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Zulip Chat

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An MCP server for integrating with the Zulip team chat platform.

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ZulipChat MCP Server

<div align="center"> <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>

PyPI CI Publish Coverage Gate Downloads GitHub stars Python License MCP

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

</div>

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:

CategoryTools
Messagingsend_message, edit_message, get_message, add_reaction
Searchsearch_messages, get_streams, get_stream_info, get_stream_topics
Usersresolve_user, get_users, get_own_user
Agent Commsteleport_chat, register_agent, ensure_agent_session, agent_message, request_user_input, wait_for_response
Systemswitch_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:

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.

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

Links

<div align="center"> <sub>Built for the Zulip community</sub> </div> <!-- mcp-name: io.github.akougkas/zulipchat -->