gotify-rmcp
gotify-rmcp is a Rust MCP server and CLI for connecting agents to a
self-hosted Gotify push notification server.
It exposes one MCP tool, gotify, plus the rgotify CLI. Agents can send
notifications, inspect server health, list messages, and manage Gotify apps and
clients through stdio MCP, Streamable HTTP MCP, or direct shell commands.
30-second path: set GOTIFY_URL, then run npx -y gotify-rmcp health --json
-> start loopback HTTP with GOTIFY_MCP_HOST=127.0.0.1 npx -y gotify-rmcp serve
-> call tools/call with {"action":"health"}.
Status: operational RMCP upstream-client server. Write-capable; destructive
delete actions are gated by explicit confirmation. HTTP MCP supports loopback
dev mode, static bearer tokens, and Google OAuth through lab-auth.
Not for: replacing Gotify, storing notifications independently, generic webhook routing, scheduling reminders, multi-tenant isolation, or passing Gotify tokens through MCP tool arguments.
Contents
- Naming
- Capabilities And Boundaries
- Install
- Quickstart
- Client Configuration
- Runtime Surfaces
- MCP Tool Reference
- CLI Reference
- Configuration
- Authentication
- Safety And Trust Model
- Architecture
- Distribution Contract
- Development
- Verification
- Deployment
- Troubleshooting
- Related Servers
- Documentation
- License
Naming
| Surface | This repo |
|---|---|
| Repository | gotify-rmcp |
| Rust crate | gotify-mcp |
| Binary / CLI | rgotify |
| npm package | gotify-rmcp |
| npm binary aliases | gotify-rmcp, rgotify |
| MCP tool | gotify |
| Config home | ~/.gotify on hosts, /data in containers |
| Env prefixes | GOTIFY_*, GOTIFY_MCP_*, GOTIFY_RMCP_* for npm launcher controls |
The repo and npm package use the RMCP family name, while the shipped binary uses
the short Rust CLI name rgotify.
Capabilities And Boundaries
- Send Gotify push notifications with message, title, priority, and extras.
- Read server health, runtime status, server version, current user, messages, applications, and clients.
- Create or update applications and create clients.
- Delete messages, all messages, applications, or clients only after explicit destructive confirmation.
- Expose MCP prompts for common workflows and a resource containing the current tool schema.
| This repo owns | Gotify owns | Explicitly out of scope |
|---|---|---|
| MCP/CLI projection, request validation, auth policy, response shaping, setup checks, destructive gates. | Notification storage, delivery, Gotify users, token issuance, app/client state, upstream API semantics. | Notification scheduling, independent persistence, arbitrary webhook relay behavior, multi-tenant sandboxing, credential brokerage. |
Install
| Path | Command | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| npm / npx | npx -y gotify-rmcp --help | Local MCP clients and quick trials. | Downloads the matching rgotify binary from GitHub Releases. |
| Release installer | curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jmagar/gotify-rmcp/main/scripts/install.sh | bash | Host installs without Node. | Installs rgotify for the current Linux host. |
| Docker / Compose | docker compose up -d | Shared HTTP MCP deployments. | Reads .env and exposes container port 40020. |
| Build from source | cargo build --release | Development and audits. | Produces target/release/rgotify. |
| Plugin | claude plugin install plugins/gotify | Claude Code local plugin setup from this checkout. | Uses the packaged setup hook and local runtime metadata. |
npm / npx
Run the stdio MCP server or CLI without a manual binary install:
npx -y gotify-rmcp --help
npx -y gotify-rmcp mcp
npx -y gotify-rmcp health --json
The npm package downloads rgotify during postinstall. Override download
behavior only when testing packaging:
| Variable | Purpose |
|---|---|
GOTIFY_RMCP_SKIP_DOWNLOAD=1 | Skip postinstall binary download. |
GOTIFY_RMCP_VERSION or GOTIFY_RMCP_BINARY_VERSION | Select the GitHub Release tag. |
GOTIFY_RMCP_REPO | Select the GitHub repo used for release downloads. |
GOTIFY_RMCP_RELEASE_BASE_URL | Select a custom release base URL. |
Build From Source
git clone https://github.com/jmagar/gotify-rmcp
cd gotify-rmcp
cargo build --release
./target/release/rgotify --help
Minimum supported Rust version: 1.86.
