How to send SMS through SMPP from Cline
This guide explains how to connect Cline 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 Cline, and verify the setup by sending a test message.
Solution: How to send SMS from Cline
Cline connects to the SMPP SMS MCP Server through the MCP protocol, where Cline 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 Cline 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 Cline?
Cline is an AI-powered coding assistant extension for Visual Studio Code that helps developers write code faster and more efficiently. It provides intelligent code completion, generation, and refactoring suggestions powered by large language models.
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 Cline installed on your system. If you have not set it up yet, follow our Cline installation guide.
- Install Ozeki SMS Gateway
- Setup the SMPP SMS connection
- Create an MCP user account
- Cline SMS MCP Server Config
- Add the SMS MCP Server config to Cline
- 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.
Cline MCP server configuration
# Navigate to the following location in Cline to open the config file:
# Cline -> MCP Servers -> Configure
# Add the following block to the configuration file
# Replace {address} with your Ozeki SMS Gateway host IP
{
"mcpServers": {
"Ozeki": {
"url": "http://{address}:9529/mcp",
"type": "streamableHttp",
"timeout": 60,
"headers": {
"Authorization": "Bearer your-bearer-token"
}
}
}
}
Example prompt
Send an SMS to +36301234567, the message should be "Hello from Cline".
Add the SMS MCP Server config to Cline
The following video shows how to add the Ozeki SMPP SMS MCP Server to Cline step-by-step.
Open Visual Studio Code and click the Cline icon in the left sidebar to open the extension panel. Once the panel is open, locate and click the MCP Servers button at the top of the Cline interface to open the MCP server management view (Figure 1).
Open the Configure tab and click the Configure MCP Servers button. This will open the underlying JSON configuration file where all MCP server entries are stored (Figure 2).
Add the Ozeki SMPP SMS MCP Server entry inside the
mcpServers object as shown below. Replace {address}
with the IP address or hostname of your Ozeki SMS Gateway installation, and
replace the Bearer token with the API key you generated for your MCP user account (Figure 3).
{
"mcpServers": {
"Ozeki": {
"url": "http://{address}:9529/mcp",
"type": "streamableHttp",
"timeout": 60,
"headers": {
"Authorization": "Bearer your-bearer-token"
}
}
}
}
Save the configuration file. Cline will automatically detect the changes and attempt to connect to the newly added MCP server (Figure 4).
Return to the MCP Servers panel in Cline. You should see the Ozeki server listed with a connected status, and the SMS tools it exposes should be visible beneath it (Figure 5).
Send a test SMS
The following video shows how to send an SMS message from Cline using the Ozeki SMPP SMS MCP Server step-by-step.
Before sending a message, open the Cline panel in VS Code and navigate to the MCP Servers section. Confirm that the Ozeki server is listed and its status shows as connected. This ensures that the AI model has access to the SMS tools (Figure 6).
In the Cline chat panel, type your SMS request in plain language and press the Send button or Enter. The AI model will interpret the request, select the appropriate MCP tool, and invoke it to deliver the message (Figure 7).
Send an SMS to +36301234567, the message should be "Hello from Cline".
The tool result will appear in the Cline chat panel. A successful response confirms that the message was submitted to the gateway and handed off for delivery (Figure 8).
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 9).
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 10).
Final thoughts
With the Ozeki SMPP SMS MCP Server connected to Cline, your coding assistant can now do more than just write code — it can actively communicate with the outside world by sending SMS messages. This setup keeps everything on-premises, giving you full control over message routing, authentication, and delivery. Whether you use it to trigger notifications, automate alerts, or test SMS workflows during development, the integration opens up a practical new dimension for AI-assisted projects.