Can Claude make phone calls? Yes, here's how it works
Claude can't dial anyone alone. With Bland's MCP server and Agent Phone Plan it can place a call from your terminal and report back what was said.
Claude, Anthropic's AI assistant, has no phone number of its own, so it cannot place a call by itself. We're Bland. We build AI that talks on the phone. Our Agent Phone Plan gives an AI like Claude a US number to call from. Connect the two and Claude can get a business on the phone for you, then tell you what they said.
Say you're deep in a Claude Code session (Anthropic's coding tool that runs in a terminal). Your dog has been limping since this morning, and the vet's number is still sitting in a browser tab. With Bland connected, ask Claude to call the vet without leaving the terminal.
Claude sends your request to Bland through a connector (an outside service you add to Claude). Bland places the call from your number.
How do you connect Claude to Bland?#
Sign up for Bland and start the Agent Phone Plan; your Bland number comes with it. Then add the connector to whichever Claude you use. Claude Code connects from your terminal. In Claude's Settings and Connectors screen you can add a custom connector, and Claude Desktop supports Bland's Norm plugin. Exact commands and screens are on the Claude phone calls page.
- Claude Code: How you add the connector: One command in the terminal; How you sign in: Sign in with Bland or use an API key
- Claude with custom connectors: How you add the connector: Add a custom connector under Settings and then Connectors; How you sign in: Sign in with Bland
- Claude Desktop using the Norm plugin: How you add the connector: Install the Norm plugin from Bland; How you sign in: Sign in with Bland or let the plugin store your key
You can sign in with Bland in each of these Claude clients. Some clients also accept an API key, a secret credential that lets software use your Bland account. The Claude phone calls page has the instructions for your client.
For developers: what's behind the connector?#
The connector is Bland's MCP server. MCP, short for Model Context Protocol, is a standard way for an AI app to use outside tools, such as one that places a phone call. In the Claude app, point the connector at https://api.bland.ai/v1/mcp. Claude Desktop can also reach it through a request-header beta or a standard input and output (stdio) bridge, and both are covered on the Claude phone calls page. A sign-in connection cannot buy the plan; you approve and purchase it on Bland's website.
What does a call look like?#
Hillside Vet, its number and its prices are made up for this example. From the Claude Code prompt you type:
Call Hillside Vet at (415) 555-0188 and ask whether they have any appointment this afternoon for a dog who's been limping since morning, and what a visit costs. Then tell me what they say.
Claude has a tool-approval setting. While it's on, Claude should ask permission before using the connector. Say yes, and Bland calls the vet from your Bland number. The voice on the line is Bland's AI, and it asks your questions. When the conversation ends, Claude answers in the terminal: "They have a 3:40 opening today. A basic exam is $75, and they asked that you bring any vaccination records you have."
You type the request and, if Claude asks for approval, decide whether to let it proceed. Bland's server does not ask for confirmation itself, so keep Claude's tool-approval prompts on.
That first call only finds out what's open. It does not book anything. If you want the 3:40 slot, ask Claude to call back and request it; the vet's front desk decides. Bland's AI works from the request you give it, so if the vet is likely to ask for your name or your dog's, put them in. If your dog is hurt badly enough that minutes matter, make that call yourself.
How many calls can you make, and what does it cost?#
The Agent Phone Plan allows one call at a time across your account, 20 calls an hour and 50 a day, to US and Canada numbers only. There is no per-minute charge within the plan's fair-use limits. Incoming and outgoing calls share a daily allowance of 1,000 minutes, and each outbound call can last up to 60 minutes.
If a call is already running, a new inbound caller hears a busy message and a second outbound request is rejected.
If you need more calls at once, see Build on our pricing page.
The plan costs $9.99 for the first month (once per account owner) and $19.99 a month after that. Your Claude subscription is separate. Details are on the AI phone number page.