Ntfy MCP Server

TypeScript

Model Context Protocol

Version

License

Status

GitHub

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server designed to interact with the ntfy push notification service. It enables LLMs and AI agents to send notifications to your devices with extensive customization options.

Overview
Features
Quick Start
Installation
Configuration
Project Structure
Tools
Resources
Use Cases
Available Scripts
Contributing
License

Overview

This server implements the Model Context Protocol (MCP), enabling standardized communication between LLMs and external systems. Specifically, it provides an interface to the ntfy push notification service.

Ntfy is a simple HTTP-based pub-sub notification service that allows you to send notifications to your phone or desktop via simple HTTP requests. With this MCP server, LLM agents like Claude can send notifications to you through ntfy without needing direct HTTP access.

┌───────────┐      ┌───────────┐      ┌───────────┐      ┌─────────┐
│ LLM Agent │ ────▶│ Ntfy MCP  │ ────▶│ Ntfy      │ ────▶│ Your    │
│ (Claude)  │      │ Server    │      │ Service   │      │ Devices │
└───────────┘      └───────────┘      └───────────┘      └─────────┘

Features

MCP Server Implementation: Built using the @modelcontextprotocol/sdk for seamless integration with LLM agents.
Ntfy Integration: Provides a tool (send_ntfy) to send notifications with support for:
- Message prioritization (1-5 levels)
- Emoji tags
- Clickable actions and buttons
- File attachments
- Delayed delivery
- Markdown formatting
Resource Exposure: Exposes the configured default ntfy topic as an MCP resource.
TypeScript: Modern, type-safe codebase with comprehensive type definitions.
Structured Logging: Uses winston and winston-daily-rotate-file for detailed and rotatable logs.
Configuration Management: Uses dotenv for easy environment-based configuration.
Utility Scripts: Includes scripts for cleaning build artifacts and generating directory structure documentation.
Error Handling & Security: Implements robust error handling, input sanitization (sanitize-html), and security filters (xss-filters).

Quick Start

Prerequisites:
- Node.js (v16+)
- npm or yarn
- An MCP-compatible client (Claude Desktop, Cline, etc.)

Install and Run:

# Option 1: Install via npm
npm install -g ntfy-mcp-server

# Option 2: Clone repository and build
git clone https://github.com/cyanheads/ntfy-mcp-server.git
cd ntfy-mcp-server
npm install
npm run build

# Create .env file (optional but recommended)
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env to set NTFY_DEFAULT_TOPIC

# Start the server
npm start

Add to MCP Client Settings: Add the server to your MCP client settings file (see Configuration)
Use the tool: Once connected, you can use the send_ntfy tool to send notifications.

Installation

Option 1: NPM Package (Recommended)

Install the package globally:
```
npm install -g ntfy-mcp-server
```
This will install the server globally, making it available as a command-line tool.
Or install locally in your project:
```
npm install ntfy-mcp-server
```
When installed locally, you can run it via npx or from node.

Option 2: From Source

Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/cyanheads/ntfy-mcp-server.git
cd ntfy-mcp-server

Install dependencies:
```
npm install
```
Build the project:
```
npm run build
```

Configuration

Environment Variables

Create a .env file in the project root based on .env.example:

# Ntfy Configuration
NTFY_BASE_URL=https://ntfy.sh  # Optional: Base URL of your ntfy instance
NTFY_DEFAULT_TOPIC=your_default_topic # Optional: Default topic if none specified in requests

# Application Configuration
LOG_LEVEL=info # Optional: Logging level (debug, info, warn, error)
NODE_ENV=development # Optional: Environment (development, production)

MCP Client Settings

For Cline VSCode Extension

Add the following configuration to your Cline MCP settings file (usually located at ~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/globalStorage/saoudrizwan.claude-dev/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json on macOS):

If installed globally:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ntfy": {
      "command": "ntfy-mcp-server",
      "env": {
        "NTFY_BASE_URL": "https://ntfy.sh",
        "NTFY_DEFAULT_TOPIC": "your_default_topic",
        "LOG_LEVEL": "info",
        "NODE_ENV": "production"
      }
    }
  }
}

If installed from source:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ntfy": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/ntfy-mcp-server/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "NTFY_BASE_URL": "https://ntfy.sh",
        "NTFY_DEFAULT_TOPIC": "your_default_topic",
        "LOG_LEVEL": "info",
        "NODE_ENV": "production"
      }
    }
  }
}

For Claude Desktop App

Add the following configuration to your Claude Desktop config file (usually located at ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on macOS):

If installed globally:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ntfy": {
      "command": "ntfy-mcp-server",
      "env": {
        "NTFY_BASE_URL": "https://ntfy.sh",
        "NTFY_DEFAULT_TOPIC": "your_default_topic",
        "LOG_LEVEL": "info",
        "NODE_ENV": "production"
      }
    }
  }
}

If installed from source:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ntfy": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/ntfy-mcp-server/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "NTFY_BASE_URL": "https://ntfy.sh",
        "NTFY_DEFAULT_TOPIC": "your_default_topic",
        "LOG_LEVEL": "info",
        "NODE_ENV": "production"
      }
    }
  }
}

For source installation, replace /path/to/ntfy-mcp-server/dist/index.js with the actual absolute path to the built server file. Adjust env variables as needed for your setup.

Ntfy Setup

Install the ntfy app on your devices from ntfy.sh or the app stores
Subscribe to your topic in the app
Use the same topic in your MCP server configuration

Project Structure

.
├── .env.example            # Example environment variables
├── .gitignore              # Git ignore patterns
├── LICENSE                 # Project license (Apache-2.0)
├── package.json            # Project metadata and dependencies
├── tsconfig.json           # TypeScript compiler configuration
├── docs/
│   └── tree.md             # Auto-generated directory structure
├── logs/                   # Runtime logs (created automatically)
├── scripts/                # Utility scripts
│   ├── clean.ts            # Cleans build artifacts and logs
│   └── tree.ts             # Generates the docs/tree.md file
└── src/                    # Source code
    ├── index.ts            # Main server entry point
    ├── config/             # Configuration loading
    ├── mcp-server/         # MCP server logic, tools, and resources
    │   ├── resources/      # MCP resource implementations
    │   ├── tools/          # MCP tool implementations
    │   └── utils/          # MCP-specific utilities
    ├── services/           # External service integrations (ntfy)
    ├── types-global/       # Global type definitions
    └── utils/              # General utility functions

Tools

`send_ntfy`

Sends a notification message via the ntfy service.

Key Arguments:

| Parameter | Type | Required | Description | | ------------ | -------- | -------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | topic | string | Yes | The ntfy topic to publish to. | | message | string | Yes | The main content of the notification (max 4096 bytes). | | title | string | No | Notification title (max 250 bytes). | | tags | string[] | No | Emojis or keywords for categorization (e.g., ["warning", "robot"]). Max 5. | | priority | integer | No | Message priority: 1=min, 2=low, 3=default, 4=high, 5=max. | | click | string | No | URL to open when the notification is clicked. | | actions | array | No | Action buttons (view, http, broadcast). Max 3. | | attachment | object | No | URL and name of an attachment. | | email | string | No | Email address to forward the notification to. | | delay | string | No | Delay delivery (e.g., 30m, 1h, tomorrow). | | cache | string | No | Cache duration (e.g., 10m, 1h, 1d). | | firebase | string | No | Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) topic to forward to. | | id | string | No | Unique ID for the message. | | expires | string | No | Message expiration (e.g., 10m, 1h, 1d). | | markdown | boolean | No | Set to true to enable markdown formatting in the message. | | baseUrl | string | No | Override the default ntfy server URL for this request. |

Example Usage:

// Basic notification
{
  "topic": "alerts",
  "message": "The task has completed successfully."
}

// Advanced notification
{
  "topic": "alerts",
  "title": "System Alert",
  "message": "CPU usage has exceeded 90% for 5 minutes.",
  "tags": ["warning", "computer"],
  "priority": 4,
  "click": "https://server-dashboard.example.com",
  "actions": [
    {
      "id": "view",
      "label": "View Details",
      "action": "view",
      "url": "https://server-dashboard.example.com/cpu"
    },
    {
      "id": "restart",
      "label": "Restart Service",
      "action": "http",
      "url": "https://api.example.com/restart-service",
      "method": "POST",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer token123"
      }
    }
  ],
  "markdown": true
}

Example Response:

{
  "success": true,
  "id": "5ZFY362156Sa",
  "topic": "ATLAS",
  "time": 1743064235,
  "expires": 1743496235,
  "message": "This is a test message from the README verification process",
  "title": "README Testing"
}

Resources

Direct Resources

`ntfy://default`

Description: Returns the default ntfy topic configured in the server's environment variables (NTFY_DEFAULT_TOPIC).
Usage: Useful for clients to discover the primary topic without needing prior configuration.
Example: An LLM agent can access this resource to automatically use the default topic when sending notifications.

Example Response:

{
  "defaultTopic": "ATLAS",
  "timestamp": "2025-03-27T08:30:25.619Z",
  "requestUri": "ntfy://default",
  "requestId": "0da963d0-30e0-4dbc-bb77-4bf2dee14484"
}

Resource Templates

`ntfy://{topic}`

Description: Returns information about a specific ntfy topic.
Parameters: topic - The name of the ntfy topic.
Usage: For querying information about topics other than the default.

Example Response:

{
  "topic": "ATLAS",
  "timestamp": "2025-03-27T08:30:30.038Z",
  "requestUri": "ntfy://ATLAS",
  "requestId": "31baf1df-278f-4fdb-860d-019f156a72b0"
}

Use Cases

Long-running Task Notifications - Get notified when tasks like database backups, code generation, or data processing complete.
Scheduled Reminders - Set delayed notifications for future events or reminders.
Alert Systems - Set up critical alerts for monitoring systems or important events.
Mobile Notifications from LLMs - Allow LLMs to send notifications directly to your phone.
Multi-step Process Updates - Receive updates as different stages of a complex process complete.

Usage Examples

Basic Notification

<use_mcp_tool>
<server_name>ntfy-mcp-server</server_name>
<tool_name>send_ntfy</tool_name>
<arguments>
{
  "topic": "updates",
  "title": "Task Completed",
  "message": "Your requested data analysis has finished",
  "tags": ["check"]
}
</arguments>
</use_mcp_tool>

Rich Notification with Actions

<use_mcp_tool>
<server_name>ntfy-mcp-server</server_name>
<tool_name>send_ntfy</tool_name>
<arguments>
{
  "topic": "alerts",
  "title": "Critical Error Detected",
  "message": "The application has encountered a critical error.\n\n**Error Code**: E123\n\n**Details**: Database connection failed",
  "tags": ["warning", "skull"],
  "priority": 5,
  "actions": [
    {
      "id": "view",
      "label": "View Logs",
      "action": "view",
      "url": "https://logs.example.com"
    },
    {
      "id": "restart",
      "label": "Restart Service",
      "action": "http",
      "url": "https://api.example.com/restart",
      "method": "POST"
    }
  ],
  "markdown": true
}
</arguments>
</use_mcp_tool>

Available Scripts

npm run build: Compiles the TypeScript source code to JavaScript in the dist/ directory.
npm run clean: Removes the dist/ directory and cleans the contents of the logs/ directory.
npm run rebuild: Runs clean and then build.
npm run tree: Generates a directory tree representation in docs/tree.md.
npm start: Runs the compiled server from the dist/ directory using Node.js.
npm run watch: Tails the combined log file (logs/combined.log) for real-time monitoring.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit pull requests or open issues to improve the project.

Fork the repository.
Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/your-feature).
Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some feature').
Push to the branch (git push origin feature/your-feature).
Create a new Pull Request.

For bugs and feature requests, please create an issue on the repository.

Development Best Practices

Follow TypeScript best practices and maintain strong typing
Write tests for new functionality
Keep dependencies up to date
Follow the existing code style and patterns

License

This project is licensed under the Apache-2.0 License. See the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgements

ntfy.sh for providing the notification service
Model Context Protocol for enabling LLM-to-tool connections
All contributors and users of this project

<div align="center"> Built with the Model Context Protocol </div>

Ntfy MCP Server

Ntfy MCP Server

Table of Contents

Overview

Features

Quick Start

Installation

Option 1: NPM Package (Recommended)

Option 2: From Source

Configuration

Environment Variables

MCP Client Settings

For Cline VSCode Extension

If installed globally:

If installed from source:

For Claude Desktop App

If installed globally:

If installed from source:

Ntfy Setup

Project Structure

Tools

send_ntfy

Key Arguments:

Example Usage:

Example Response:

Resources

Direct Resources

ntfy://default

Resource Templates

ntfy://{topic}

Use Cases

Usage Examples

Basic Notification

Rich Notification with Actions

Available Scripts

Contributing

Development Best Practices

License

Acknowledgements

`send_ntfy`

`ntfy://default`

`ntfy://{topic}`