Notifications
Enables AI assistants to send native macOS notifications for task completion alerts and reminders. Supports interactive features like custom system sounds, action buttons, and user replies directly from the notification center.
What is Notifications?
Notifications is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to enables ai assistants to send native macos notifications for task completion alerts and reminders. supports interactive features like custom system sounds, action buttons, and user replies directly fr...
Enables AI assistants to send native macOS notifications for task completion alerts and reminders. Supports interactive features like custom system sounds, action buttons, and user replies directly from the notification center.
This server falls under the Communication category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- Enables AI assistants to send native macOS notifications for
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
Manual Installation
npx notifications-mcp-serverConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use Notifications
Notifications MCP Server (@pinkpixel/notification-mcp) is a Node.js/TypeScript MCP server that lets AI assistants play native audio notification sounds when long-running tasks complete, so you know when to return to your terminal without polling. It ships with five bundled high-quality sounds (cosmic, fairy, gentle, pleasant, retro) and supports custom MP3 files via an environment variable. The package works out of the box with npx on Windows and macOS — no manual sound downloads or extra dependencies required.
Prerequisites
- Node.js 16 or later installed (required for npx execution)
- macOS or Windows (Linux audio playback is not officially supported)
- An MCP-compatible client such as Claude Desktop, Claude Code, or Cursor
- Audio output enabled on your machine (speakers or headphones connected)
Add the server to your MCP client config
The simplest setup uses npx — no global install needed. Add the following to your claude_desktop_config.json (Claude Desktop) or equivalent MCP config. The bundled 'gentle' sound will play by default.
{
"mcpServers": {
"notifications": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@pinkpixel/notification-mcp"]
}
}
}Choose a bundled notification sound
Set MCP_NOTIFICATION_SOUND to one of the five bundled sounds: cosmic, fairy, gentle, pleasant, retro. Use 'random' to play a different sound each time.
{
"mcpServers": {
"notifications": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@pinkpixel/notification-mcp"],
"env": {
"MCP_NOTIFICATION_SOUND": "cosmic"
}
}
}
}(Optional) Use a custom sound file
Point MCP_NOTIFICATION_SOUND_PATH to an absolute path of your own MP3 file. This overrides any bundled sound selection.
{
"mcpServers": {
"notifications": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@pinkpixel/notification-mcp"],
"env": {
"MCP_NOTIFICATION_SOUND_PATH": "/Users/you/sounds/my_alert.mp3"
}
}
}
}Restart your MCP client
Restart Claude Desktop (or your chosen client) to pick up the new server configuration. The server starts automatically via npx when the client connects.
Ask the AI to play a notification
Instruct your AI assistant to play a notification after a task finishes. The server exposes a single 'play_notification' tool that accepts an optional message parameter.
Notifications Examples
Client configuration (Claude Desktop, random sounds)
Claude Desktop config using npx with the random sound mode so each notification plays a different built-in chime.
{
"mcpServers": {
"notifications": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@pinkpixel/notification-mcp"],
"env": {
"MCP_NOTIFICATION_SOUND": "random"
}
}
}
}Prompts to try
Example prompts that instruct the AI to trigger notifications at the right moment.
- "Run the test suite and play a notification when it finishes"
- "After you finish generating the report, play a notification sound"
- "Deploy the application and then alert me with a notification when the deployment completes"
- "Process all these files and play the cosmic notification when you're done"Troubleshooting Notifications
No sound plays but the tool reports success
Check your system volume and that your audio output device is active. On macOS, verify that the Terminal or the application running npx has permission to play audio in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone/Audio (if applicable).
npx takes a long time on first run
The first invocation downloads @pinkpixel/notification-mcp and its bundled sounds from npm. Subsequent runs use the npx cache. If you are on a slow network, install globally instead: npm install -g @pinkpixel/notification-mcp
Custom sound file not playing / MCP_NOTIFICATION_SOUND_PATH ignored
Ensure the path is absolute (not relative) and that the file exists and is a valid MP3. MCP_NOTIFICATION_SOUND_PATH takes highest priority and overrides MCP_NOTIFICATION_SOUND entirely. Double-check for typos in the env variable name.
Frequently Asked Questions about Notifications
What is Notifications?
Notifications is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that enables ai assistants to send native macos notifications for task completion alerts and reminders. supports interactive features like custom system sounds, action buttons, and user replies directly from the notification center. It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install Notifications?
Follow the installation instructions on the Notifications GitHub repository. Clone the repo, install dependencies, and add the server config to your AI client.
Which AI clients work with Notifications?
Notifications works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is Notifications free to use?
Yes, Notifications is open source and available under the MIT License license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
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Browse More Communication MCP Servers
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