Apprise Rmcp

apprise-rmcp

apprise-rmcp is a Rust MCP server and CLI for sending notifications through an Apprise API server.

It exposes one MCP tool, apprise, plus the rapprise CLI. Agents can send tagged notifications through a preconfigured Apprise server, run one-off Apprise URL sends, and check upstream health through stdio MCP, Streamable HTTP MCP, or direct shell commands.

30-second path: run npx -y apprise-rmcp health --json -> start loopback HTTP with APPRISE_MCP_HOST=127.0.0.1 npx -y apprise-rmcp serve -> call tools/call with {"action":"health"}.

Status: operational RMCP upstream-client server. Write-capable; notification sends are intentional side effects. HTTP MCP supports loopback dev mode, static bearer tokens, and Google OAuth through lab-auth.

Not for: replacing Apprise API, storing notification destinations in this repo, scheduling reminders, building a generic webhook relay, multi-tenant isolation, or passing upstream Apprise bearer tokens through MCP tool arguments.

Contents

• [Naming](#naming)
• [Capabilities And Boundaries](#capabilities-and-boundaries)
• [Install](#install)
• [Quickstart](#quickstart)
• [Client Configuration](#client-configuration)
• [Runtime Surfaces](#runtime-surfaces)
• [MCP Tool Reference](#mcp-tool-reference)
• [CLI Reference](#cli-reference)
• [Configuration](#configuration)
• [Authentication](#authentication)
• [Safety And Trust Model](#safety-and-trust-model)
• [Architecture](#architecture)
• [Distribution Contract](#distribution-contract)
• [Development](#development)
• [Verification](#verification)
• [Deployment](#deployment)
• [Troubleshooting](#troubleshooting)
• [Related Servers](#related-servers)
• [Documentation](#documentation)
• [License](#license)

Naming

| Surface | This repo | |---|---| | Repository | apprise-rmcp | | Rust crate | apprise-mcp | | Binary / CLI | rapprise | | npm package | apprise-rmcp | | npm binary aliases | apprise-rmcp, rapprise | | MCP tool | apprise | | Config home | ~/.apprise on hosts, /data in containers | | Env prefixes | APPRISE_*, APPRISE_MCP_*, APPRISE_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 rapprise.

Capabilities And Boundaries

• Send notifications through tags configured in the upstream Apprise API server.
• Send one-off notifications to Apprise URL schemas with notify_url.
• Check upstream Apprise API health.
• Expose the send_alert prompt for critical alert workflows.
• Provide setup and doctor commands for local plugin/runtime checks.

| This repo owns | Apprise owns | Explicitly out of scope | |---|---|---| | MCP/CLI projection, request validation, auth policy, response shaping, setup checks, and transport wiring. | Notification delivery, configured destinations, tags, delivery backend credentials, upstream API semantics. | Destination storage, scheduling, retry policy beyond upstream behavior, multi-tenant sandboxing, arbitrary webhook relay behavior. |

Install

| Path | Command | Best for | Notes | |---|---|---|---| | npm / npx | npx -y apprise-rmcp --help | Local MCP clients and quick trials. | Downloads the matching rapprise binary from GitHub Releases. | | Release installer | curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jmagar/apprise-rmcp/main/scripts/install.sh \| bash | Host installs without Node. | Installs rapprise for the current Linux host. | | Docker / Compose | docker compose up -d | Shared HTTP MCP deployments. | Reads .env and exposes container port 40050. | | Build from source | cargo build --release | Development and audits. | Produces target/release/rapprise. | | Plugin | claude plugin install plugins/apprise | 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 apprise-rmcp --help
npx -y apprise-rmcp mcp
npx -y apprise-rmcp health --json

The npm package downloads rapprise during postinstall. Override download behavior only when testing packaging:

| Variable | Purpose | |---|---| | APPRISE_RMCP_SKIP_DOWNLOAD=1 | Skip postinstall binary download. | | APPRISE_RMCP_VERSION or APPRISE_RMCP_BINARY_VERSION | Select the GitHub Release tag. | | APPRISE_RMCP_REPO | Select the GitHub repo used for release downloads. | | APPRISE_RMCP_RELEASE_BASE_URL | Select a custom release base URL. |

Build From Source

git clone https://github.com/jmagar/apprise-rmcp
cd apprise-rmcp
cargo build --release
./target/release/rapprise --help

Minimum supported Rust version: 1.86.

