How to send SMS through SMPP from LobeChat
This guide explains how to connect LobeChat to Ozeki SMS Gateway's built in SMS MCP server, enabling the AI assistant to send and receive SMS messages through your own on-premises SMS gateway. You will learn how to install Ozeki SMS Gateway, create an MCP user account, generate an API key, register the MCP endpoint in LobeChat, and verify the setup by sending a test message.
Solution: How to send SMS from LobeChat
LobeChat connects to the SMPP SMS MCP Server through the MCP protocol, where LobeChat acts as the MCP client and Ozeki SMS Gateway acts as the MCP server. Ozeki SMS Gateway is installed on your local machine or server and connects to the SMS service provider over the internet using an SMPP client connection. When an SMS is sent, it first travels from LobeChat to the Ozeki SMS Gateway as an MCP tool call, and the gateway forwards it to the SMS service provider over SMPP, which delivers it to the recipient's mobile phone.
What is LobeChat?
LobeChat is an open-source, high-performance chat application that supports multiple AI providers and can be deployed locally or in the cloud. It features a plugin and agent skill system that allows it to be extended with MCP servers, enabling capabilities such as SMS messaging, web browsing, and database access directly from the chat interface.
What is an SMPP SMS MCP Server?
An SMPP SMS MCP Server is a standardized software bridge that uses the Model Context Protocol to connect AI assistants (like Claude) to an SMS gateway system such as Ozeki SMS Gateway, which in turn delivers messages to the mobile network over an SMPP client connection. It exposes tools like "send_message" or "list_incomings" that an AI can autonomously call to perform real-world texting tasks without custom coding. This allows users to simply ask an AI to "send John a reminder text" and have the AI securely execute the action through the server. The SMS MCP Server built into Ozeki SMS Gateway also makes receiving SMS messages possible.
Download Ozeki SMS Gateway
To use this solution you need to install the SMS Gateway on your system.
Download the software: SMS Gateway
https://ozeki-sms-gateway.com/p_727-download-sms-gateway.html
Steps to follow
You will need LobeChat installed on your system. If you have not set it up yet, follow our LobeChat installation guide.
- Install Ozeki SMS Gateway
- Setup the SMPP SMS connection
- Create an MCP user account
- LobeChat SMS MCP Server Config
- Add the SMS MCP Server config to LobeChat
- Send a test SMS
- Check the SMS in the SMS Gateway logs
Install Ozeki SMS Gateway
For a full tutorial on installing Ozeki SMS Gateway, check out our How to install Ozeki SMS Gateway on Windows guide.
Before you can use the SMS MCP Server, you need to install Ozeki SMS Gateway on your Windows machine or server. Download the installer zip file from the website, extract it, and run the executable to complete the installation. Once installed, the gateway will start automatically and its web-based management interface will be accessible from your browser.
Setup the SMPP SMS connection
For a full tutorial on setting up an SMPP Client connection, check out our SMPP Client Connection guide.
Before creating the MCP user, you need to connect Ozeki SMS Gateway to the mobile network by setting up an SMPP client. In the Connections panel, select Add new connection, and install a new SMPP client connection. Enter the host, port, and credentials provided by your SMS service provider, then save and activate the connection to bring the gateway online.
Create an MCP user account
For a full tutorial on creating an MCP User, check out our Create an MCP User guide.
Click Add new user/application, and select the MCP user type from the list. Enter a username and password for the account, then open the Advanced tab to generate an API key. Copy this key and store it in a safe location, as you will need it in the next steps.
LobeChat MCP server configuration
Settings -> Skills -> Add custom skill
MCP skill type: Streamable HTTP
MCP name: Ozeki
Streamable HTTP endpoint URL: http://{address}:9529/mcp
Authentication type: API Key
Example prompt
Send an SMS to +36301234567, the message should be "Hello from LobeChat".
Add the SMS MCP Server config to LobeChat
The following video shows how to add the Ozeki SMPP SMS MCP Server to LobeChat step-by-step.
Open LobeHub and navigate to the application settings. Agent Skills is the section where you can extend the AI agent with external MCP plugins, giving it access to tools and services beyond its built-in capabilities (Figure 1).
In the settings menu, navigate to Skills. This section lists all currently installed MCP skills and provides the option to add new ones (Figure 2).
Click the Add button, then select Add Custom MCP Skill from the list to open the form where you can register a new MCP server (Figure 3).
Set the MCP Connection Type to Streamable HTTP and
enter Ozeki as the MCP Name. In the
Streamable HTTP Endpoint URL field, enter the address of your Ozeki SMS
Gateway following the format http://{address}:9529/mcp (Figure 4).
Set the Authentication Type to API Key and paste the Bearer token you generated for your MCP user account into the field (Figure 5).
Click Test connection to verify that LobeHub can reach your SMS Gateway using the provided URL and API key. If the connection is successful, the SMS tools exposed by the gateway will be listed, confirming that the configuration is correct (Figure 6).
Click the Install button to add the Ozeki SMS MCP Skill to LobeHub. Once installed, the skill will be available to the AI agent in all conversations (Figure 7).
Send a test SMS
The following video shows how to send an SMS message from LobeChat using the Ozeki SMPP SMS MCP server step-by-step.
Open a new conversation in LobeHub and locate the skills selector in the chat interface. Enable the Ozeki MCP skill so that the AI agent can invoke it during the conversation (Figure 8).
In the chat input, type your SMS request in plain language and press the Send button. The AI agent will interpret the request and invoke the appropriate MCP tool to deliver the message through the gateway (Figure 9).
Send an SMS to +36301111111, the message should be "Hello from LobeChat".
Once the tool has been executed, the result will appear in the chat. A successful response confirms that the message was submitted to the gateway and handed off for delivery (Figure 10).
Check the SMS in the SMS Gateway logs
The following video shows how to check the SMS in the logs in Ozeki SMS Gateway step-by-step.
Open Ozeki SMS Gateway in your browser and navigate to the MCP user details page by clicking on the MCP user entry in the Users and applications panel (Figure 11).
In the MCP user event log, you should see an entry for the outgoing message, including the recipient number and message text, confirming that it was successfully processed by the gateway (Figure 12).
Summary
In this guide, you have learned how to connect LobeChat to Ozeki SMS Gateway's built-in SMS MCP Server and use it to send SMS messages directly from the chat interface. By installing the gateway, setting up an SMPP connection to the mobile network, creating an MCP user account, and registering the MCP endpoint in LobeChat, you now have a fully functional on-premises SMS integration that your locally hosted AI model can use to communicate with any mobile phone.