ZulipChat MCP Server

Quick Start · Setup Wizard · Integrations · Two-Tier Tools · Contributing

Quick Start

uvx zulipchat-mcp --zulip-config-file ~/.zuliprc

That's it. Your AI assistant can now read and write Zulip messages.

Need a zuliprc? Zulip Settings > Personal > Account & privacy > API key — download the file, save it as ~/.zuliprc.

Interactive onboarding:

uvx --from zulipchat-mcp zulipchat-mcp-setup

What This Does

ZulipChat MCP bridges any MCP-compatible AI assistant (Claude Code, Gemini CLI, Cursor, Windsurf, etc.) to your Zulip workspace. The assistant can:

• Send and read messages — stream messages, DMs, replies, reactions
• Search conversation history — full-text search with filters for sender, stream, time range
• Resolve people by name — "message Jaime" just works, no hunting for formal emails
• Switch identities — post as yourself or as a bot, in the same session
• Monitor activity — search recent messages, get stream info, check who's online
• Bind sessions to Zulip topics — give long-running agent sessions a stable control topic
• Request approvals in-topic — owner replies with approve / deny in the session topic

Two-Tier Tool Architecture

v0.6.0 introduced a deliberate split: 20 core tools by default, 56 tools when you need more.

Core Mode (default)

The 20 tools that cover most daily use:

Why 20 instead of 56? Fewer tools means faster tool selection, lower token overhead, and less confusion for the AI. Most tasks — sending messages, searching, reacting, and binding an agent session to Zulip — only need the core set.

Extended Mode

Need scheduled messages, event queues, file uploads, analytics, or advanced search?

uvx zulipchat-mcp --zulip-config-file ~/.zuliprc --extended-tools

Or via environment variable:

ZULIPCHAT_EXTENDED_TOOLS=1 uvx zulipchat-mcp --zulip-config-file ~/.zuliprc

Extended mode adds: toggle_reaction, cross_post_message, advanced_search, construct_narrow, get_scheduled_messages, manage_scheduled_message, register_events, get_events, listen_events, upload_file, manage_files, get_daily_summary, manage_user_mute, get_user, get_presence, get_user_groups, and more.

Installation

Full per-client setup guide: docs/integrations/README.md

Claude Code

claude mcp add zulipchat -- uvx zulipchat-mcp --zulip-config-file ~/.zuliprc

With dual identity (you + a bot):

claude mcp add zulipchat -- uvx zulipchat-mcp \
  --zulip-config-file ~/.zuliprc \
  --zulip-bot-config-file ~/.zuliprc-bot

Optional Claude hook bridge for lifecycle and approval routing:

uvx zulipchat-mcp-hook \
  --zulip-config-file ~/.zuliprc \
  --zulip-bot-config-file ~/.zuliprc-bot

Optional Claude package export for project-local hooks, skills, and subagents:

uvx zulipchat-mcp-integrate export \
  --client claude-code \
  --mode standalone \
  --output-dir . \
  --zulip-config-file ~/.zuliprc \
  --zulip-bot-config-file ~/.zuliprc-bot

Gemini CLI

Add to ~/.gemini/settings.json under mcpServers:

{
  "zulipchat": {
    "command": "uvx",
    "args": ["zulipchat-mcp", "--zulip-config-file", "/path/to/.zuliprc"]
  }
}

Claude Desktop / Cursor / Any MCP Client

Add to your MCP configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zulipchat": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["zulipchat-mcp", "--zulip-config-file", "/path/to/.zuliprc"]
    }
  }
}

Configuration Options

More clients

Dedicated setup pages:

• Gemini CLI
• Codex
• OpenCode
• VS Code + GitHub Copilot
• Cursor
• Windsurf
• Antigravity
• Generic MCP

Dual Identity

Configure both a user and a bot zuliprc to let your assistant switch between identities mid-session:

uvx zulipchat-mcp \
  --zulip-config-file ~/.zuliprc \
  --zulip-bot-config-file ~/.zuliprc-bot

The assistant posts as you by default. Call switch_identity to post as the bot — useful for automated notifications, agent-to-agent communication, or keeping human vs. bot messages distinct.

Real-World Examples

"Catch me up on what happened in #engineering today" → Assistant calls search_messages with stream + time filter, summarizes the thread.

"Tell the team we're deploying at 3pm" → Assistant calls send_message to #engineering with the announcement.

"Who sent that message about the API migration?" → Assistant calls search_messages with keywords, returns sender and context.

"React with :thumbs_up: to Sarah's last message" → Assistant calls resolve_user ("Sarah"), search_messages (sender), then add_reaction.

"DM Jaime that the PR is ready" → Assistant calls teleport_chat with fuzzy name resolution — no email needed.

Development

git clone https://github.com/akougkas/zulipchat-mcp.git
cd zulipchat-mcp
uv sync
uv run zulipchat-mcp --zulip-config-file ~/.zuliprc

Run checks:

uv run pytest -q              # full test suite, 60% coverage gate
uv run ruff check .           # Linting
uv run mypy src               # Type checking

For packaging, dependency, FastMCP, or startup changes, run the release smoke:

uv build
scripts/pre_release_smoke.sh --version X.Y.Z --allow-dirty

See CONTRIBUTING.md for the full guide, and CLAUDE.md / AGENTS.md for AI agent instructions.

Architecture

src/zulipchat_mcp/
├── core/           # Client wrapper, identity, caching, security
├── tools/          # MCP tool implementations (two-tier registration)
├── services/       # Background listener and session event routing
├── utils/          # Logging, DuckDB persistence, metrics
└── config.py       # config loading (zuliprc + environment fallback)

Built on FastMCP with async-first design, DuckDB for agent state persistence, and smart user/stream caching for fast fuzzy resolution.

Privacy

• No data collection — nothing leaves your machine except Zulip API calls
• No telemetry — zero analytics, tracking, or usage reporting
• Local execution — all processing happens on your hardware
• Credentials stay local — API keys are never logged or transmitted beyond your Zulip server

Full policy: PRIVACY.md

License

MIT — See LICENSE

Links

• Documentation Index
• Support
• Security Policy
• Zulip API Documentation
• Model Context Protocol
• Report Issues
• Discussions