Quickstart

1. Start Or Point At Apprise API

The default upstream is http://localhost:8000.

docker run --rm -p 8000:8000 caronc/apprise:latest

Use APPRISE_URL when the API server is elsewhere:

export APPRISE_URL=http://100.120.242.29:8766

Set APPRISE_TOKEN only when your Apprise API server requires bearer auth:

export APPRISE_TOKEN=...

2. Run A Safe CLI Call

npx -y apprise-rmcp health --json

3. Start Loopback HTTP MCP

APPRISE_MCP_HOST=127.0.0.1 npx -y apprise-rmcp serve

In another shell:

curl -sf http://127.0.0.1:40050/health

4. Make A First MCP Call

curl -s -X POST http://127.0.0.1:40050/mcp \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Accept: application/json, text/event-stream" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/call","params":{"name":"apprise","arguments":{"action":"health"}}}'

Client Configuration

Claude Code Stdio

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apprise": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "apprise-rmcp", "mcp"],
      "env": {
        "APPRISE_URL": "http://localhost:8000"
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude Code HTTP

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apprise": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "http://127.0.0.1:40050/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${APPRISE_MCP_TOKEN}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Codex / Labby Gateway

Register Apprise through Labby as an HTTP upstream when sharing one long-running server, or run it directly as stdio for local-only use.

[mcp_servers.apprise]
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "apprise-rmcp", "mcp"]

Generic MCP JSON

{
  "command": "rapprise",
  "args": ["mcp"],
  "env": {
    "APPRISE_URL": "http://localhost:8000"
  }
}

Do not put APPRISE_TOKEN, OAuth secrets, SSH keys, passwords, 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 | rapprise mcp, npx -y apprise-rmcp mcp | Local child-process MCP clients. | | MCP HTTP | Supported | rapprise serve, POST /mcp | Streamable HTTP MCP for local or shared server deployments. | | CLI | Supported | rapprise | Scriptable parity and debugging. | | Prompt | Supported | send_alert | Reusable critical-alert workflow. | | REST API | Not shipped | N/A | Apprise API already owns the REST API. | | Web UI | Not shipped | N/A | Apprise API already owns the web UI. |

MCP Tool Reference

One MCP tool is exposed: apprise. Pass the required action argument to select the operation.

Read Actions

| Action | Description | Required params | Optional params | |---|---|---|---| | health | Check Apprise API server health. | none | none | | help | Return built-in markdown tool help. | none | none |

Write Actions

| Action | Description | Required params | Optional params | |---|---|---|---| | notify | Send to a configured Apprise tag, or all configured services when tag is omitted. | body | tag, title, type | | notify_url | Send a stateless one-off notification to one or more Apprise URL schemas. | urls, body | title, type |

Notification Types

| Type | Meaning | |---|---| | info | Informational notification. | | success | Successful operation. | | warning | Non-critical warning. | | failure | Critical failure or error. |

MCP Call Examples

curl -s -X POST http://127.0.0.1:40050/mcp \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Accept: application/json, text/event-stream" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/call","params":{"name":"apprise","arguments":{"action":"health"}}}'

{
  "name": "apprise",
  "arguments": {
    "action": "notify",
    "body": "Deployment succeeded",
    "tag": "ops",
    "title": "Deploy complete",
    "type": "success"
  }
}

Curated action summaries live here. docs/INVENTORY.md is the current 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.

rapprise health [--json]
rapprise notify  [--tag TAG] [--title T] [--type info|success|warning|failure] [--json]
rapprise notify-url   [--title T] [--type info|success|warning|failure] [--json]

rapprise serve
rapprise serve mcp
rapprise mcp
rapprise doctor [--json]
rapprise setup check
rapprise setup repair
rapprise setup plugin-hook [--no-repair]

Configuration

Configuration loads from config.toml when present, then environment variables override those values. On startup, the binary also loads ~/.apprise/.env on hosts or /data/.env in containers without overriding already-set variables.

Upstream Variables

| Variable | Required | Description | |---|---:|---| | APPRISE_URL | no | Apprise API server base URL. Defaults to http://localhost:8000. | | APPRISE_TOKEN | only for protected upstreams | Optional upstream Apprise API bearer token. |