Quickstart
1. Configure Gotify
For the safest first call, only GOTIFY_URL is required:
export GOTIFY_URL=https://gotify.example.com
Create tokens in the Gotify web UI before using management or send actions:
export GOTIFY_CLIENT_TOKEN=Cxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
export GOTIFY_APP_TOKEN=Axxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Token roles:
| Token | Env var | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Client token | GOTIFY_CLIENT_TOKEN | Read and management actions such as messages, apps, clients, and current user. |
| App token | GOTIFY_APP_TOKEN | Sending notifications with send. |
2. Run A Safe CLI Call
npx -y gotify-rmcp health --json
3. Start Loopback HTTP MCP
GOTIFY_MCP_HOST=127.0.0.1 npx -y gotify-rmcp serve
In another shell:
curl -sf http://127.0.0.1:40020/health
4. Make A First MCP Call
curl -s -X POST http://127.0.0.1:40020/mcp \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Accept: application/json, text/event-stream" \
-d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/call","params":{"name":"gotify","arguments":{"action":"health"}}}'
Client Configuration
Claude Code Stdio
{
"mcpServers": {
"gotify": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "gotify-rmcp", "mcp"],
"env": {
"GOTIFY_URL": "https://gotify.example.com",
"GOTIFY_CLIENT_TOKEN": "Cxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx",
"GOTIFY_APP_TOKEN": "Axxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
}
}
}
}
Claude Code HTTP
{
"mcpServers": {
"gotify": {
"type": "http",
"url": "http://127.0.0.1:40020/mcp",
"headers": {
"Authorization": "Bearer ${GOTIFY_MCP_TOKEN}"
}
}
}
}
Codex / Labby Gateway
Register Gotify through Labby as an HTTP upstream when sharing one long-running server, or run it directly as stdio for local-only use.
[mcp_servers.gotify]
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "gotify-rmcp", "mcp"]
Generic MCP JSON
{
"command": "rgotify",
"args": ["mcp"],
"env": {
"GOTIFY_URL": "https://gotify.example.com"
}
}
Do not put API keys, passwords, OAuth secrets, SSH keys, Gotify client tokens, Gotify app tokens, or upstream bearer tokens in MCP tool arguments. Use env, config files, or the MCP client's secret storage.
Runtime Surfaces
| Surface | Status | Entry point | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| MCP stdio | Supported | rgotify mcp, npx -y gotify-rmcp mcp | Local child-process MCP clients. |
| MCP HTTP | Supported | rgotify serve, POST /mcp | Streamable HTTP MCP for local or shared server deployments. |
| CLI | Supported | rgotify <command> | Scriptable parity and debugging. |
| Prompts | Supported | send_notification, check_status | Reusable agent prompts. |
| Resource | Supported | gotify://schema/mcp-tool | JSON schema for the gotify tool. |
| REST API | Not shipped | N/A | Gotify already owns the REST API. |
| Web UI | Not shipped | N/A | Gotify already owns the web UI. |
MCP Tool Reference
One MCP tool is exposed: gotify. Pass the required action argument to select
the operation.
Read Actions
| Action | Description | Required params | Optional params |
|---|---|---|---|
health | Gotify server health check. | none | none |
version | Gotify server version. | none | none |
me | Current authenticated user. | none | none |
messages | List messages. | none | app_id, limit, since |
applications | List applications. | none | none |
clients | List clients. | none | none |
status | Return runtime status, config snapshot, and counters. | none | none |
Write Actions
| Action | Description | Required params | Optional params |
|---|---|---|---|
send | Send a push notification. | message | title, priority, extras |
create_application | Create an application. | name | description, default_priority |
update_application | Update an application. | app_id | name, description, default_priority |
create_client | Create a client. | name | none |
Destructive Actions
Destructive actions require confirm=true in MCP arguments, --confirm on the
CLI, or GOTIFY_ALLOW_DESTRUCTIVE=true in the process environment.
| Action | Description | Required params |
|---|---|---|
delete_message | Delete one message. | id, confirm |
delete_all_messages | Delete all messages. | confirm |
delete_application | Delete an application and its messages. | app_id, confirm |
delete_client | Delete a client. | client_id, confirm |
Meta, Prompts, And Resource
| Primitive | Name / URI | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Tool action | help | Return built-in markdown tool help. |
| Prompt | send_notification | Guide an agent through a notification send. |
| Prompt | check_status | Check health and recent messages. |
| Resource | gotify://schema/mcp-tool | Return the current action-based JSON schema. |
Curated action summaries live here. The current branch source code and
docs/INVENTORY.md are the source of truth for complete parameters until a
generated docs/MCP_SCHEMA.md is added.
