diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/release.yml b/.gitea/workflows/release.yml
index a8dda6a..998bddf 100644
--- a/.gitea/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/release.yml
@@ -16,6 +16,15 @@ jobs:
           password: ${{ secrets.CI_TOKEN }}
           fetch-depth: 0  # Important: Fetch all history for commit messages
 
+      - name: Setup PHP
+        uses: shivammathur/setup-php@v2
+        with:
+          php-version: '8.0'
+          tools: composer
+
+      - name: Install Composer dependencies
+        run: composer install --no-dev --prefer-dist --optimize-autoloader --no-interaction
+
       - name: Get version
         id: get_version
         run: |
diff --git a/includes/class-twp-twilio-api.php b/includes/class-twp-twilio-api.php
index 9b7f647..9059817 100644
--- a/includes/class-twp-twilio-api.php
+++ b/includes/class-twp-twilio-api.php
@@ -39,28 +39,31 @@ class TWP_Twilio_API {
     
     /**
      * Initialize Twilio SDK client
+     *
+     * Loader priority:
+     *   1. Internal bundled vendor/autoload.php (shipped with release zip — primary)
+     *   2. External wp-content/twilio-sdk/autoload.php (legacy/manual install fallback)
      */
     private function init_sdk_client() {
-        // Check for SDK autoloader - external location first (survives plugin updates)
         $autoloader_path = null;
 
-        // Priority 1: External SDK location (recommended)
-        $external_autoloader = TWP_EXTERNAL_SDK_DIR . 'autoload.php';
-        if (file_exists($external_autoloader)) {
-            $autoloader_path = $external_autoloader;
+        // Priority 1: Internal bundled vendor (shipped via release zip)
+        $internal_autoloader = TWP_PLUGIN_DIR . 'vendor/autoload.php';
+        if (file_exists($internal_autoloader)) {
+            $autoloader_path = $internal_autoloader;
         }
 
-        // Priority 2: Internal vendor directory (fallback)
+        // Priority 2: External legacy SDK location
         if (!$autoloader_path) {
-            $internal_autoloader = TWP_PLUGIN_DIR . 'vendor/autoload.php';
-            if (file_exists($internal_autoloader)) {
-                $autoloader_path = $internal_autoloader;
+            $external_autoloader = TWP_EXTERNAL_SDK_DIR . 'autoload.php';
+            if (file_exists($external_autoloader)) {
+                $autoloader_path = $external_autoloader;
             }
         }
 
         if (!$autoloader_path) {
-            error_log('TWP Plugin: Autoloader not found. Checked: ' . $external_autoloader . ' and ' . TWP_PLUGIN_DIR . 'vendor/autoload.php');
-            throw new Exception('Twilio SDK not found. Please run: ./install-twilio-sdk-external.sh');
+            error_log('TWP Plugin: Autoloader not found. Checked: ' . TWP_PLUGIN_DIR . 'vendor/autoload.php and ' . TWP_EXTERNAL_SDK_DIR . 'autoload.php');
+            throw new Exception('Twilio SDK not found. Reinstall or update the plugin (release zips bundle the SDK), or run ./install-twilio-sdk-external.sh as a fallback.');
         }
 
         // Load the autoloader
diff --git a/includes/class-twp-webhooks.php b/includes/class-twp-webhooks.php
index 4e11c3a..1c6d03f 100644
--- a/includes/class-twp-webhooks.php
+++ b/includes/class-twp-webhooks.php
@@ -9,21 +9,21 @@ class TWP_Webhooks {
      */
     public function __construct() {
         // Load Twilio SDK if not already loaded
-        // Check external location first (survives plugin updates), then internal
+        // Priority: bundled vendor/ first (shipped via release zip), external legacy path as fallback
         if (!class_exists('\Twilio\Rest\Client')) {
             $autoloader_path = null;
 
-            // Priority 1: External SDK location
-            $external_autoloader = dirname(dirname(plugin_dir_path(dirname(__FILE__)))) . '/twilio-sdk/autoload.php';
-            if (file_exists($external_autoloader)) {
-                $autoloader_path = $external_autoloader;
+            // Priority 1: Internal bundled vendor directory
+            $internal_autoloader = plugin_dir_path(dirname(__FILE__)) . 'vendor/autoload.php';
+            if (file_exists($internal_autoloader)) {
+                $autoloader_path = $internal_autoloader;
             }
 
