Outbound (BandBrain → recipient) isn't sending
Are they opted in?
Check their roster row. The opt-in chip should say ✓ opted in, not "pending" or "opted out". If pending, send them out-of-band asking them to reply YES to the opt-in invite.
Is their phone correctly formatted?
Roster phones get normalized to E.164. Make sure the number you entered is valid.
Did they STOP?
If their chip says "opted out", they replied STOP at some point. To get them back: have them text START to the BandBrain number, then re-attempt the send.
Is your Twilio number provisioned?
Channels page → SMS section should show a number like +15551234567. If it says "no number provisioned", click to provision one.
Inbound (recipient → BandBrain) isn't getting answers
Are you texting the right number?
Double-check the band's SMS number on the Channels page. Each band has a unique number.
Have you opted in?
First text from a new number triggers the opt-in flow. Reply YES and you're in.
Did the agent reply to a question but it was off-topic?
Sometimes the agent misroutes — most commonly when you say "Yes" in the wrong context. The Twilio handler used to short-circuit any one-word "Yes" as opt-in consent; that's fixed now, but if you see something like that, ping Aaron.
SMS replies look weird (asterisks, ** marks)
This was a bug where the agent emitted markdown that SMS renders literally. Fixed via the SMS reply format rules. If you still see it, the prompt may have regressed — ping Aaron.
Carrier blocking
US carriers occasionally flag specific messages or numbers as spam. If you see this, look at Twilio's logs (admin only). Common causes:
- Too many sends to a single recipient in a short window
- Message body matches a known spam pattern
- Recipient blocked the number on their phone
Auth token rotation
If a Twilio breach happens (like we had on 2026-06-01), BandBrain rotates the auth token and redeploys. During the rotation window (~5 min), all SMS fails. Retry after.