How to send SMS through SMPP from Chatbox
This guide explains how to connect Chatbox 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 Chatbox, and verify the setup by sending a test message.
Solution: How to send SMS from Chatbox
Chatbox connects to the SMPP SMS MCP Server through the MCP protocol, where Chatbox 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 Chatbox 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 Chatbox?
Chatbox is an open-source desktop AI client that allows you to interact with multiple AI providers including OpenAI, Anthropic, and locally hosted models through a clean and intuitive interface. It supports MCP servers, enabling it to be extended with external tools such as SMS messaging, database access, and more.
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 Chatbox installed on your system. If you have not set it up yet, follow our Chatbox installation guide.
- Install Ozeki SMS Gateway
- Setup the SMPP SMS connection
- Create an MCP user account
- Chatbox SMS MCP Server Config
- Add the SMS MCP Server config to Chatbox
- 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.
Chatbox MCP server configuration
# Settings -> MCP -> Add Server -> Add Custom Server
# Enter the following details in the Add Custom Server form:
Name: Ozeki SMS MCP
Type: Local (stdio)
Command: uvx mcp-proxy --transport streamablehttp -H Authorization "Bearer your-bearer-token" http://{address}:9529/mcp
Example prompt
Send an SMS to +36301234567, the message should be "Hello from Chatbox".
Add the SMS MCP Server config to Chatbox
The following video shows how to add the Ozeki SMPP SMS MCP Server to Chatbox step-by-step.
Open Chatbox and navigate to Settings in the interface. This is where AI provider configuration and MCP tool server integrations are managed (Figure 1).
Navigate to the MCP section in the left sidebar and click the Add Server button to open the server type selection (Figure 2).
Select Add Custom Server from the options. This allows you to manually specify the connection details for the SMPP SMS MCP server (Figure 3).
Fill in the server details in the registration form. Enter the server name
and set the Type to Local (stdio). In the Command field,
enter the following command, replacing {address} with your gateway's
IP address and your-bearer-token with the API key you
generated for your MCP user account.
Click Test to verify that Chatbox can reach the MCP server (Figure 4).
uvx mcp-proxy --transport streamablehttp -H Authorization "Bearer your-bearer-token" http://{address}:9529/mcp
If the connection is successful, the SMS tools exposed by the server will be listed in the form. Review the available tools and click Save to add the server to Chatbox (Figure 5).
Send a test SMS
The following video shows how to send an SMS message from Chatbox using the Ozeki SMPP SMS MCP server step-by-step.
Start a new conversation in Chatbox. Before sending your prompt, make sure the Ozeki SMS MCP server is enabled for the current chat (Figure 6).
In the chat input, type your SMS request in plain language and press the Send button. The AI model will interpret the request and invoke the appropriate MCP tool to deliver the message (Figure 7).
Send an SMS to +36301234567, the message should be "Hello from Chatbox".
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 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).
Conclusion
In this guide, you have learned how to connect Chatbox 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 Chatbox, you now have a fully functional on-premises SMS integration that your locally hosted AI model can use to communicate with any mobile phone.