-            // Priority 2: Internal vendor directory
+            // Priority 2: External legacy SDK location
             if (!$autoloader_path) {
-                $internal_autoloader = plugin_dir_path(dirname(__FILE__)) . 'vendor/autoload.php';
-                if (file_exists($internal_autoloader)) {
-                    $autoloader_path = $internal_autoloader;
+                $external_autoloader = dirname(dirname(plugin_dir_path(dirname(__FILE__)))) . '/twilio-sdk/autoload.php';
+                if (file_exists($external_autoloader)) {
+                    $autoloader_path = $external_autoloader;
                 }
             }
 
diff --git a/install-aws-sdk-external.sh b/install-aws-sdk-external.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..efa0b9b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/install-aws-sdk-external.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,121 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# Script to install AWS SDK for PHP to an external location
+# This prevents SDK from being deleted when WordPress updates the plugin
+#
+# Location: wp-content/aws-sdk/ (outside plugin folder)
+#
+# Uses the official single-file PHAR distribution from aws/aws-sdk-php releases.
+# The PHAR ships its own composer-generated autoloader, so no PSR-4 wiring needed.
+
+echo "Installing AWS SDK for PHP (latest) to external location..."
+echo "This will install the SDK outside the plugin folder to survive plugin updates."
+
+# Check if we can download files
+if ! command -v curl &> /dev/null; then
+    echo "ERROR: curl is required to download the SDK"
+    echo "Please install curl and try again"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# Get the script directory (plugin directory)
+SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
+
+# Calculate wp-content directory (two levels up from plugin)
+# Plugin is at: wp-content/plugins/twilio-wp-plugin/
+# We want: wp-content/aws-sdk/
+WP_CONTENT_DIR="$(dirname "$(dirname "$SCRIPT_DIR")")"
+SDK_DIR="$WP_CONTENT_DIR/aws-sdk"
+
+echo "Plugin directory: $SCRIPT_DIR"
+echo "SDK will be installed to: $SDK_DIR"
+
+# Create SDK directory
+mkdir -p "$SDK_DIR"
+
+# Download the latest PHAR release
+echo "Downloading AWS SDK PHAR from GitHub..."
+TEMP_DIR=$(mktemp -d)
+cd "$TEMP_DIR"
+
+if ! curl -L https://github.com/aws/aws-sdk-php/releases/latest/download/aws.phar -o aws.phar; then
+    echo "ERROR: Failed to download AWS SDK PHAR"
+    echo "Please check your internet connection and try again"
+    rm -rf "$TEMP_DIR"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# Verify the download is non-empty (PHAR is roughly 12 MB)
+if [ ! -s "$TEMP_DIR/aws.phar" ]; then
+    echo "ERROR: Downloaded AWS SDK PHAR is empty or missing"
+    rm -rf "$TEMP_DIR"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# Remove existing SDK if it exists
+if [ -f "$SDK_DIR/aws.phar" ]; then
+    echo "Removing existing AWS SDK installation..."
+    rm -f "$SDK_DIR/aws.phar"
