Zulip MCP Server

--- title: "Usage Examples" description: "Practical examples and tutorials for using Zulip MCP Server effectively" --- **Navigation:** [Home](index) | [Installation](installation) | [API Reference](api-reference) | [Configuration](configuration) | [Troubleshooting](troubleshooting) # Usage Examples & Tutorials Practical examples and real-world use cases for the Zulip MCP Server across different teams and workflows. ## Table of Contents - [Getting Started](#getting-started) - [Development Team Workflows](#development-team-workflows) - [Customer Success Operations](#customer-success-operations) - [Project Management](#project-management) - [Sales Team Automation](#sales-team-automation) - [Advanced Use Cases](#advanced-use-cases) --- ## Getting Started ### First Steps with Your LLM Once configured, start with these basic interactions: #### 1. Test Your Connection ``` You: "Can you check if Zulip is connected and show me what streams are available?" LLM Response: I'll test the Zulip connection and get an overview of your workspace. [Uses get-started tool] ✅ Connected to Zulip successfully! Your workspace has 15 streams available including: general, development, announcements, customer-success, and random. ``` #### 2. Find Team Members ``` You: "Can you find all users with 'john' in their name?" LLM Response: I'll search for users with 'john' in their name. [Uses search-users tool] Found 3 users matching "john": - John Smith (john.smith@company.com) - Active - Johnny Doe (johnny.doe@company.com) - Active - John Admin (john@company.com) - Active, Admin role ``` #### 3. Send Your First Message ``` You: "Send a hello message to the general stream introducing myself as the new AI assistant" LLM Response: I'll send an introduction message to the general stream. [Uses send-message tool] Message sent successfully! I've introduced you as the new AI assistant to the team in the general stream. ``` --- ## Development Team Workflows ### Deployment Notifications #### Automated Build Status Updates ``` You: "Our CI/CD pipeline just completed successfully. Send an update to the #development stream with the topic 'Deployments' including: - Version: v2.3.1 - Environment: Production - Status: ✅ Success - Features: Added user dashboard, fixed payment bugs - Rollback plan: Available if needed" LLM Response: I'll send a comprehensive deployment notification to the development stream. [Uses send-message tool with formatted content] Deployment notification sent! The team has been informed about the successful v2.3.1 production deployment with all the details you specified. ``` #### Code Review Requests ``` You: "I need to request code review for PR #234. Send a message to @john.smith and @sarah.dev asking them to review the authentication refactor PR. Include the GitHub link: https://github.com/company/app/pull/234" LLM Response: I'll send a direct message to both John and Sarah requesting the code review. [Uses send-message tool with type: "direct"] Code review request sent! Both John Smith and Sarah have been notified about PR #234 and asked to review the authentication refactor. ``` #### Error Monitoring Alerts ``` You: "We're seeing 5xx errors spike on the API. Send an urgent message to the #development stream with topic 'Incidents' asking the on-call engineer to investigate. Include: - Time: Started 10 minutes ago - Affected endpoints: /api/payments, /api/users - Error rate: 15% of requests - Monitoring dashboard: [link]" LLM Response: I'll send an urgent incident notification to alert the development team. [Uses send-message tool with formatted alert] Incident alert sent! The development team has been notified about the 5xx error spike and the on-call engineer should see this immediately. ``` ### Release Planning ``` You: "Create a release planning message for the #development stream. We're planning v2.4.0 for next Friday. Ask team leads to confirm their feature completion status for: - User onboarding flow (Sarah's team) - Payment processing updates (Mike's team) - Mobile API improvements (Lisa's team) - Security audit fixes (Security team)" LLM Response: I'll create a comprehensive release planning message to coordinate with all team leads. [Uses send-message tool with structured planning format] Release planning message sent! All team leads have been asked to confirm their feature completion status for the v2.4.0 release next Friday. ``` --- ## Customer Success Operations ### Customer Health Check Summaries #### Weekly Health Reports ``` You: "Generate a weekly customer health check summary for the #customer-success stream. Include these metrics: - Total active customers: 1,247 (+23 this week) - At-risk accounts: 8 (down from 12 last week) - Expansion opportunities: 15 accounts showing usage growth - Support ticket trends: 15% decrease in critical issues - Key wins: 3 major renewals, 2 upsells completed" LLM Response: I'll create a comprehensive weekly health check summary for the customer success team. [Uses send-message tool with formatted metrics] Weekly health check summary posted! The customer success team now has a clear overview of customer health metrics and key achievements. ``` #### Escalation Notifications ``` You: "Customer Acme Corp (Enterprise plan) is reporting critical issues with data sync. Create an escalation notice for #customer-success with topic 'Escalations': - Customer: Acme Corp - Plan: Enterprise ($50k ARR) - Issue: Data sync failing for 2 hours - Impact: Production workflows blocked - Contact: jane.doe@acme.com - Assigned CSM: @sarah.johnson - Next action: Engineering escalation needed" LLM Response: I'll create an immediate escalation notice for the customer success team. [Uses send-message tool with urgent escalation format] Escalation notice sent! The