# Ably MCP for AI Agents AI Agent Connect > Ably MCP lets you manage real-time messaging, user presence, and push notifications directly through your AI agent. You can publish messages to channels, track who is online, and send mobile push alerts without switching tabs. It bridges your AI client to Ably's infrastructure for instant communication control. ## Overview - **Category:** communication-messaging - **Price:** Free - **Endpoint:** https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_7FhLG86kkySnDPZ823hCqylyJCaovl8f3hyGPw7a/ai-agent-connect - **Tags:** pub-sub, real-time-messaging, push-notifications, websocket, event-driven, api-integration ## Description This Connector connects your AI agent to the Ably infrastructure so you can handle real-time communication tasks using natural language. Instead of jumping between the Ably dashboard and your code editor, you can just tell your agent to broadcast a message or check who's currently active in a specific channel. It handles the heavy lifting of pub/sub messaging and push notifications, making it easy to manage live data streams. You can update message content, revoke security tokens, or pull usage stats on the fly. It's a way to keep your real-time features moving while staying focused on the bigger picture. By using this through the Vinkius catalog, you get a unified way to manage these live streams without setting up complex manual connections every time you need to tweak a channel or check a status. You can quickly audit message history, manage member presence across multiple rooms, and ensure your security tokens remain valid, all without leaving your primary workspace. Whether you are troubleshooting a live feed or preparing a new notification payload, this Connector gives you direct control over your real-time infrastructure through a simple conversation. It turns complex pub/sub management into a set of simple commands for your agent. ## Tools ### get_channel_metadata Get metadata for a specific channel. Pull the configuration and details for any channel. ### get_message Get a specific message by serial. Find a single message in your history using its unique ID. ### batch_presence Get presence for multiple channels. Check who is online across your entire app at once. ### batch_publish Publish messages to multiple channels at once. Send a single update to every room simultaneously. ### batch_push_publish Publish batch push notifications. Send a group of alerts to many users in one command. ### get_messages Retrieve message history for a channel. See what was said in a specific room recently. ### get_presence_history Get presence history for a channel. Track when users joined or left over time. ### get_presence Get current presence members for a channel. See a real-time list of who is currently active. ### get_stats Retrieve application usage statistics. Use this to see how many messages your app is handling. ### list_channels Enumerate all active channels. This helps you find the correct channel ID quickly. ### publish_message Publish a message to a specific channel. Send updates or alerts to your users instantly. ### push_publish Publish a direct push notification. Use this to reach specific devices or client IDs. ### revoke_tokens Revoke Ably tokens before their expiry. This keeps your infrastructure secure by rotating access. ### update_message Update, delete, or append to a message. Fix errors or update live content on the fly. ## Prompt Examples **Prompt:** ``` Who is currently online in the 'support-chat' channel? ``` **Response:** ``` I checked the 'support-chat' channel for you. Here is the current status: - **Active Members**: 4 - **User IDs**: user_12, user_88, admin_01, guest_99 - **Status**: All members are currently online. ``` **Prompt:** ``` Send a push notification to user_452 saying 'Your order is shipping.' ``` **Response:** ``` I've sent that push notification to user_452. - **Recipient**: user_452 - **Message**: 'Your order is shipping.' - **Status**: Successfully dispatched via Ably. ``` **Prompt:** ``` What are my app stats for this month? ``` **Response:** ``` Here are your application statistics for the current month: | Metric | Value | | :--- | :--- | | **Total Messages** | 45,200 | | **Peak Connections** | 1,200 | | **Active Channels** | 14 | Everything looks healthy. ``` ## Capabilities ### Broadcast channel messages Send text or data updates to specific real-time channels instantly. ### Monitor live user presence See who is currently online across your different chat rooms and channels. ### Send mobile push alerts Dispatch direct push notifications to specific devices or client IDs. ### Retrieve message history Pull past messages from a channel to review recent activity or logs. ### Manage channel metadata View and update the configuration and usage stats for your active channels. ### Rotate security tokens Revoke existing tokens to maintain tight control over your infrastructure access. ## Use Cases ### Testing a new chat feature A developer asks the agent to check who is in 'room-1' using get_presence and then sends a welcome message via publish_message. ### Debugging a failed notification An engineer uses push_publish to send a test alert to a specific device ID to see if the payload reaches the phone. ### Audit trail check A product manager asks for the last 50 messages in a 'support' channel using get_messages to review recent interactions. ### Security key rotation A DevOps lead tells the agent to revoke_tokens for a specific service to rotate keys during a security incident. ## Benefits - Faster debugging with get_presence and get_messages to see live user activity instantly. - Simplified notifications using push_publish to test mobile alerts without manual triggers. - Better security by using revoke_tokens to manage access to your real-time streams. - Quicker updates with update_message to fix content errors in live channels immediately. - Easier monitoring with get_stats to keep an eye on your app's message volume and connections. - Efficient bulk actions with batch_publish to update multiple channels at once. ## How It Works The bottom line is you get a voice-controlled interface for your real-time messaging infrastructure. 1. Subscribe to the Ably MCP and provide your API key in the configuration. 2. Connect the Connector to your AI client like Claude, Cursor, or Windsurf. 3. Ask your agent to perform actions like listing channels or publishing messages. ## Frequently Asked Questions **Can I use Ably MCP to manage my real-time chat rooms?** Yes, you can use it to list active channels, fetch metadata, and manage your pub/sub infrastructure using natural language. **Does Ably MCP support sending push notifications?** Yes, it allows you to send direct push notifications to specific devices or client IDs for your mobile and web apps. **How can I check who is online in an Ably channel?** You can ask your agent to check the presence of members in any specific channel to see who is currently active. **Can I use Ably MCP to debug my real-time messaging?** It makes debugging easier by letting you retrieve message history and check live channel states directly in your chat. **Is Ably MCP helpful for testing mobile push alerts?** It is perfect for testing, as you can quickly send individual or batch push notifications to specific IDs to verify payloads. **How do I see my app's usage stats with Ably MCP?** You can simply ask your agent to show your application usage statistics to see message volume and connection peaks. **Can Ably MCP help me revoke security tokens?** Yes, it can revoke Ably tokens before they expire to help you maintain tight control over your infrastructure access. **Can I see who is currently active in a specific channel?** Yes. Use the `get_presence` tool with the target Channel ID to retrieve a list of all members currently connected and their status. **How do I send a single message to multiple channels at once?** You can use the `batch_publish` tool. Provide a comma-separated list of channel IDs and the data payload to broadcast to all of them in one request. **Is it possible to retrieve the history of messages sent to a channel?** Absolutely. Use the `get_messages` tool to fetch the message history for any channel, with options to filter by timestamp or limit the number of results.