How to configure the Ozeki SMS MCP Server with OpenWebUI

This guide walks you through adding the Ozeki SMS MCP Server to your OpenWebUI installation so that OpenWebUI can send and receive SMS messages on your behalf. By following this tutorial, you will learn how to open the OpenWebUI admin panel, add the Ozeki SMS Gateway as a tool server, and verify the connection.

What is an MCP server?

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server exposes tools that an AI model can call during a conversation. In this setup, the Ozeki SMS MCP Server provides SMS tools such as sending messages and listing incoming SMS. OpenWebUI connects to the MCP server over HTTP and communicates with it directly using the configured URL and API key, making it straightforward to add mobile messaging capabilities to any OpenWebUI workflow.

Steps to follow

We assume Ozeki SMS Gateway is already installed on your system and you have already created an MCP user account with an API key. You will also need OpenWebUI installed on your system. If you have not set it up yet, follow our OpenWebUI installation guide.

Open the Admin Panel and navigate to Settings
Add the Ozeki SMS MCP Server as a tool server
Verify the tool server connection

How to configure the Ozeki SMS MCP Server with OpenWebUI video

The following video shows how to add the Ozeki SMS MCP Server to OpenWebUI step-by-step. The video covers opening the admin panel, adding the tool server, and verifying the connection.

Step 1 - Open the Admin Panel and navigate to Settings

Log in to your OpenWebUI instance and click on your profile username in the bottom-left corner of the interface. Select Admin Panel from the dropdown menu to open the administration area (Figure 1).

Open Admin Panel in OpenWebUI — Figure 1 - Open the Admin Panel in OpenWebUI

In the Admin Panel, click on Settings at the top of the page to open the settings menu where tool servers and integrations can be configured (Figure 2).

Figure 2 - Navigate to Settings in the Admin Panel

Step 2 - Add the Ozeki SMS MCP Server as a tool server

In the Settings menu, open the Integrations option from the left sidebar and click the plus (+) icon to add a new tool server entry (Figure 3).

Add tool server in Integrations — Figure 3 - Add a new tool server in the Integrations section

In the connection type selector, choose Streamable HTTP from the available options. This transport type is required for connecting to the Ozeki SMS MCP Server over HTTP (Figure 4).

Set connection type to Streamable HTTP — Figure 4 - Set the connection type to Streamable HTTP

In the Add Connection dialog, fill in the Name, ID, and Description fields to identify this tool server. Enter the URL of your Ozeki SMS MCP Server in the URL field following the format http://{address}:9529/mcp. Set the Auth type to Bearer and paste the API key you generated for your MCP user account into the token field. Click Save to confirm the entry (Figure 5).

Enter connection details and save — Figure 5 - Fill in the connection details and click Save

Step 3 - Verify the tool server connection

After saving, the Ozeki SMS Gateway tool server will appear in the integrations list. This confirms that the tool server is ready for use (Figure 6).

Tool server added and in list — Figure 6 - The Ozeki SMS MCP Server appears in the tool server list

Summary

You have successfully configured the Ozeki SMS MCP Server in OpenWebUI. OpenWebUI can now send and receive SMS messages through your gateway using plain language prompts. This makes it straightforward to add mobile messaging capabilities to any OpenWebUI workflow.