How to send SMS through SMPP from Claude Code
This guide explains how to connect Claude Code 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 Claude Code, and verify the setup by sending a test message.
Solution: How to send SMS from Claude Code
Claude Code connects to the SMPP SMS MCP Server through the MCP protocol, where Claude Code 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 Claude Code 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 Claude Code?
Claude Code is a command-line interface tool developed by Anthropic that enables developers to interact with Claude AI directly from their terminal. It provides an agentic coding experience where you can delegate programming tasks, file operations, and code generation to Claude without leaving your command-line environment.
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 Claude Code installed on your system. If you have not set it up yet, follow our Claude Code installation guide.
- Install Ozeki SMS Gateway
- Setup the SMPP SMS connection
- Create an MCP user account
- Claude Code SMS MCP Server Config
- Add the SMS MCP Server config to Claude Code
- 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 SMPP 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.
Claude Code MCP server configuration
# Claude Code configuration file location:
C:\Users\%USERPROFILE%\.claude.json
# Add the following block inside the "mcpServers" property in .claude.json
# Replace the URL with your Ozeki SMS Gateway address and the Bearer token with your API key
"Ozeki SMS Gateway": {
"type": "http",
"url": "http://{address}:9529/mcp",
"headers": {
"Authorization": "Bearer your-bearer-token"
}
}
Example prompt
Send an SMS to +36301234567, the message should be "Hello from Claude Code".
Add the SMS MCP Server config to Claude Code
The following video shows how to add the Ozeki SMPP SMS MCP Server to Claude Code step-by-step. The video covers editing the configuration file, launching Claude Code, and verifying the MCP server connection.
Navigate to your user directory at C:\Users\%USERPROFILE%\ and open the
.claude.json file in a text editor such as Notepad. This file stores
all Claude Code configuration, including any MCP servers that Claude Code should
connect to on startup (Figure 1).
Inside the file, locate the mcpServers property. This is the section
where all MCP server entries are registered. If the property does not exist yet,
you can add it as a new JSON object (Figure 2).
Add the Ozeki SMPP SMS MCP Server entry inside the mcpServers block as shown below. Replace the URL with the address of your Ozeki SMS Gateway installation and the Bearer token with the API key you generated for your MCP user account. Save the file after making the changes (Figure 3).
"Ozeki SMS Gateway": {
"type": "http",
"url": "http://{address}:9529/mcp",
"headers": {
"Authorization": "Bearer your-bearer-token"
}
}
Open a terminal window by searching for Terminal in the start menu and clicking on the application. It is important to open a new terminal after editing the configuration file so that the updated settings are loaded when Claude Code starts (Figure 4).
Navigate to your working directory and type claude to start the tool.
Claude Code will launch and attempt to connect to all MCP servers listed in the
configuration file, including the Ozeki SMPP SMS MCP Server you just added (Figure 5).
claude
Once Claude Code has started, run the /mcp command to view connected MCP servers.
Verify that Ozeki SMS Gateway appears in the list and that its status shows
as connected. This confirms that the SMPP SMS MCP Server has been successfully reached
using the configured URL and API key (Figure 6).
Send a test SMS
The following video shows how to send an SMS message from Claude Code using the Ozeki SMPP SMS MCP server step-by-step.
In the prompt, type your SMS request in plain language and press Enter. The AI assistant will interpret the request and select the appropriate MCP tool to fulfill it (Figure 7).
Send an SMS to +36301234567, the message should be "Message from Claude Code".
Before invoking the SMS tool, Claude Code will request permission. Review the proposed tool call then confirm to proceed (Figure 8).
After the tool executes, you will see the result of the Send SMS tool call in the terminal. A successful response confirms that the message was submitted to the gateway and handed off for delivery over SMPP (Figure 9).
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 10).
In the event log, you should see an entry for the outgoing message request and the corresponding response, confirming that the API key authentication, tool call, and message delivery were all processed correctly by the gateway (Figure 11).
Summary
In this guide, you have learned how to connect the Ozeki SMPP SMS MCP Server to Claude Code and use it to send SMS messages directly from your terminal. By installing the gateway, setting up an SMPP connection to the mobile network, creating an MCP user account, and registering the MCP endpoint in Claude Code, you now have a fully functional on-premises SMS integration that your AI assistant can use to communicate with any mobile phone.