CLI Reference
The CLI calls the same service methods as the MCP tool.
rgotify health [--json]
rgotify version [--json]
rgotify me [--json]
rgotify messages [--app-id N] [--limit N] [--since N] [--json]
rgotify applications [--json]
rgotify clients [--json]
rgotify send <message> [--title T] [--priority N] [--json]
rgotify create app <name> [--description D] [--priority N] [--json]
rgotify create client <name> [--json]
rgotify delete message <id> [--confirm] [--json]
rgotify delete all [--confirm] [--json]
rgotify delete app <app_id> [--confirm] [--json]
rgotify delete client <client_id> [--confirm] [--json]
rgotify serve
rgotify serve mcp
rgotify mcp
rgotify doctor [--json]
rgotify setup check [--json]
rgotify setup repair [--json]
rgotify setup plugin-hook [--no-repair] [--json]
Known parity exception: MCP action=status is MCP-only observability. The CLI
equivalent for operator checks is rgotify doctor --json.
Configuration
Configuration loads from config.toml when present, then environment variables
override those values. On startup, the binary also loads ~/.gotify/.env on
hosts or /data/.env in containers without overriding already-set variables.
Required Upstream Variables
| Variable | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
GOTIFY_URL | yes | Gotify server base URL, for example https://gotify.example.com. |
GOTIFY_CLIENT_TOKEN | for management | Gotify client token for read and management actions. |
GOTIFY_APP_TOKEN | for send | Gotify app token used only to send notifications. |
Runtime Variables
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
GOTIFY_ALLOW_DESTRUCTIVE | false | Skip destructive confirmation gates. |
GOTIFY_MCP_HOST | 0.0.0.0 | HTTP MCP bind host. |
GOTIFY_MCP_PORT | 40020 | HTTP MCP bind port. |
GOTIFY_MCP_TOKEN | empty | Static bearer token for HTTP MCP when not in loopback dev mode. |
GOTIFY_MCP_NO_AUTH | false | Disable HTTP MCP auth. Use only on loopback or behind a trusted gateway. |
GOTIFY_MCP_AUTH_MODE | bearer | Set to oauth for Google OAuth through lab-auth. |
GOTIFY_MCP_PUBLIC_URL | empty | Public URL for OAuth metadata and protected-resource discovery. |
GOTIFY_MCP_GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID | empty | Google OAuth client ID. |
GOTIFY_MCP_GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET | empty | Google OAuth client secret. |
GOTIFY_MCP_AUTH_ADMIN_EMAIL | empty | Initial/admin OAuth email. |
RUST_LOG | info | Rust log filter. Stdio logs must stay off stdout. |
Authentication
| Policy | When | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Loopback development | GOTIFY_MCP_HOST starts with 127. or GOTIFY_MCP_NO_AUTH=true | No HTTP auth layer is mounted. Use for local testing only. |
| Static bearer | GOTIFY_MCP_TOKEN is set and the server is not loopback dev | /mcp requires Authorization: Bearer <token>. |
| OAuth | GOTIFY_MCP_AUTH_MODE=oauth plus Google OAuth settings | /mcp uses lab-auth OAuth and scoped bearer tokens. |
| Stdio | rgotify mcp | The local child-process boundary is the trust boundary. |
MCP scopes are gotify:read and gotify:write. The static bearer token grants
both scopes. OAuth tokens are checked before MCP calls are dispatched.
Safety And Trust Model
- MCP callers never provide Gotify client tokens, Gotify app tokens, OAuth secrets, static bearer tokens, passwords, or API keys as tool arguments.
- Upstream credentials are loaded from env/config only.
- Delete actions require
confirm=true,--confirm, or the explicitGOTIFY_ALLOW_DESTRUCTIVE=trueprocess override. - Gotify is the durable source of notification state; this server is a thin projection over that API.
- Stdio mode runs with the user's local permissions and is not a sandbox.
- HTTP mode should not be exposed beyond loopback without bearer or OAuth auth plus TLS from an upstream reverse proxy.
Architecture
MCP client / CLI
|
v
rgotify
|
+-- MCP shim: JSON args -> GotifyService -> structured result
+-- CLI shim: argv -> GotifyService -> stdout
|
v
GotifyService
|
v
GotifyClient
|
v
Gotify REST API
| Path | Role |
|---|---|
src/app.rs | Business service layer, destructive gate, response shaping. |
src/gotify.rs | Gotify REST client. |
src/mcp/ | RMCP tool, prompts, resource, schema, and auth checks. |
src/cli/ | CLI parser, doctor, setup helpers, and output formatting. |
src/config.rs | Env/config loading and defaults. |
packages/gotify-rmcp/ | npm launcher and release-binary downloader. |
The thin-shim rule is intentional: MCP and CLI parse inputs, call
GotifyService, and return output. Credential handling, destructive gates, and
Gotify API behavior stay outside the MCP and CLI shims.
