Campfire SMS
With Campfire SMS, a connected agent can text the question that blocks its next step. Your SMS reply becomes input to the task, so it can continue within the workspace, scope, and permissions it already has.
Your agent
SMS OUTThe report has two date formats. Which should I use for the export?
SMS INUse ISO dates. Keep the original values in a separate column.
RESULTExport updated with ISO dates and original values. The sample is ready for review.
Your phone
Campfire SMS: The report has two date formats. Which should I use for the export?
You: Use ISO dates. Keep the original values in a separate column.
Campfire SMS: Export updated with ISO dates and original values. The sample is ready for review.
Text the question that actually blocks progress
An agent may have the tools it needs and still need a human choice: which date format to use, which dataset to summarize, or which edge case deserves attention. If you have left the computer, that question can sit in a terminal you are no longer watching.
Campfire SMS gives the active agent a way to ask through your usual text inbox. It can state the uncertainty, give the choices, and retrieve your answer. The work stays in the existing agent environment.
“Which date format should the export use?” is answerable from a phone. “Something is wrong” leaves you guessing. Ask the agent to include enough context for one short reply.
Agree on the handoff before you leave
- Connect Campfire SMS and verify that your agent receives a harmless SMS reply.
- Define the task and what the agent can do with its existing permissions.
- Tell it which uncertainties require a question and which routine choices it can resolve itself.
- Choose a reply window and a fallback if you do not answer.
For a local session, keep the computer awake and online with the agent available to check replies. Receiving a text does not keep a stopped session running.
Give the agent a clear question and waiting rule
Continue the agreed task. If a missing preference blocks the next step, text me through Campfire SMS with the task name, the specific question, and at most two useful options. Check for my reply while the session is active, incorporate the answer, and acknowledge the handled message. While waiting, continue independent work within our agreed scope. If the reply window ends, save the current state and report what is waiting.
Choose a different fallback when the task requires it. The important detail is that the agent knows how to handle silence, rather than inventing a preference or sending repeated messages.
Make the message easy to answer
| Situation | Useful question | Possible reply |
|---|---|---|
| Ambiguous export | Use ISO dates or preserve the display format? | ISO dates, with originals in a separate column. |
| Large review | Summarize performance or migration risks first? | Migration risks first. |
| Incomplete source | The report lacks April data. Draft through March? | Yes. Label April as missing. |
Keep full logs, diffs, and files in the workspace. A text should give you a manageable choice and let you decide whether the rest needs a computer.
Distinguish a task question from a permission gate
A missing preference can be answered in a message. A native permission request belongs to the agent host's approval interface. SMS replies carry task input within existing authorization; they do not grant new tools, credentials, or destructive authority.
Ask the agent to identify what kind of blocker it has. “Which format?” can fit the SMS exchange. “The host needs permission” may require you to return to the native interface. See decisions and approvals from your phone.
For a cloud routine that starts when you text while your computer is off, use Grok Bot webhook wake. For a scheduled nudge later, compare persistent reminders.
Common questions
Can I answer an agent question by text?
Yes, when the agent has an active Campfire SMS connection and retrieves your reply. Start with a harmless exchange to verify the complete path.
What if I do not reply?
Agree on the waiting window and fallback before leaving. The agent can continue independent authorized work or save its state and report what remains blocked.
Can I approve a native tool permission by SMS?
SMS does not replace native permission approval. Use the host's own interface for permission gates; use texts for task questions within existing authorization.