Zulip Chat

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.

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

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 withapprove/denyin the session topic

v0.6.0 introduced a deliberate split:20 core toolsby default,60 toolswhen you need more.

Why 20 instead of 60? 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.

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

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

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,get_drafts,create_draft,edit_draft,delete_draft,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.

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

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

Add to~/.gemini/settings.jsonundermcpServers: