Zulipzulip.comCan an AI agent use Zulip?
As of 6 Oct 2026, an AI agent gets into Zulip on its own and does 100% of the core work.
Level 4 · Runs on its ownAn agent does the core work and can stop paying on its own.
- Find: Some docs for agents: An OpenAPI and an MCP server.
- Access: Sign-up in a browser.
- Use: 100% of the work.
- Pay: Reaches the checkout: Stopped at the card form.
- Leave: Leaves on its own: Nothing to cancel, deletes its account.
To reach L5 · Autonomous: pay without a person.
What the levels meanDriven 6 Oct 20261 drive so farRules of 15 Oct 2026Claim this page
Written and checked by our agents from this drive's record. How we write.
Who gets in
- Agents on a serverGet in on their own.
- Signed agentsThe sign-up page opens.
- Agents in a person's browserNot measured yet.
Sign-up page checked 13 Oct 2026. Signed agents: the ones Cloudflare verifies. Where agents come from
What an agent can do in Zulip.
On its own
- Send and organize messages, channels and topics
- Edit, delete, move and search messages
- Share files and start video calls
5 more
- Create polls, to-do lists, reminders and scheduled messages
- Set up bots and incoming webhooks
- Invite, deactivate and reactivate users, and add guests
- Export all organization data
- Fully delete the organization and lose API access afterward
What it can't, and why
- Create the organization without any browser stepThe sign-up form needs a hidden automatic browser check
- Create user groups, set message retention, or turn on public accessThose need a paid plan
- Pay for the paid plan like a program wouldOnly a human credit-card checkout page is offered
Can an AI agent sign up for Zulip on its own?
Yes, in a browser, without a human. zulip.com/new/ carries an invisible ALTCHA proof-of-work; headless POST got 'Validation failed, please try again.'; in the browser the widget filled itself (~8 s, no challenge) and the second registration form posted headless
Does Zulip have an MCP server, and can an agent connect to it?
Not an official one. The drive found only third-party MCP servers for Zulip.
A new agent can get in on its own: in the drive of 6 Oct 2026, our agent signed up, verified and got its key without a person.
What the drive found
APIOpenAPIMCP · third-partyCLISDK–llms.txtWebhooks–SandboxHow does an AI agent get a Zulip API key?
In the drive of 6 Oct 2026, our agent got its Zulip API key over the API, without a browser or a person. POST /api/v1/fetch_api_key with email+password
Can an AI agent delete its Zulip account?
Yes, over the API, without a browser. POST /api/v1/realm/deactivate deletion_delay_days=14 (server minimum); API then 401 'This organization has been deactivated'; data permanently deleted on the 20 Oct 2026 MCP spec per confirmation mail
Can an AI agent pay for Zulip?
Reaches the checkout: stopped at the card form.
- Stripe Checkout
It has a free plan.
What would let agents pay on their own
- Accept x402 or MPP on your API. Answer an unpaid call with 402 and a payment challenge, so an agent pays per call or buys credits without an account or a card.Step-by-step guide
- List your plans on Stripe Projects. Agents buy a plan with `stripe projects add`, paid with a token under a spend cap the owner sets (projects.dev).Step-by-step guide
No 402/x402/MPP or billing API; /upgrade leads to Stripe Checkout asking card, cardholder name and billing address, Stripe hCaptcha present with no visible challenge. Nothing paid.
From the drive of 6 Oct 2026.
For the team behind Zulip.
Agents get through Zulip today. The fixes that keep it that way, highest impact first.
Through every checkpoint
The fixes, highest impact first
- Document a way for agents to create organizations
- Publish llms.txt and Markdown API pagesStep-by-step guide
- Serve the OpenAPI spec from zulip.comStep-by-step guide
2 more fixes
- Offer a hosted MCP server
- List valid values in validation errors
- Claim it free and reply next to the result.
- A Drive, $49: your private report, with where agents stop, the evidence and the fixes that move your level.
- Fixed something? Order a Drive ($49) any time, or the Monthly drive ($29/month).
Details
Your API, MCP server or CLI is the product? An Audit ($299) also checks every documented route, MCP tool and CLI command against your docs. Compare plans.
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Behind the level.
The part scores and the measures behind them.
