How to setup an SMS MCP server to send SMS from Jan

This guide walks you through sending an SMS message from Jan using the Ozeki SMS MCP server. By following this tutorial, you will learn how to verify the MCP tool connection, ask the AI model to send an SMS in plain language, approve the tool use, and confirm that the message was delivered through the 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 perform an action such as sending an SMS, it sends a structured request to the appropriate MCP server, which processes it and returns the result back to the model.

Overview
Overview

Example prompt

Send an SMS to +36301111111, the message should be "Hello from Jan".

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 Jan.

  1. Verify the MCP tool connection
  2. Use the Send SMS tool
  3. View the transaction in logs

How to send SMS from Jan video

The following video shows how to send an SMS message from Jan using the Ozeki SMS MCP server step-by-step.

Step 1 - Verify the MCP tool connection

Before sending a message, check the tools panel in the Jan chat interface to confirm that the Ozeki SMS tools are listed and available (Figure 1).

View tools to verify connection
Figure 1 - Verify the Ozeki SMS tools are available in the Jan chat

Step 2 - Use the Send SMS tool

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".

Ask LLM to send an SMS message
Figure 2 - Ask the AI model to send an SMS using a plain language prompt

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).

Approve tool use if prompted
Figure 3 - Review and approve the tool use request

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).

Send SMS tool result
Figure 4 - The SMS tool result appears in the Jan chat

Step 3 - View the transaction in 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).

Open MCP user details in SMS Gateway
Figure 5 - Open the MCP user details in Ozeki SMS Gateway

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).

View transaction in event logs
Figure 6 - Verify the sent message in the MCP user event logs

Conclusion

You have successfully sent an SMS message from Jan using the Ozeki SMS MCP server. The AI model running in Jan can now deliver SMS messages to any phone number simply by being asked to do so in plain language, making it easy to add mobile messaging to your local AI setup.


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