Send from a short code and get replies in HubSpot

Text from a five- or six-digit short code, and get its replies on the HubSpot contact timeline. The three Twilio settings you need, in plain steps.

Last updated October 25, 2026

A short code is the five- or six-digit number some businesses text from, like 55555. This page covers sending from one, and getting replies to it in HubSpot.

Sending works the moment you turn the short code on. Replies need a few settings in Twilio first. Each step below says exactly where to click.

What works with a short code


Text from a contact record	Yes
Text from a workflow	Yes
Use it as your default sender	Yes
Replies on the contact's timeline	Yes, once you turn on Replies
Replies in the Message log	Yes, once you turn on Replies
Replies in a HubSpot inbox	No. HubSpot inboxes only accept phone numbers

If you want texts to open as conversations in a shared inbox, use a phone number for that. Many businesses use both: a short code for sending, and a phone number for conversations.

Why replies need extra setup

Phone carriers have a rule for every short code: if someone texts STOP, you must stop texting them. If someone texts HELP, you must reply with who you are.

Today, something in your Twilio setup handles that for your short code. Pepperwire doesn't answer STOP or HELP itself. So before your replies come to us, Twilio needs to take over that job.

That's all the steps below do. Once Twilio handles STOP and HELP, it's safe for your replies to go to HubSpot.

Set up Twilio

You need three things in Twilio. Pepperwire checks the first two for you when you turn on replies, so you can't get them wrong without being told.

Not sure which service to use?

Make a new Messaging Service just for your short code. Then the settings below only affect the short code, and nothing else you have in Twilio changes.

1. Put the short code in a Messaging Service

A Messaging Service is a group of senders in Twilio that share settings.

In the Twilio Console, go to Messaging → Services.
Open a service, or click Create Messaging Service to make a new one.
Open the Senders tab and click Add Senders.
Choose Short Code, pick your short code, and save.

Your short code sends exactly as before. Being in a service doesn't change how texts go out.

2. Turn on Advanced Opt-Out

This is the setting that makes Twilio answer STOP and HELP for you.

In the same service, open the Opt-out tab.
Turn on Advanced Opt-Out.
Check the reply messages Twilio will send. You can change the wording to use your business name.
Save.

Twilio doesn't let apps read this setting, so Pepperwire can't check it for you. You'll tick a box to confirm it's on.

3. Send replies to the short code's own webhook

By default, a Messaging Service can grab every reply for itself. This setting tells it to pass replies on to each sender instead, which is how they reach Pepperwire.

In the same service, open the Settings tab.
Under Inbound messages, choose Defer to sender's webhook.
Save.

This changes every sender in the service

Every number and short code in this service will use its own reply setting after this. If other numbers in the service relied on the service's webhook, their replies would move. That's why a separate service just for your short code is the safe choice.

Turn on replies in Pepperwire

Open the Phone numbers page. There are two ways in:

The short code is already on. Flip the Replies switch next to it.
The short code is off. Click Enable, then pick Send and get replies.

Pepperwire checks your Twilio setup. You'll see one of these:

What you see	What it means
Your Twilio setup can take replies	Steps 1 and 3 are done. Tick the box to confirm step 2, then click Turn on replies
Twilio isn't answering STOP for your short code yet	The short code isn't in a Messaging Service. Do steps 1 and 2, then click Check again
Your service sends replies to its own webhook	Step 3 isn't done. Change it in Twilio, then click Check again
We couldn't check your Twilio setup	Twilio didn't answer. Wait a moment and click Try again

When replies are on, the short code shows Short code · replies on.

What happens to each reply

Who replies	Where it goes
Someone who's a HubSpot contact	Their contact timeline, and the Message log
Someone who isn't a contact	The Message log only. Pepperwire never creates contacts
Someone who texts STOP or HELP	Twilio answers them. The text still shows in the log, and if opt-out sync is on, the contact is marked as opted out in HubSpot

What happens to your old setup

If your short code's replies used to go somewhere else, like a keyword app, Pepperwire remembers where. The popup tells you where that is before you turn replies on.

Turn Replies off and the short code goes straight back to that setting. The same happens if you disable the short code or disconnect Twilio.

If you change the short code's reply setting in Twilio yourself while replies are on, Pepperwire leaves your change alone when you turn replies off.

Using keywords like JOIN or DEAL?

While replies are on, every reply comes to Pepperwire instead of your old setup. If you rely on keywords that your own app answers, leave Replies off for that short code.

Turn replies off

Flip the Replies switch off on the Phone numbers page. It happens straight away, with no popup. Your short code keeps sending as normal.

Common questions

Does turning on replies change how my texts send? No. Sending works the same whether replies are on or off.

Does it cost anything extra? Not from Pepperwire. Twilio charges for incoming texts the same way it always does.

Can I turn on replies for one short code and not another? Yes. Each short code has its own switch.

Why can't short code replies go to my inbox? HubSpot only accepts phone numbers as inbox channels. A five- or six-digit code isn't a phone number, so HubSpot rejects it. Replies go to the contact's timeline instead.

Replies were working and then stopped. Check that Inbound messages in your Messaging Service is still set to Defer to sender's webhook, and that Replies is still on. See Troubleshooting for more.