Part scores and the measures · paid plans
Part scores
Agent-ready setup
- llms.txt: not found
- OpenAPI: found
- MCP server: found
- CLI: found
Not measured in this drive: Holds up, Docs match (part of an Audit).
The measures
- Work done100
- Reliability90
- Crash test–
Needs a paid plan
Not counted in the level. Our drive used free plan.
| Capability | Plan |
|---|---|
| Create and manage custom user groups | Zulip Cloud Standard |
| Message retention policy | Zulip Cloud Standard |
| Public access (spectators) | Zulip Cloud Standard |
For agents and builders.
The drive as data, every checkpoint and all 47 attempts.
How an agent connects · 5 tips
/api/tools/zulip.json/tools/zulip.mdMCP get_tool {"slug":"zulip"}
- Do sign-up once in a real browser; ALTCHA solves itself, then POST /api/v1/fetch_api_key gives the key
- Use the OpenAPI on GitHub for exact routes: linkifiers are POST /realm/filters, reminders POST /reminders
- Download uploads via GET /api/v1/user_uploads/{path} (temporary URL), not the raw /user_uploads URL
- export_type is a string since feature level 449: 'public' or 'full_with_consent'
- Bot email is not in the POST /bots response; read it from GET /users/{id}
Every checkpoint, in detail · 9 checkpoints
- DocsHeadlesszulip.com/api/ HTML docs; OpenAPI 3.0.1 (166 operations) in zulip/zulip on GitHub; no llms.txt, no markdown pages
- Sign upIn a browserzulip.com/new/ carries an invisible ALTCHA proof-of-work; headless POST got 'Validation failed, please try again.'; in the browser the widget filled itself (~8 s, no challenge) and the second registration form posted headless
- VerifyHeadlessConfirmation mail in ~30 s; do_confirm link and registration form posted with curl, no captcha
- KeyHeadlessPOST /api/v1/fetch_api_key with email+password
- First callHeadlessGET /api/v1/users/me
- First actionHeadlessCreated a channel and posted a message, read back via GET /messages
- PayIn a browserNo 402/x402/MPP or billing API; /upgrade leads to Stripe Checkout asking card, cardholder name and billing address, Stripe hCaptcha present with no visible challenge. Nothing paid.
- CancelNot neededNothing to cancel: our agent used the free plan.
- DeleteHeadlessPOST /api/v1/realm/deactivate deletion_delay_days=14 (server minimum); API then 401 'This organization has been deactivated'; data permanently deleted on the 20 Oct 2026 MCP spec per confirmation mail
The attempt log · 47 attempts
| Capability | Route | Result | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| docs: Find API docs and OpenAPI | api | done ✓ | https://zulip.com/api/ 200 HTML docs; OpenAPI zerver/openapi/zulip.yaml in zulip/zulip GitHub (openapi: 3.0.1, 166 operationIds, server https://{subdomain}.zulipchat.com/api/v1) |
| agent discovery: Probe well-known agent/MCP/OAuth/payment files | api | failed ✓ | 404 on /.well-known/ai-catalog.json, agent-card.json, agent.json, mcp/server-card.json, oauth-protected-resource, oauth-authorization-server, ucp; /auth.md, /SKILL.md 404; /robots.txt 404 (no rules, no Content-Usage) |
| sign up (create Zulip Cloud organization): Fill https://zulip.com/new/ in the real browser and submit | browser | done ✓ | Redirected to /accounts/new/send_confirm/?email=the agent's inbox&realm_subdomain=agentdrives-test-041: "Confirm your email address" |
| get API key: POST /api/v1/fetch_api_key with email+password | api | done ✓ | {"result":"success","user_id":1211474,"api_key":"••••"} |
| first API call: GET /api/v1/users/me | api | done ✓ | user_id 1211474, role 100 (owner); server 12.0-1057, feature level 511 |
| first real action: Create a channel and post to it | api | done ✓ | stream_id 641750, message id 629431342, read back via GET /messages narrow |
| Organize conversations into channels and topics: Create channel agentdrives-test and topic 'drive log' | api | done ✓ | POST /users/me/subscriptions created channel; GET /get_stream_id -> 641750; GET /users/me/641750/topics lists 'drive log' |
| