SMS straight from an AI agent: SENDLY launches an MCP server
The Model Context Protocol (MCP) – an open standard that gives AI agents a uniform way to reach external tools – arrives in the world of SMS gateways. SENDLY now runs its own MCP server: from today you can send an SMS straight from an AI agent (Claude Code, Codex CLI, Gemini CLI) without writing an integration. And because MCP is a standard rather than a race, what counts is not who got there first, but how it is built: safely and simply, straight from the operator.
What an MCP server for SMS is
MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open protocol from Anthropic that gives AI models one standard way of reaching tools and data. More and more services, from code repositories to CRM systems, expose MCP servers, and agents such as Claude or the assistants built into code editors can use them in natural language.
The SENDLY MCP server exposes our SMS gateway as exactly that kind of tool. You tell the agent to send a message with a given text to a given number, and it performs the send through the SENDLY SMS API, with no integration code on your side.
How it works
Connecting takes a minute. In your MCP client configuration you point to the endpoint https://mcp.sendly.link/mcp and paste the API token from your customer panel. From that moment the agent has a send_sms tool at its disposal.
The model is stateless: you pass the token in the request header, the server forwards it to the gateway one to one and stores or logs it nowhere. Everyone sends from their own account and on their own bill. Ready-made configuration entries for popular tools are in the MCP server documentation.
Three things we do differently
An MCP server for SMS is no longer a curiosity, more providers keep adding one. SENDLY adds its own, with three distinctions that are usually missing:
- No token storage. The server saves nothing and logs nothing – the token lives inside a single request and nowhere else. On top of that, hard limits (a rate limit and a daily cap) protect the account against abuse.
- Straight from the operator. SENDLY is an operator entered in the UKE telecoms register, so the message travels without intermediaries, along the same path as through our REST API.
- The whole agent ecosystem. You are not tied to a single tool – the server works with Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Codex CLI, Gemini CLI and Cursor. Configuration is a few lines.
What you can hand over to the agent
A few examples from our own team:
- Send a 2FA code to the customer number – straight from the assistant while you work.
- Text the testers that the deploy has gone to production.
- Send an appointment reminder to the number from this ticket.
The agent does it in natural language, and you keep full control: your token, your account, your limits.
How to start
Open an account with 100 free SMS, generate a token in the panel and connect the MCP server following the documentation. Prefer the classic REST API? It is still there, described in the API Reference. You can create an account on the registration page.
FAQ
How is an MCP server different from a plain SMS API?+
The SMS API is a REST interface you call from code. The MCP server exposes the same gateway as a tool for an AI agent: you send an SMS with an instruction in natural language, without writing an integration. Underneath it is the same operator and the same sending path.
Is it safe? Where does my token go?+
You put the token in your own MCP client configuration and it is passed to the gateway only for the duration of a single request – the server stores nothing and logs nothing. Hard limits protect you as well: a rate limit and a daily sending cap per token.
Which AI tools does it work with?+
With every MCP client that supports a custom authorisation header: Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Codex CLI, Gemini CLI, Cursor. Configuration is a few lines and ready-made entries are in the documentation.
How much does it cost?+
The MCP connection itself is free. You pay only for the messages you send, at the rates in the price list, exactly as through the REST API. You get 100 free SMS to start.