canonical: https://jentic.com/apis/clickatell.com/clickatell

# Clickatell Platform API

Jentic publishes the only available OpenAPI specification for Clickatell Platform API, keeping it validated and agent-ready. Clickatell's Platform API (One API) sends SMS and WhatsApp messages and queries the delivery status of those messages from a single unified surface. Authentication uses an API key passed in the Authorization header. The minimal endpoint set keeps integration simple while still covering the two operations that drive most messaging workflows: send and check status.

## For AI agents

Send SMS or WhatsApp messages and query delivery status through Clickatell's unified messaging platform.

## Scope

Does not handle voice calls, email delivery, or contact list management - use for sending SMS and WhatsApp messages and checking their delivery status only.

## Capabilities

- Send a single SMS or WhatsApp message to a recipient phone number
- Send the same message to multiple recipients in a single request
- Query the delivery status of a previously sent message by message ID
- Choose between SMS and WhatsApp channels on the same API call
- Trigger transactional notifications such as OTPs and order updates

## Use cases

### Transactional SMS Notifications

Send transactional SMS messages such as order confirmations, shipping updates, or appointment reminders through Clickatell's Platform API. The send endpoint accepts the recipient number, message body, and channel selection, then returns a message ID that can be used to verify delivery later. This pattern fits inside webhook handlers, scheduled jobs, or AI agent flows.

Example prompt: Call POST `/v1/message` with the recipient number and the order confirmation message body, then store the returned message ID against the order record.

### WhatsApp Customer Messaging

Send WhatsApp messages through the same unified endpoint by selecting the WhatsApp channel on the request. This avoids running two separate integrations for SMS and WhatsApp and produces consistent message records and IDs across both channels. Useful for customer support handoffs, marketing reactivations, and channels-of-record where WhatsApp is preferred.

Example prompt: Call POST `/v1/message` with the WhatsApp channel selected and the customer's phone number to deliver the support message via WhatsApp instead of SMS.

### Delivery Status Verification

Query the delivery status of a previously sent message using its message ID to confirm successful delivery, retry on failure, or attribute campaign performance. The status endpoint returns the current state of the message and is safe to poll on a backoff schedule. Useful for audit logs, compliance evidence, and retry-on-failure flows.

Example prompt: Call GET `/v1/message/{messageId}` with the stored message ID and trigger a retry workflow if the response indicates failure.

### AI Agent Notification Workflow

Allow an AI agent to dispatch transactional notifications and verify their delivery without storing API keys in its own context. Through Jentic the agent searches for the send-message intent, executes the operation, and polls status - Clickatell's API key stays in your Jentic One instance throughout.

Example prompt: Search Jentic for 'send SMS or WhatsApp message', execute POST `/v1/message` with the recipient and body, then poll GET `/v1/message/{messageId}` until status is delivered.

## Key endpoints

| Method | Path | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| POST | `/v1/message` | Send an SMS or WhatsApp message |
| GET | `/v1/message/{messageId}` | Query the delivery status of a message |

## Key resources

- **Messages** — Send SMS or WhatsApp messages
- **Status** — Query message delivery status

## Why Jentic

- **Setup:** Wiring Clickatell by hand means setting the Authorization API key header on every request to platform.clickatell.com and handling delivery-status polling yourself. Through Jentic you install once, import the Clickatell Platform API from the API Directory, store the API key once, and your agent calls it.
- **Permission scoping:** Clickatell takes the recipient and channel in the request body of POST `/v1/message`, so scope the agent to the operations it needs, such as sending a message and checking its delivery status. You choose which operations are in the allowed set, and anything outside that set is not callable.
- **Credential handling:** Your Clickatell API key is stored once, encrypted, by your own Jentic One instance and injected at execution time. It never enters the agent's prompt, logs, or context.
- **Discovery method:** Agents search Jentic by intent such as 'send an SMS notification' or 'check message delivery status', and Jentic returns the matching Clickatell operation with its input schema so the agent calls the right endpoint without browsing the reference docs.

## Related APIs

- **Twilio API** — Programmable SMS, voice, and WhatsApp with global reach.
- **MessageBird API** — Multichannel messaging across SMS, WhatsApp, and voice.
- **Plivo API** — Developer-focused SMS and voice with low per-message pricing.
- **Sinch API** — Carrier-grade SMS, MMS, and conversation APIs.

## FAQ

### Why is there no official OpenAPI spec for Clickatell Platform API?

Clickatell does not publish an OpenAPI specification. Jentic generates and maintains this spec so that AI agents and developers can call Clickatell Platform API via structured tooling. It is validated against the live API and kept up to date. Get started with Jentic One, the self-hosted execution layer.

### What authentication does the Clickatell Platform API use?

Clickatell uses API key authentication. The key is sent in the Authorization header as a bearer-style value. When called via Jentic the key is stored encrypted in your Jentic One instance and is never exposed to the agent's prompt context.

### Can I send WhatsApp messages with the Clickatell Platform API?

Yes. POST `/v1/message` accepts a channel selection so the same endpoint can deliver an SMS or a WhatsApp message. This means a single integration covers both channels and produces consistent message IDs for status lookups.

### How do I confirm a message was delivered?

Call GET `/v1/message/{messageId}` with the message ID returned by the send call. The response indicates the current delivery state, so you can poll until the message reaches a terminal state and trigger retry or notification logic accordingly.

### What are the rate limits for the Clickatell Platform API?

The OpenAPI spec does not declare rate limits explicitly. Throughput is governed by your Clickatell account plan and the destination carriers. For high volumes, batch recipients within a single send request rather than firing many sequential calls.

### How do I send a message through Jentic?

Search Jentic for 'send an SMS or WhatsApp message'. Jentic returns the POST `/v1/message` operation with its input schema. Run pip install jentic, then await client.search, await client.load, await client.execute to send the message and capture the returned message ID.

### Can I limit what my agent is allowed to do with the Clickatell Platform API?

Yes. Because Jentic One is self-hosted, you decide which Clickatell operations your agent can call and which credentials it may use. You can allow only sending a message with POST `/v1/message` and checking delivery status with GET `/v1/message/{messageId}`, and any operation outside that allowed set is not callable. Your Clickatell API key stays in your own instance and is injected at execution time rather than exposed to the agent.