Telnyx CLI Quickstart

Get up and running with the Telnyx CLI in 5 minutes

This quickstart guide will help you install the Telnyx CLI, configure authentication, and run your first commands.

Prerequisites

• Go 1.22+ installed
• A Telnyx account
• A Telnyx API key

Step 1: Install the CLI

go install github.com/team-telnyx/telnyx-cli/cmd/telnyx@latest

Ensure Go’s bin directory is in your PATH:

export PATH="$PATH:$(go env GOPATH)/bin"

Verify the installation:

telnyx --version

Step 2: Configure Authentication

Set your API key as an environment variable. You can get your API key from the Telnyx Portal.

export TELNYX_API_KEY=KEY_xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Add this line to your shell profile (~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc, etc.) to persist it across sessions.

Verify Authentication

Test that your credentials are working:

telnyx balance retrieve

You should see your account balance information.

Step 3: Run Your First Commands

Check Your Balance

telnyx balance retrieve

List Your Phone Numbers

telnyx phone-numbers list

Search for Available Numbers

telnyx available-phone-numbers list --filter.country-code US --filter.limit 5

Send a Test Message

You’ll need a messaging-enabled phone number and a configured messaging profile.

telnyx messages send \
  --from [phone] \
  --to [phone] \
  --text "Hello from the Telnyx CLI!"

Step 4: Explore Commands

Get Help

# List all commands
telnyx --help

# Get help for a specific resource
telnyx phone-numbers --help
telnyx messages --help

# Get help for a specific action
telnyx messages send --help

Common Commands

Command	Description
telnyx phone-numbers list	List your phone numbers
telnyx available-phone-numbers list	Search available numbers
telnyx number-orders create	Purchase phone numbers
telnyx messages send	Send an SMS/MMS message
telnyx calls dial	Initiate an outbound call
telnyx balance retrieve	Check account balance
telnyx messaging-10dlc:brand list	List 10DLC brands
telnyx messaging-10dlc:campaign list	List 10DLC campaigns
telnyx ai:chat create-completion	Chat with AI models
telnyx ai:assistants list	List AI assistants

Output Formats

The CLI supports multiple output formats:

# Auto format (default, interactive exploration)
telnyx phone-numbers list

# JSON format (for scripting)
telnyx phone-numbers list --format json

# YAML format
telnyx phone-numbers list --format yaml

# Pretty-print JSON
telnyx phone-numbers list --format pretty

# Filter output with GJSON
telnyx phone-numbers list --format json --transform "0.phone_number"

Debug Mode

To see full HTTP request/response details:

telnyx phone-numbers list --debug

Next Steps

Authentication

Learn about authentication options

General Usage

Output formats, scripting, and CI/CD integration

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