Alphorn

Official

Overview Schema Source Related Servers Discussions Admin

Send notification

send_notification

Send a notification to the user through their configured Alphorn channels when a task finishes, fails, or needs input, so they are alerted even when away from the session.

Instructions

Send a notification to the user through Alphorn. It is delivered to the channels the user configured (for example Slack, Telegram, email, SMS, or push), so it reaches them even when they are away from this session.

Use it when:

a long-running task finishes or fails,
you are blocked on a decision or permission and the user may not be watching,
the user asks to be notified, pinged, or alerted.

Do not use it for routine progress updates. Never include secrets, tokens, or file contents.

Tool call template

Replace each placeholder with a value matching the input schema. Only required parameters are included; add optional parameters as needed.

{
  "id": 1,
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "arguments": {
      "message": "<message>"
    },
    "name": "send_notification"
  }
}

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description
`tags`	No	Tags the user can filter and route on, e.g. ["ai-agent", "completed"].
`title`	No	Short title. Start with the project name, e.g. "my-app - tests passing".
`message`	Yes	What happened and what you need from the user, in one or two sentences.
`priority`	No	1 (lowest) to 5 (urgent). Use 2 when finished, 3 when you need input, 4 when blocked or failed.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

First observedv0.1.1Oct 29, 2026

TDQS

A4.4/5.0

Behavior4/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations declare openWorldHint=true and non-idempotent, and the description adds real context beyond them: delivery depends on user-configured channels, and a hard constraint against including secrets, tokens, or file contents. It stops short of stating what happens if no channels are configured or what the response looks like, so not a 5.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness5/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

Front-loaded with the core action and delivery model, then a tight when/when-not list, then the safety constraint. No sentence is redundant and the structure maps directly to how an agent scans for routing decisions.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness4/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

Complete for a 4-param notification tool with no output schema: purpose, timing, and safety are all covered. Minor gap — it doesn't say whether the call fails or silently no-ops if the user has no channels configured, which matters for an open-world side-effecting tool.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters3/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema description coverage is 100%, so title, message, tags, and priority are all fully documented with examples and length limits. The description adds no parameter-level detail beyond that, which is acceptable given the schema does the work.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

States a specific verb (send) and resource (notification), and goes further by naming the delivery mechanism (Alphorn) and the channels (Slack, Telegram, email, SMS, push). The agent knows exactly what effect the call has and why it is useful — it reaches the user outside the session.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines5/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

Explicitly enumerates when to use it (long task finished/failed, blocked on a decision, user asked to be pinged) and when not to (routine progress updates). There are no siblings, so no alternative routing is needed, and the exclusions close the main misuse case.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

Deploy Server

Other Tools

send_notificationA