Distribution Contract
| Artifact | File(s) | Must align with |
|---|---|---|
| Rust crate/binary | Cargo.toml, Cargo.lock | Git tag, release assets, CLI docs, install scripts. |
| npm launcher | packages/gotify-rmcp/package.json, bin/rgotify.js, lib/platform.js, scripts/install.js | GitHub Release tag and assets named rgotify-x86_64.tar.gz and rgotify-windows-x86_64.tar.gz. |
| GitHub Releases | .github/workflows/*, scripts/install.sh | Package version, binary name, checksums, supported platforms. |
| Docker / Compose | config/Dockerfile, docker-compose*.yml | Exposed port 40020, healthcheck /health, env file contract. |
| MCP registry | server.json | Server identity tv.tootie/gotify-rmcp, env vars, transport URL, package version. |
| Plugin | plugins/gotify | Runtime command, setup hook, user config, bundled metadata. |
| Docs | README.md, docs/INVENTORY.md, docs/QUICKSTART.md | Current binary name, default port, action list, and env names. |
Release invariant: npm package version, Rust crate version, server.json.version,
GitHub Release tag, release asset names, and README install examples should move
together. README examples must use canonical repo and binary names, not older
aliases.
Development
cargo fmt -- --check
cargo clippy --all-targets -- -D warnings
cargo test
cargo build --release
npm --prefix packages/gotify-rmcp run check
Verification
# Binary and CLI
cargo build --release
./target/release/rgotify --version
GOTIFY_URL=https://gotify.example.com ./target/release/rgotify health --json
# HTTP health
GOTIFY_URL=https://gotify.example.com GOTIFY_MCP_HOST=127.0.0.1 ./target/release/rgotify serve
curl -sf http://127.0.0.1:40020/health
# MCP tool call
curl -s -X POST http://127.0.0.1:40020/mcp \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Accept: application/json, text/event-stream" \
-d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/call","params":{"name":"gotify","arguments":{"action":"health"}}}'
For live send or management tests, add GOTIFY_CLIENT_TOKEN and
GOTIFY_APP_TOKEN from your Gotify instance.
Deployment
Docker / Compose
cp .env.example .env
$EDITOR .env
docker compose up -d
curl -sf http://127.0.0.1:40020/health
The container stores app data under /data, normally mounted from
${HOME}/.gotify.
Reverse Proxy
Expose only /mcp and /health. Preserve Streamable HTTP headers, require TLS,
and configure bearer or OAuth auth before exposing the server beyond loopback.
Plugin
claude plugin install plugins/gotify
rgotify setup check
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
401 from /mcp | Missing or wrong bearer/OAuth token. | Check GOTIFY_MCP_TOKEN and client headers, or use loopback dev mode locally. |
| CLI health fails | GOTIFY_URL is missing or unreachable. | Export GOTIFY_URL and confirm Gotify is reachable from this host. |
send fails with auth error | Wrong token type. | Use GOTIFY_APP_TOKEN for send and GOTIFY_CLIENT_TOKEN for management. |
| Destructive action is blocked | Confirmation gate is working. | Add confirm=true, --confirm, or a deliberate GOTIFY_ALLOW_DESTRUCTIVE=true. |
| stdio MCP JSON parse errors | Logs went to stdout. | Keep protocol logs off stdout and lower RUST_LOG if needed. |
| npm launcher cannot find binary | Release asset download failed or was skipped. | Reinstall, check GOTIFY_RMCP_VERSION, or build rgotify from source. |
Related Servers
unifi-rmcp/rustifi- UniFi controller REST API bridge.tailscale-rmcp/rustscale- Tailscale API bridge for devices, users, and tailnet operations.unraid-rmcp/unrust- Unraid GraphQL bridge for NAS and server management.apprise-rmcp- Apprise notification fan-out bridge for many delivery backends.arcane-rmcp- Arcane Docker management bridge for containers and related resources.yarr-rmcp- Media-stack bridge for Sonarr, Radarr, Prowlarr, Plex, and related services.ytdl-mcp- Media download and metadata workflow server.synapse- Local Synapse workflow server for scout and flux actions.cortex- Syslog and homelab log aggregation MCP server.axon- RAG, crawl, scrape, extract, and semantic search project.lab- Homelab control plane and Labby gateway project.soma- RMCP scaffold/runtime template for new provider-backed servers.
Documentation
Start here:
docs/QUICKSTART.md- focused setup flow.docs/INVENTORY.md- component inventory for actions, CLI commands, env vars, and endpoints.docs/RUST.md- Rust development notes.docs/stack/ARCH.md- stack architecture details.server.json- MCP registry metadata.packages/gotify-rmcp/README.md- npm package launcher notes.
This README is curated. Generated or exhaustive catalogs should be refreshed in their own files and treated as the source of truth for current branch details.
License
MIT