How to set up an SMS MCP server to receive SMS in ZeroClaw
This guide walks you through retrieving incoming SMS messages in ZeroClaw using the Ozeki SMS MCP server. By following this tutorial, you will learn how to start a chat with an agent, instruct the agent to list incoming messages in plain language, approve the tool use, and check the SMS in the SMS Gateway logs.
What is an MCP tool call?
An MCP (Model Context Protocol) tool call is how an AI model communicates with external systems. When the AI needs to retrieve data such as incoming SMS messages, it sends a structured request to the appropriate MCP server, which processes it and returns the result back to the model.
Example prompt
List all incoming SMS messages.
Steps to follow
We assume Ozeki SMS Gateway is already installed on your system, you have created an MCP user account with an API key, and you have already configured the Ozeki SMS MCP server in ZeroClaw.
- Start a chat with an agent
- Use the list incoming messages tool
- Check the SMS in the SMS Gateway logs
Video tutorial
The following video shows how to retrieve incoming SMS messages in ZeroClaw using the Ozeki SMS MCP server step-by-step.
Step 1 - Start a chat with an agent
Open the ZeroClaw dashboard and click the Open chat button corresponding to your configured AI agent (Figure 1).
Step 2 - Use the list incoming messages tool
Type the following instruction in the chat prompt. The agent will call the list incoming messages tool exposed by the MCP server and process the request (Figure 2).
List all incoming SMS messages.
ZeroClaw may prompt you to approve the tool use before proceeding. This is a security confirmation to ensure you are aware that an external tool is being called on your behalf. Confirm the action to allow the agent to retrieve the messages (Figure 3).
You will see the result of the tool call in the chat window, displaying the list of incoming messages returned by the Ozeki SMS MCP server. Each entry includes the sender number, message text, and timestamp confirming when it was received (Figure 4).
Step 3 - Check the SMS in the SMS Gateway logs
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 5).
In the MCP user event log, you should see an entry for the incoming message retrieval request as well as the response, confirming that the API key authentication, tool call, and data retrieval were all processed correctly by the gateway (Figure 6).
Final thoughts
You have successfully retrieved incoming SMS messages in ZeroClaw using the Ozeki SMS MCP server. ZeroClaw can now list incoming messages from your gateway simply by being asked to do so in plain language, making it easy to add SMS inbox access to any ZeroClaw workflow.