+fi
+
+# Move the PHAR into place
+echo "Installing SDK files..."
+if ! mv "$TEMP_DIR/aws.phar" "$SDK_DIR/aws.phar"; then
+    echo "ERROR: Failed to move AWS SDK PHAR into place"
+    rm -rf "$TEMP_DIR"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# Create the autoloader shim
+cat > "$SDK_DIR/autoload.php" << 'EOF'
+<?php
+/**
+ * AWS SDK for PHP Autoloader (External Installation)
+ * This file loads the AWS SDK via its bundled PHAR distribution.
+ *
+ * Location: wp-content/aws-sdk/autoload.php
+ * This location survives WordPress plugin updates.
+ *
+ * The aws.phar file is the official single-file build from aws/aws-sdk-php
+ * and ships with its own composer-generated autoloader, so all we need to
+ * do is require_once the PHAR itself.
+ */
+
+// Prevent multiple registrations
+if (!defined('TWP_AWS_AUTOLOADER_REGISTERED')) {
+    define('TWP_AWS_AUTOLOADER_REGISTERED', true);
+
+    // The PHAR contains its own autoloader stub; requiring it registers
+    // the AWS\, Aws\, GuzzleHttp\, and supporting namespaces.
+    $aws_phar = __DIR__ . '/aws.phar';
+    if (file_exists($aws_phar)) {
+        require_once $aws_phar;
+    }
+}
+EOF
+
+# Clean up temp directory
+cd "$SCRIPT_DIR"
+rm -rf "$TEMP_DIR"
+
+# Verify installation
+echo ""
+echo "Verifying installation..."
+if [ -f "$SDK_DIR/aws.phar" ] && [ -s "$SDK_DIR/aws.phar" ] && [ -f "$SDK_DIR/autoload.php" ]; then
+    echo "=============================================="
+    echo "AWS SDK for PHP installed successfully!"
+    echo "=============================================="
+    echo ""
+    echo "Installation location: $SDK_DIR"
+    echo ""
+    echo "This SDK is installed OUTSIDE the plugin folder,"
+    echo "so it will NOT be deleted when WordPress updates the plugin."
+    echo ""
+    echo "Next steps:"
+    echo "  1. In WP admin, open the Twilio plugin Settings page."
+    echo "  2. Switch SMS provider to \"Amazon SNS\"."
+    echo "  3. Enter AWS Access Key, Secret Key, and Region (e.g. us-west-2)."
+else
+    echo "Installation failed - files not found"
+    exit 1
+fi
diff --git a/twilio-wp-plugin.php b/twilio-wp-plugin.php
index 07dd945..a410ebb 100644
--- a/twilio-wp-plugin.php
+++ b/twilio-wp-plugin.php
@@ -20,8 +20,11 @@ define('TWP_DB_VERSION', '1.6.2'); // Track database version separately
 define('TWP_PLUGIN_DIR', plugin_dir_path(__FILE__));
 define('TWP_PLUGIN_URL', plugin_dir_url(__FILE__));
 define('TWP_PLUGIN_BASENAME', plugin_basename(__FILE__));
-// External SDK location - survives plugin updates (wp-content/twilio-sdk/)
+// External SDK location - legacy/manual install path (wp-content/twilio-sdk/)
+// Bundled vendor/ inside the plugin (shipped via release zip) is now the primary source.
 define('TWP_EXTERNAL_SDK_DIR', dirname(dirname(TWP_PLUGIN_DIR)) . '/twilio-sdk/');
+// External AWS SDK location - installed via install-aws-sdk-external.sh (wp-content/aws-sdk/)
+define('TWP_EXTERNAL_AWS_SDK_DIR', dirname(dirname(TWP_PLUGIN_DIR)) . '/aws-sdk/');
 