Runtime Variables

| Variable | Default | Description | |---|---|---| | APPRISE_MCP_HOST | 0.0.0.0 | HTTP MCP bind host. | | APPRISE_MCP_PORT | 40050 | HTTP MCP bind port. | | APPRISE_MCP_TOKEN | empty | Static bearer token for HTTP MCP when not in loopback dev mode. | | APPRISE_MCP_NO_AUTH | false | Disable HTTP MCP auth. Use only on loopback or behind a trusted gateway. | | APPRISE_MCP_AUTH_MODE | bearer | Set to oauth for Google OAuth through lab-auth. | | APPRISE_MCP_PUBLIC_URL | empty | Public URL for OAuth metadata and protected-resource discovery. | | APPRISE_MCP_GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID | empty | Google OAuth client ID. | | APPRISE_MCP_GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET | empty | Google OAuth client secret. | | APPRISE_MCP_AUTH_ADMIN_EMAIL | empty | Initial/admin OAuth email. | | APPRISE_MCP_ALLOWED_ORIGINS | empty | Additional CORS origins for HTTP MCP. | | RUST_LOG | info | Rust log filter. Stdio logs must stay off stdout. |

Authentication

| Policy | When | Effect | |---|---|---| | Loopback development | APPRISE_MCP_HOST starts with 127. or APPRISE_MCP_NO_AUTH=true | No HTTP auth layer is mounted. Use for local testing only. | | Static bearer | APPRISE_MCP_TOKEN is set and the server is not loopback dev | /mcp requires Authorization: Bearer . | | OAuth | APPRISE_MCP_AUTH_MODE=oauth plus Google OAuth settings | /mcp uses lab-auth OAuth and scoped bearer tokens. | | Stdio | rapprise mcp | The local child-process boundary is the trust boundary. |

MCP scopes are apprise:notify and apprise:admin. OAuth tokens are checked before MCP calls are dispatched.

Safety And Trust Model

• MCP callers never provide APPRISE_TOKEN, OAuth secrets, static bearer tokens,

passwords, SSH keys, or API keys as tool arguments.

• Upstream Apprise credentials are loaded from env/config only.
• notify is the preferred path because destinations are configured upstream

under tags.

• notify_url intentionally accepts Apprise URL schemas in MCP arguments for

one-off sends. Treat those URLs as sensitive payloads and avoid using them when a tagged upstream destination is available.

• Apprise API is the durable source of destination configuration; this server is

a thin projection over that API.

• 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
rapprise
       |
       +-- MCP shim: JSON args -> AppriseService -> structured result
       +-- CLI shim: argv -> AppriseService -> stdout
       |
       v
AppriseService
       |
       v
AppriseClient
       |
       v
Apprise API server
       |
       v
Notification backends

| Path | Role | |---|---| | src/app.rs | Business service layer, response shaping, counters, and notification calls. | | src/apprise.rs | Apprise API REST client. | | src/mcp/ | RMCP tool, prompt, schema, routes, and auth checks. | | src/cli.rs | CLI parser, doctor/setup helpers, and output formatting. | | src/config.rs | Env/config loading and defaults. | | packages/apprise-rmcp/ | npm launcher and release-binary downloader. |

The thin-shim rule is intentional: MCP and CLI parse inputs, call AppriseService, and return output. Credential loading, auth policy, and Apprise 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/apprise-rmcp/package.json, bin/rapprise.js, lib/platform.js, scripts/install.js | GitHub Release tag and assets named rapprise-x86_64.tar.gz and rapprise-windows-x86_64.tar.gz. | | GitHub Releases | .github/workflows/*, scripts/install.sh, install.sh | Package version, binary name, checksums, supported platforms. | | Docker / Compose | Dockerfile, docker-compose*.yml | Exposed port 40050, healthcheck /health, env file contract. | | MCP registry | server.json | Server identity tv.tootie/apprise-mcp, env vars, transport URL, package version. | | Plugin | plugins/apprise | 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/apprise-rmcp run check

Verification

# Binary and CLI
cargo build --release
./target/release/rapprise --version
./target/release/rapprise health --json

# HTTP health
APPRISE_MCP_HOST=127.0.0.1 ./target/release/rapprise serve
curl -sf http://127.0.0.1:40050/health

# MCP tool call
curl -s -X POST http://127.0.0.1:40050/mcp \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Accept: application/json, text/event-stream" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/call","params":{"name":"apprise","arguments":{"action":"health"}}}'

For live notification tests, configure at least one destination in the Apprise API server and call notify with its tag.

Deployment

Docker / Compose

cp .env.example .env
$EDITOR .env
docker compose up -d
curl -sf http://127.0.0.1:40050/health

The container stores app data under /data, normally mounted from ${HOME}/.apprise.

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/apprise
rapprise setup check

Troubleshooting

| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix | |---|---|---| | 401 from /mcp | Missing or wrong bearer/OAuth token. | Check APPRISE_MCP_TOKEN and client

…

Source & license

This open-source MCP server is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: jmagar
• Source: jmagar/apprise-rmcp
• License: MIT
• Homepage: https://www.npmjs.com/package/apprise-rmcp

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.