.

Common errors: 401: wrong Auth ID or Auth Token, or a token that was regenerated. 403: a subaccount without access, or an IP restriction under API access control. 404: no such message, call, recording or number on this account. 400: a missing or malformed parameter, such as the number format or a sender the account does not own. Sends or calls that fail on a low balance: check the cash credits with plivo_get_account and add credit in the console.

The connector does not cover WhatsApp templates, conferences and multi-party calls, call transfer and recording control, applications and endpoints, subaccounts, compliance documents, or releasing numbers.

Step 2 — Install the adapter

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/HelpCode-ai/anythingmcp/main/docker-compose.quickstart.yml -o docker-compose.yml
printf 'JWT_SECRET=%s\nENCRYPTION_KEY=%s\n' "$(openssl rand -hex 32)" "$(openssl rand -hex 32)" > .env
docker compose up -d

Step 3 — Add the connector in ChatGPT

Your server URL: in AnythingMCP, open MCP Servers → the server this connector is on, and copy its URL (https://cloud.anythingmcp.com/mcp/…). Use it wherever this guide shows YOUR_SERVER_ID.

ChatGPT adds MCP servers as plugins on its Plugins page, on the web and on paid plans. Developer mode is no longer needed. In a Business workspace only admins and owners can add one; in Enterprise and Edu an admin can grant the Create plugins with MCPs permission.

1. Go to chatgpt.com/plugins, click +, then Add custom MCP server.
2. Enter a name, e.g. Name: Plivo.
3. Under Connection, enter the Server URL https://cloud.anythingmcp.com/mcp/YOUR_SERVER_ID and keep Authentication on OAuth.
4. Select I understand and want to continue, then Create as a plugin. When ChatGPT asks, sign in to AnythingMCP and allow access.
5. Install the new plugin from your personal plugins, then type @ in a chat and pick it.

Available tools

Example prompts

• "What is our Plivo balance, and what does an outbound SMS to Germany cost?"
• "Send an SMS from our toll-free number to +14155550123 saying the appointment is confirmed for Friday at 10 am. Show me sender, recipient, text and price first."
• "Which messages from yesterday were undelivered or failed? Show the error codes and what they cost."
• "List the calls of the last 7 days that lasted more than five minutes, with billed duration, price and hangup cause."
• "Send a verification code by SMS to +14155550123 and ask me before you send it. Then check the code the customer reads back to me."

FAQ

Does the free ChatGPT plan work with custom MCP servers? OpenAI documents custom MCP servers for paid plans only; the Free plan is not on its list.

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