customer success team has been alerted about Acme Corp's critical data sync issue and Sarah Johnson has been notified as the assigned CSM. ``` ### Customer Feedback Collection ``` You: "Post a message in #customer-success asking for this week's customer feedback highlights. Request team members to share: - Top feature requests from customer calls - Common pain points mentioned - Positive feedback and testimonials - Competitive mentions or concerns Format it as a collaborative thread for easy responses." LLM Response: I'll create a collaborative feedback collection post for the team. [Uses send-message tool with engaging format] Feedback collection message posted! The customer success team can now easily share this week's customer insights in a structured thread format. ``` --- ## Project Management ### Sprint Planning & Updates #### Sprint Retrospective Summary ``` You: "Create a sprint retrospective summary for #development with topic 'Sprint 23 Retro': - Sprint goal: ✅ User dashboard completion - Stories completed: 24/26 (92% completion rate) - Velocity: 87 story points (target: 85) - What went well: Great collaboration, early testing - Challenges: API rate limiting, design changes - Action items: Implement rate limiting strategy, earlier design reviews - Next sprint focus: Mobile app improvements" LLM Response: I'll create a comprehensive sprint retrospective summary for the team. [Uses send-message tool with structured retrospective format] Sprint retrospective summary posted! The development team now has a clear record of Sprint 23 outcomes and action items for improvement. ``` #### Milestone Tracking ``` You: "Send an update to #general about our Q3 milestone progress: - Overall progress: 75% complete (on track) - Key achievements: User dashboard launched, API v2 stable - Upcoming deliverables: Mobile app beta (next week), payment flow redesign (2 weeks) - Blockers resolved: Database performance issues fixed - Team spotlight: Congratulations to the backend team for exceptional performance!" LLM Response: I'll create an engaging Q3 milestone update for the entire company. [Uses send-message tool with milestone tracking format] Q3 milestone update sent! The entire company is now informed about our progress and the backend team has been recognized for their excellent work. ``` ### Resource Planning ``` You: "Create a resource planning discussion for #project-management with topic 'Q4 Planning': - Current team capacity: 85% utilization - New hires starting: 2 frontend developers (Oct 1), 1 designer (Oct 15) - Major projects: Mobile app launch, enterprise features, security compliance - Resource needs assessment: Additional backend support for enterprise features - Please share your team's capacity and resource needs for Q4 planning" LLM Response: I'll create a comprehensive resource planning discussion to help coordinate Q4 efforts. [Uses send-message tool with planning format] Resource planning discussion started! Project managers can now share their team capacity and resource needs for effective Q4 planning. ``` --- ## Sales Team Automation ### Deal Updates & Pipeline Management #### Weekly Pipeline Review ``` You: "Create a weekly pipeline review for #sales with topic 'Pipeline Review - Week 42': - Total pipeline value: $2.3M (up 15% from last week) - Deals in closing stage: 8 opportunities ($340k value) - New leads this week: 23 qualified leads - Demo requests: 12 scheduled - Key wins: Closed deal with TechCorp ($85k ARR) - Focus areas: Follow up on Q3 proposals, prepare Q4 campaigns Tag @sales.manager for review" LLM Response: I'll create a comprehensive weekly pipeline review for the sales team. [Uses send-message tool with pipeline metrics and mentions] Weekly pipeline review posted! The sales team has a clear overview of this week's performance and the sales manager has been tagged for review. ``` #### Lead Qualification Alerts ``` You: "New enterprise lead came in through the website. Send alert to #sales with topic 'Hot Leads': - Company: Global Industries Inc. - Contact: Mark Johnson, CTO - Company size: 5,000+ employees - Use case: API integration for customer data - Budget indicated: $100k+ annually - Timeline: Implementation needed by Q1 - Lead score: 95/100 (hot lead!) - Next step: Demo call scheduled for tomorrow 2 PM Assign to @senior.sales.rep for immediate follow-up" LLM Response: I'll create an immediate hot lead alert for the sales team. [Uses send-message tool with urgent lead notification] Hot lead alert sent! The sales team has been notified about Global Industries Inc. and the senior sales rep has been assigned for immediate follow-up. ``` ### Customer Onboarding ``` You: "New customer TechStart just signed! Create onboarding announcement for #sales with topic 'New Customers': - Customer: TechStart (Startup plan) - Deal value: $24k annually - Sales rep: @jenny.sales - Implementation timeline: 30 days - Key requirements: Slack integration, custom dashboards - Success criteria: 80% team adoption in first month - Onboarding kickoff: Scheduled for Monday 10 AM - CSM assigned: @alex.success Congratulate Jenny on closing this deal!" LLM Response: I'll create a celebratory new customer announcement with all the onboarding details. [Uses send-message tool with onboarding information and congratulations] New customer announcement sent! Jenny has been congratulated on the TechStart deal and the team has all the onboarding information they need. ``` --- ## Advanced Use Cases ### Automated Workflows #### Integration with External Systems ``` You: "Our monitoring system detected that API response times are above 500ms. Check recent messages in #development for any related discussions, then send an alert about potential performance issues." LLM Response: I'll