ZulipChat MCP Server

<h3>Model Context Protocol server for Zulip Chat. Connect Claude Code, Gemini CLI, Codex, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code Copilot, and other MCP clients to Zulip.</h3>

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Quick Start · Setup Wizard · Integrations · Two-Tier Tools · Contributing </div>

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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:

| Category | Tools | |----------|-------| | Messaging | send_message, edit_message, get_message, add_reaction | | Search | search_messages, get_streams, get_stream_info, get_stream_topics | | Users | resolve_user, get_users, get_own_user | | Agent Comms | teleport_chat, register_agent, ensure_agent_session, agent_message, request_user_input, wait_for_response | | System | switch_identity, server_info, manage_message_flags |

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: ``bash 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): ``bash 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: ``bash 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: ``bash 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

| Option | Description | |--------|-------------| | --zulip-config-file PATH | Path to your zuliprc file | | --zulip-bot-config-file PATH | Bot zuliprc for dual identity | | --extended-tools | Register all 56 tools instead of the 20-tool core set | | --unsafe | Enable administrative tools (use with caution) | | --debug | Enable debug logging |

More clients

Dedicated setup pages:

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: ``bash 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

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<div align="center"> <sub>Built for the Zulip community</sub> </div>

ZulipChat MCP Server