How to send SMS through SMPP from Jan
This guide explains how to connect Jan 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 Jan, and verify the setup by sending a test message.
Solution: How to send SMS from Jan
Jan connects to the SMPP SMS MCP Server through the MCP protocol, where Jan 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 Jan 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 Jan?
Jan is an open-source desktop application that allows you to run large language models locally on your own hardware. It provides a clean chat interface, supports a wide range of model formats, and can be extended with MCP servers to add external tool capabilities 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 Jan installed on your system, you can download it from here: https://openai.com/Jan/.
- Install Ozeki SMS Gateway
- Setup the SMPP SMS connection
- Create an MCP user account
- Jan SMS MCP Server Config
- Add the SMS MCP Server config to Jan
- 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.
Jan MCP server configuration
# Enter the following details when adding a new MCP server in Jan settings:
Server Name: Ozeki
Transport Type: HTTP
URL: http://{address}:9529/mcp
Headers:
Authorization: Bearer your-bearer-token
Timeout: 600 seconds
# After saving the MCP server, make sure to enable Tools in the model capabilities:
# Provider -> Models -> Edit model -> Capabilities -> enable Tools
Example prompt
Send an SMS to +36301234567, the message should be "Hello from Jan".
Add the SMPP SMS MCP Server config to Jan
The following video shows how to add the Ozeki SMS MCP Server to Jan step-by-step.
Click on the settings icon in the left sidebar to open the Jan settings. Scroll through the menu until you find the MCP Servers option and click on it to open the MCP server management page (Figure 1).
On the MCP Servers page, click the Add new MCP server button to open the server entry form (Figure 2).
Fill in the MCP server form with the details below. Set the Server Name to
Ozeki, the Transport Type to HTTP, and enter your
gateway address in the URL field. In the Headers section, add the
Authorization key and set its value to Bearer followed by
your API key. Set the Timeout to 600 seconds, then click
Save to register the server (Figure 3).
Server Name: Ozeki
Transport Type: HTTP
URL: http://{address}:9529/mcp
Headers:
Authorization: Bearer your-bearer-token
Timeout: 600 seconds
For the AI model to be able to call MCP tools, tool use must be enabled in the model's capabilities settings. In Jan's settings, navigate to your AI provider and open its configuration page. In this case, open the Ozeki AI Gateway provider that you have set up previously (Figure 4).
In the provider configuration, find the model you want to use and click the Edit button next to it. Each model in Jan can be individually configured with its own set of capabilities, so you can control exactly which models have access to external tools (Figure 5).
In the model edit view, enable the Tools toggle in the Capabilities section. This tells Jan that the model is allowed to call external MCP tools during a conversation. Click Save to apply the change(Figure 6).
Start a new chat in Jan and make sure the Ozeki AI Gateway provider and your configured model are selected (Figure 7).
Send a test SMS
The following video shows how to send an SMS message from Jan using the Ozeki SMS MCP server step-by-step.
In the chat input, type your SMS request in plain language and press the Send button. The AI model will interpret the request and select the appropriate MCP tool to fulfill it (Figure 2).
Send an SMS to +36301111111, the message should be "Hello from Jan".
Jan may ask for your approval before invoking the SMS tool. Review the proposed tool call, then approve it to allow the AI model to proceed (Figure 3).
Once the tool has been executed, the result will appear in the Jan chat. A successful response confirms that the message was submitted to the gateway and handed off for delivery (Figure 4).
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 outgoing message, including the recipient number and message text, confirming that it was successfully processed by the gateway (Figure 6).