 /**
  * Plugin activation hook
@@ -32,47 +35,91 @@ function twp_activate() {
 }
 
 /**
- * Check if Twilio SDK is installed and show admin notice if not
- * Checks external location first (survives plugin updates), then internal fallback
+ * Check if Twilio (and optionally AWS) SDKs are available, load them, and
+ * register admin notices if anything required is missing.
+ *
+ * Priority for the Twilio autoloader:
+ *   1. Internal bundled `vendor/autoload.php` (shipped with release zip — always current)
+ *   2. External legacy `wp-content/twilio-sdk/autoload.php` (manual install fallback)
+ *
+ * Composer's bundled autoloader handles BOTH `Twilio\…` and `Aws\…` via PSR-4. If
+ * the bundled vendor doesn't supply Aws (e.g. someone installed Twilio-only
+ * externally), we fall back to `wp-content/aws-sdk/autoload.php`.
  */
 function twp_check_sdk_installation() {
-    $sdk_installed = false;
+    $twilio_sdk_installed = false;
+    $aws_sdk_installed = false;
 
-    // Priority 1: Check external SDK location (survives plugin updates)
-    $external_autoloader = TWP_EXTERNAL_SDK_DIR . 'autoload.php';
-    if (file_exists($external_autoloader)) {
-        require_once $external_autoloader;
-        $sdk_installed = class_exists('Twilio\Rest\Client');
+    // --- Twilio SDK ---
+    // Priority 1: Internal bundled vendor (shipped via release zip)
+    $internal_autoloader = TWP_PLUGIN_DIR . 'vendor/autoload.php';
+    if (file_exists($internal_autoloader)) {
+        require_once $internal_autoloader;
+        $twilio_sdk_installed = class_exists('Twilio\Rest\Client');
     }
 
-    // Priority 2: Fall back to internal vendor directory
-    if (!$sdk_installed) {
-        $internal_autoloader = TWP_PLUGIN_DIR . 'vendor/autoload.php';
-        if (file_exists($internal_autoloader)) {
-            require_once $internal_autoloader;
-            $sdk_installed = class_exists('Twilio\Rest\Client');
+    // Priority 2: External legacy location (manual installs)
+    if (!$twilio_sdk_installed) {
+        $external_autoloader = TWP_EXTERNAL_SDK_DIR . 'autoload.php';
+        if (file_exists($external_autoloader)) {
+            require_once $external_autoloader;
+            $twilio_sdk_installed = class_exists('Twilio\Rest\Client');
         }
     }
 
-    if (!$sdk_installed) {
+    // --- AWS SDK ---
+    // The bundled composer vendor may already provide it (if shipped with release).
+    $aws_sdk_installed = class_exists('Aws\Sns\SnsClient');
+    if (!$aws_sdk_installed) {
+        $aws_external_autoloader = TWP_EXTERNAL_AWS_SDK_DIR . 'autoload.php';
+        if (file_exists($aws_external_autoloader)) {
+            require_once $aws_external_autoloader;
+            $aws_sdk_installed = class_exists('Aws\Sns\SnsClient');
+        }
+    }
+
+    // Twilio is the hard requirement — always notify if missing.
+    if (!$twilio_sdk_installed) {
         add_action('admin_notices', 'twp_sdk_missing_notice');
     }
+
+    // AWS is only required when the SNS provider is selected.
+    if (!$aws_sdk_installed && get_option('twp_sms_provider') === 'aws_sns') {
+        add_action('admin_notices', 'twp_aws_sdk_missing_notice');
+    }
 }
 
 /**
- * Display admin notice for missing SDK
+ * Display admin notice for missing Twilio SDK
  */
 function twp_sdk_missing_notice() {
     ?>
     <div class="notice notice-error is-dismissible">
-        <h3>Twilio WordPress Plugin - SDK Required</h3>
+        <h3>Twilio WordPress Plugin - Twilio SDK Required</h3>
         <p><strong>The Twilio PHP SDK is required for this plugin to work.</strong></p>
-        <p><strong>Recommended:</strong> Install SDK to external location (survives plugin updates):</p>
+        <p><strong>Recommended:</strong> Reinstall or update the plugin. Plugin updates now bundle the SDK (the release zip ships a pre-built <code>vendor/</code> directory), so a fresh install or update is the simplest fix.</p>
+        <p style="margin-top: 10px;"><strong>Legacy / manual install:</strong> If you can't update the plugin, you can install the SDK to the external location instead:</p>
         <code>chmod +x install-twilio-sdk-external.sh && ./install-twilio-sdk-external.sh</code>
-        <p style="margin-top: 10px;"><strong>Alternative:</strong> Install SDK inside plugin folder:</p>
-        <code>chmod +x install-twilio-sdk.sh && ./install-twilio-sdk.sh</code>
         <p style="margin-top: 10px;"><em>Plugin path: <?php echo esc_html(TWP_PLUGIN_DIR); ?></em></p>
-        <p><em>External SDK path: <?php echo esc_html(TWP_EXTERNAL_SDK_DIR); ?></em></p>
+        <p><em>Bundled vendor path: <?php echo esc_html(TWP_PLUGIN_DIR . 'vendor/'); ?></em></p>
+        <p><em>External SDK fallback path: <?php echo esc_html(TWP_EXTERNAL_SDK_DIR); ?></em></p>
+    </div>
+    <?php
+}
+
+/**
+ * Display admin notice for missing AWS SDK (only fired when SNS provider is selected)
+ */
+function twp_aws_sdk_missing_notice() {
+    ?>
+    <div class="notice notice-error is-dismissible">
+        <h3>Twilio WordPress Plugin - AWS SDK Required for SNS SMS</h3>
+        <p><strong>You have selected AWS SNS as your SMS provider, but the AWS PHP SDK is not available.</strong></p>
+        <p><strong>Recommended:</strong> Update the plugin to a release-bundled version — newer release zips bundle the AWS SDK alongside the Twilio SDK in <code>vendor/</code>.</p>
+        <p style="margin-top: 10px;"><strong>Legacy / manual install:</strong> Install the AWS SDK to the external location:</p>
+        <code>chmod +x install-aws-sdk-external.sh && ./install-aws-sdk-external.sh</code>
+        <p style="margin-top: 10px;"><em>External AWS SDK path: <?php echo esc_html(TWP_EXTERNAL_AWS_SDK_DIR); ?></em></p>
+        <p><em>If you don't need AWS SNS, switch the SMS provider back to Twilio under the plugin settings.</em></p>
     </div>
     <?php
 }
@@ -142,7 +189,8 @@ register_deactivation_hook(__FILE__, 'twp_deactivate');
 