check recent development messages for context and then send a performance alert. [Uses get-messages tool to search development stream] [Then uses send-message tool to create alert with context] I found related discussions about database queries in the development stream. I've sent a performance alert that references the ongoing database optimization work and suggests coordination between teams. ``` #### Multi-Stream Coordination ``` You: "We have a customer-reported security issue. Send coordinated messages to: 1. #security-team: Technical details and immediate investigation request 2. #customer-success: Customer communication strategy 3. #leadership: Executive summary and timeline 4. #development: Engineering response coordination Ensure each team gets relevant information for their role." LLM Response: I'll send coordinated messages to all four teams with role-specific information about the security issue. [Uses multiple send-message tool calls with different content for each team] Coordinated security response initiated! All four teams have been notified with appropriate details for their roles in addressing this customer-reported security issue. ``` ### Data Collection & Analysis #### Survey and Feedback Compilation ``` You: "Search the last 30 days of messages in #customer-success for mentions of 'feature request' and 'customer feedback'. Compile a summary of the most requested features." LLM Response: I'll search through recent customer success messages to identify and compile feature requests. [Uses get-messages tool with search parameters] [Analyzes results and creates summary] Based on 30 days of customer success messages, here are the top feature requests: 1. Advanced reporting (mentioned 8 times) 2. Mobile app improvements (mentioned 6 times) 3. API rate limit increases (mentioned 5 times) 4. SSO integration (mentioned 4 times) 5. Custom dashboard widgets (mentioned 3 times) Would you like me to send this summary to the product team? ``` #### Team Performance Insights ``` You: "Analyze message patterns in #development over the past week. Look for: - Most active discussion topics - Peak activity times - Team collaboration patterns - Any signs of blockers or concerns" LLM Response: I'll analyze recent development team communication patterns to provide insights. [Uses get-messages tool with various search parameters] [Analyzes patterns and generates insights] Development team analysis for the past week: - Most active topics: Database optimization (25 messages), Code review process (18 messages) - Peak activity: Tuesday-Thursday, 10 AM - 2 PM - High collaboration: Backend and frontend teams working closely on API integration - Potential concerns: 3 mentions of testing environment issues - Positive indicators: Quick resolution times, proactive help between team members This suggests a healthy, collaborative team with minor infrastructure concerns to address. ``` ### Custom Automation Scripts #### Daily Standups ``` You: "It's Monday morning. Create a standup prompt for #development asking each team member to share: - What they completed last week - What they're working on this week - Any blockers or help needed - One team win or learning to celebrate Format it as an engaging thread that encourages participation." LLM Response: I'll create an engaging Monday standup prompt to kick off the week positively. [Uses send-message tool with structured standup format] Monday standup prompt posted! The development team has an engaging format to share their updates, blockers, and celebrate wins from last week. ``` #### Weekly Retrospectives ``` You: "Friday afternoon retrospective time! Send a message to #general asking teams to reflect on the week: - Biggest accomplishment this week - Most valuable lesson learned - One thing to improve next week - Kudos for a teammate who helped you Make it positive and encourage cross-team sharing." LLM Response: I'll create a positive weekly retrospective prompt to encourage team reflection and recognition. [Uses send-message tool with retrospective format] Weekly retrospective prompt sent! Teams across the company can now reflect on their week and share accomplishments and lessons learned. ``` --- ## Best Practices & Tips ### Message Formatting #### Use Rich Formatting ```markdown **Bold headings** for important information *Italics* for emphasis `Code snippets` for technical terms > Quoted text for references ### Structured Lists - Bullet points for clarity - **Key:** Value pairs for data - Numbered lists for steps [Links](https://example.com) for references @**Name** for user mentions #**stream-name** for stream references ``` #### Effective Use of Topics - Use descriptive topic names: "Sprint 23 Retro" not "Meeting" - Keep topics focused: One topic per discussion thread - Use consistent naming: "Deployments", "Incidents", "Planning" ### Workflow Optimization #### Batch Related Operations ``` You: "I need to update multiple teams about our product launch. Send messages to #sales, #marketing, and #customer-success with launch details customized for each team's needs." ``` #### Use Context from Previous Messages ``` You: "Check what was discussed about the API rate limiting issue in #development yesterday, then send a follow-up with the resolution we implemented." ``` #### Combine Multiple Tools ``` You: "Find all users in the sales team, then send them a direct message about the new CRM integration training session scheduled for next week." ``` --- Ready to implement these workflows? Start with the basic examples and gradually build more complex automations tailored to your team's specific needs. Check out our [API Reference](/api-reference) for detailed tool documentation or [Troubleshooting Guide](/troubleshooting) if you encounter any issues.