---
name: "phone_release_number"
area: "phone"
title: "Release a phone number"
price: "free"
method: "POST"
url: "https://api.conecto.chat/v1/tools/phone_release_number"
mcp_server: "https://api.conecto.chat/mcp/phone"
auth: "Authorization: Bearer <conecto_sk_ key>"
docs_url: "https://conecto.chat/tools/phone/phone_release_number"
---

# Release a phone number (`phone_release_number`)

Gives a number back for good: it stops answering at once and its rent ends.

Give a number back. It stops answering at once, its rental ends and the number may go to someone else. This can't be undone, and the rest of the month is not refunded.

Price: Free. A call that fails costs nothing.

## Use it when

A number is no longer wanted. The rest of the month is not refunded.

## Say this to your agent

> The shop's line goes straight to the carrier again. Give back the Portland number.

## Inputs

| Name | Type | Required | Description | Allowed values | Default |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| `number` | string | yes | The number in E.164 form, e.g. +15035550123. Matches ^\\+[1-9][0-9]{6,15}$. |  |  |

## Example

Written for Halverson Cycle & Repair, a bike shop with a repair workshop in Portland, Oregon.

MCP: call `phone_release_number` on the MCP server `https://api.conecto.chat/mcp/phone` with these arguments:

```json
{
  "number": "+15035550123"
}
```

REST:

```bash
curl https://api.conecto.chat/v1/tools/phone_release_number \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CONECTO_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"number": "+15035550123"}'
```

## Response

```json
{
  "call_id": "5f0c8a2e-3b7d-4c1e-9a64-2d8e1f7b0c93",
  "tool": "phone_release_number",
  "status": "succeeded",
  "replayed": false,
  "cost_usd": "$0.00",
  "balance_usd": "$19.75",
  "result": {
    "released": "+15035550123"
  }
}
```

`result`: released: the number.

## Errors

| Code | Status | When | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| `not_found` | 404 | The business rents no such number. | Call phone_list_numbers and use one of them. |
| `call_active` | 409 | A call on the number is still going on. | Release it after the call has ended. |
| `carrier_unavailable` | 503 | The carrier could not be reached; the number is still the business's. | Call again in a minute. |
| `phone_unavailable` | 503 | The phone service is not switched on yet, or has no voices right now. | Try again later; nothing was charged. |

The refusals every tool can give (401 key, 402 balance, 429 limits) are on the errors page: https://conecto.chat/docs/errors.md

## Related

- [phone_search_numbers](https://conecto.chat/tools/phone/phone_search_numbers.md): Phone numbers the business can rent right now, each with the monthly price and a quote to rent it. Free up to 1,000,000 reads a month.
- [phone_rent_number](https://conecto.chat/tools/phone/phone_rent_number.md): Rents a number found by phone_search_numbers; this call pays the first month. Quoted, up to $25.00.
- [phone_setup_assistant](https://conecto.chat/tools/phone/phone_setup_assistant.md): Sets how the business's numbers answer (the agent's webhook or taking messages), the greeting, voice and hours, and whether messages become tickets. $0.001 a call.
- [phone_get_assistant](https://conecto.chat/tools/phone/phone_get_assistant.md): How the business's numbers answer, whether they answer right now (and why not), and the voices to choose from. Free up to 1,000,000 reads a month.
- [phone_list_numbers](https://conecto.chat/tools/phone/phone_list_numbers.md): The numbers the business rents, with their monthly price and next renewal. Free up to 1,000,000 reads a month.
- [phone_list_calls](https://conecto.chat/tools/phone/phone_list_calls.md): Calls to and from the business's numbers, newest first: who, when, how long and what it cost, missed ones included. Free up to 1,000,000 reads a month.
- [phone_get_call](https://conecto.chat/tools/phone/phone_get_call.md): One call with its whole transcript: who said what, and when. Free up to 1,000,000 reads a month.