reply

Create and send an outbound message in response to the inbound message. reply accepts three shapes: a string shorthand, an object with body/media/routing fields, or an inline switch that branches the reply body on a variable’s value.

reply does not end execution — subsequent steps in the section continue to run after the reply is queued.

Properties

reply accepts one of three shapes — use whichever fits the document shape:

Variables

reply writes these variables into the script context after it runs. Read them with the %{variable} syntax in subsequent steps. When reply is called multiple times in a single document, both variables reflect the most recent reply.

Status callbacks

The status_url on reply registers a delivery status callback for the outbound reply message — not for the inbound message that triggered the SWML document. It behaves the same way as the status callback on any other outbound message sent through SignalWire.

• Fires as the outbound reply moves through delivery states.
• Callback delivery is independent of SWML execution: the SWML document completes as soon as the reply is accepted (reply_result: "queued"); delivery-state callbacks fire afterwards.
• If reply is called multiple times in a single document, each reply’s status_url is registered independently for its own outbound message.

When status_url is set, SignalWire sends an HTTP POST to that URL each time the outbound reply transitions to a new state. The callback uses the same payload as other outbound messages sent through SignalWire:

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{
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  "id": "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890",
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  "project_id": "b2c3d4e5-f6a7-8901-bcde-f12345678901",
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  "status": "delivered",
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  "to": "+15551234567",
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  "from": "+15559876543",
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  "body": "Hello World!",
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  "number_of_segments": 1,
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  "timestamp": "2026-03-17T22:26:57Z"
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}

See the Message status callback webhook page for the full field reference and the list of possible status values.

Examples

Reply with body

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version: 1.0.0
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sections:
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  main:
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    - reply:
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        body: "Thanks for your message!"

Reply with media (MMS)

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version: 1.0.0
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sections:
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  main:
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    - reply:
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        body: "Here's the document you requested"
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        media:
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          - "https://example.com/document.pdf"

Reply with a status callback URL

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version: 1.0.0
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sections:
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  main:
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    - reply:
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        body: "Your order is confirmed"
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        status_url: "https://example.com/status"

Keyword-driven reply with inline switch

The inline switch form branches the reply body on a variable’s value — typically the inbound message.body.

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version: 1.0.0
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sections:
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  main:
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    - reply:
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        switch:
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          variable: message.body
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          transform: lowercase_trim
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          case:
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            help: "Reply STOP to unsubscribe, or visit https://example.com/help."
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            stop: "You've been unsubscribed."
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            start: "Welcome back!"
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          default: "Thanks for your message!"

Per-case media and routing with inline switch

When a case needs more than a body string — different media, a different destination, or a per-branch status_url — supply a full reply object for that case instead of a bare string.

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version: 1.0.0
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sections:
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  main:
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    - reply:
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        switch:
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          variable: message.body
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          transform: lowercase_trim
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          case:
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            menu:
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              body: "Here's our menu."
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              media:
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                - "https://example.com/menu.pdf"
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            directions:
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              body: "Tap below for directions."
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              media:
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                - "https://example.com/map.jpg"
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            agent:
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              body: "Connecting you with a human — they'll text from a different number."
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              from: "+15559876543"
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          default: "Reply MENU, DIRECTIONS, or AGENT."

Forward an inbound message to another number

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version: 1.0.0
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sections:
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  main:
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    - reply:
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        to: "+12223334444"
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        from: "+15559876543"
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        body: "Your number %{message.to} got a message from %{message.from}! The body was: %{message.body}"