Tlon Urbit Messenger
FreeNot checkedProvides a bridge between Urbit's social networking services and conversational interfaces, enabling direct message communication with support for ship IDs and
About
Provides a bridge between Urbit's social networking services and conversational interfaces, enabling direct message communication with support for ship IDs and human-readable nicknames.
README
An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that provides tools for interacting with Tlon agents.
Demo
https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/765847b2-df40-44c0-bfd3-c23eb609bbd8
Features
- send-dm tool: Send direct messages to other users by ship ID or nickname
- read-dm-history tool: Retrieve recent messages from a direct-message channel
- list-contacts tool: Get contacts with their nicknames and ship IDs
- Natural language support: Reference people by their nicknames ("Send a message to Brian")
Prerequisites
- Node.js (v16+)
- A running Urbit ship
Installation
- Clone the repository
- Navigate to the project directory
- Install dependencies:
npm install
Important: Always run npm install manually in the terminal before using with Claude Desktop or any other MCP client. This prevents installation output from interfering with the MCP protocol.
Configuration
Configure the server using environment variables:
| Variable | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
URBIT_SHIP |
Your Urbit ship name (without ~) | zod |
URBIT_CODE |
Your Urbit +code | lidlut-tabwed-pillex-ridrup |
URBIT_HOST |
Urbit host | localhost |
URBIT_PORT |
Urbit port | 8080 |
PORT |
MCP server port (HTTP mode only) | 3001 |
MCP_TRANSPORT |
Transport type (http or stdio) | stdio |
Usage
Starting the server
# Start with default stdio transport
npm start
# Start with HTTP transport
export MCP_TRANSPORT=http && npm start
# Development mode with auto-reload
npm run dev
Setting up with Claude Desktop
The default stdio mode works seamlessly with Claude Desktop. Create or edit the Claude Desktop configuration file at:
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
With the following content:
{
"mcpServers": {
"tlon-mcp": {
"command": "/bin/sh",
"args": ["-c", "cd /path/to/server && node index.js"]
}
}
}
Important: Be sure to run npm install in the server directory first before configuring Claude Desktop.
Using the tools with natural language
Once configured, you can use natural language commands:
Send a message to Brian
Show me my recent DM history with ~sampel-palnet
Who are my contacts?
Available Tools
send-dm
Sends a direct message to another ship.
Parameters:
recipient: The recipient's ship name (with ~) or nicknamemessage: The message text to send
Example usage:
Send a message to Brian saying "Let's meet tomorrow"
read-dm-history
Fetches the latest messages from a direct-message channel between your ship and another.
Parameters:
correspondent: The other ship's name (with ~) or nicknamecount(optional): How many messages to return (default 100, max 500)format(optional): Output format - "raw" or "formatted" (default "formatted")
Example usage:
Show me my last 50 messages with Dad
list-contacts
Retrieves your contacts list with ship IDs and nicknames.
Parameters:
format(optional): Output format - "raw" or "formatted" (default "formatted")
Example usage:
List all my contacts
License
MIT
Installing Tlon Urbit Messenger
This server has no published package — it is built from source. Open the repository and follow its README.
▸ github.com/jamesacklin/tlon-mcp-serverFAQ
Is Tlon Urbit Messenger MCP free?
Yes, Tlon Urbit Messenger MCP is free — one-click install via Unyly at no cost.
Does Tlon Urbit Messenger need an API key?
No, Tlon Urbit Messenger runs without API keys or environment variables.
Is Tlon Urbit Messenger hosted or self-hosted?
Self-hosted: the server runs locally on your machine via the install command above.
How do I install Tlon Urbit Messenger in Claude Desktop, Claude Code or Cursor?
Open Tlon Urbit Messenger on unyly.org, pick your client tab (Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor) and press Install — the config is generated automatically, no JSON editing.
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