 /**
  * Check SDK status after plugin updates
- * Shows warning if SDK was deleted during update and external SDK not available
+ * Shows warning if neither the bundled vendor/ nor the external SDK is available
+ * after an update — this should be rare now that release zips ship vendor/.
  */
 function twp_check_sdk_after_update($upgrader_object, $options) {
     // Only run for plugin updates
@@ -156,11 +204,11 @@ function twp_check_sdk_after_update($upgrader_object, $options) {
         return;
     }
 
-    // Check if SDK is available
-    $external_sdk = file_exists(TWP_EXTERNAL_SDK_DIR . 'autoload.php');
+    // Check if a Twilio SDK autoloader is available anywhere
     $internal_sdk = file_exists(TWP_PLUGIN_DIR . 'vendor/autoload.php');
+    $external_sdk = file_exists(TWP_EXTERNAL_SDK_DIR . 'autoload.php');
 
-    if (!$external_sdk && !$internal_sdk) {
+    if (!$internal_sdk && !$external_sdk) {
         // Set a transient to show warning on next admin page load
         set_transient('twp_sdk_update_warning', true, 60 * 5);
     }
@@ -175,11 +223,13 @@ function twp_show_sdk_update_warning() {
         delete_transient('twp_sdk_update_warning');
         ?>
         <div class="notice notice-warning is-dismissible">
-            <h3>Twilio WordPress Plugin - SDK Reinstall Required</h3>
-            <p><strong>The plugin was updated and the Twilio SDK needs to be reinstalled.</strong></p>
-            <p>To prevent this in the future, install the SDK to the external location:</p>
+            <h3>Twilio WordPress Plugin - SDK Missing After Update</h3>
+            <p><strong>The plugin was updated, but no Twilio SDK could be found.</strong></p>
+            <p>Plugin release zips normally bundle the SDK in <code>vendor/</code>, so this usually means the release was built without dependencies, or the upload was incomplete. Try downloading the release zip again and reinstalling.</p>
+            <p style="margin-top: 10px;"><strong>Manual install fallback:</strong></p>
             <code>cd <?php echo esc_html(TWP_PLUGIN_DIR); ?> && ./install-twilio-sdk-external.sh</code>
-            <p style="margin-top: 10px;">The external SDK at <code><?php echo esc_html(TWP_EXTERNAL_SDK_DIR); ?></code> survives plugin updates.</p>
+            <p style="margin-top: 10px;"><em>Bundled vendor path: <?php echo esc_html(TWP_PLUGIN_DIR . 'vendor/'); ?></em></p>
+            <p><em>External SDK fallback path: <?php echo esc_html(TWP_EXTERNAL_SDK_DIR); ?></em></p>
         </div>
         <?php
     }