By the end of this guide, your bot will answer the phone.
Ninja Talk gives your OpenClaw bot a real phone number. Callers dial in, the bot picks up, and the conversation happens in real time. You can also trigger outbound calls from your bot.
You'll need about 15 minutes and a browser.
What you need
A Telnyx account. Telnyx is the phone provider. Sign up at telnyx.com — it's free to start. To buy a phone number, add a payment method.
A Gemini API key. Ninja Talk uses Google's Gemini model for the voice. Get a free key at Google AI Studio — click "Get API key", create one, and copy it. That's all you need from there.
Step 1 — Set up a phone application in Telnyx
Telnyx needs a "Voice API application" to know which bot should handle incoming calls.
Sign in to Mission Control at portal.telnyx.com.
In the left menu, look for Voice or Programmable Voice, then open Voice API applications (sometimes called Call Control applications).
Click Create new application.
Fill in:
- Application name — anything you'll recognize. "My Bot" works.
- AnchorSite — choose Latency.
- Webhook URI — enter
https://example.com/webhookfor now. The dashboard will replace this with the real address automatically after you save. - Webhook API version — select API v2.
Everything else can stay at the defaults. Save the application.
Step 2 — Get a phone number
Still in Telnyx, go to Numbers and search for a number in your country. Buy it and attach it to the application you just created. This is the number people will call.
Step 3 — Copy your Telnyx credentials
You need three things from Telnyx. Open the application you created and note:
- Application ID — the long number in the URL or on the app's detail page.
- Phone number — the number you bought, including the country code (e.g.,
+16475551234).
Then go to Account > API keys (or Keys & Tokens) and create a new API key. Copy it somewhere safe — you'll paste it into the dashboard in a moment.
Step 4 — Install Ninja Talk
Open your ClawdBot dashboard and go to Skills (or Capabilities).
Find Ninja Talk under Communication and click Install. Wait for it to show as installed, then click Configure.
Step 5 — Paste your settings
Fill in the form:
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Telnyx API Key | The API key from Step 3 |
| Telnyx App ID | The Application ID from Step 3 |
| Phone Number | Your Telnyx number (e.g., +16475551234) |
| Gemini API Key | The key from Google AI Studio |
| Voice | Optional — try Kore or Aoede for different voices |
Click Save. The dashboard handles everything from here.
Wait about 30-60 seconds, then refresh the page to confirm your settings saved.
Step 6 — Test it
Call the phone number from your mobile. If everything is set up correctly:
- The call connects and your bot greets you.
- You can speak and the bot responds.
If it just rings without connecting, wait another 30 seconds and try again — the first call sometimes takes a moment on a fresh install. If it still doesn't connect, open the ClawdBot dashboard and check that Ninja Talk shows as running.
Uninstall
Go to Skills in the dashboard and click Uninstall next to Ninja Talk. That stops the service immediately.
If you want to reuse the phone number with a different app, log back into Telnyx and update the webhook URL on your Voice API application manually.
Something not working? Ask in the ClawdBot dashboard or leave a comment below.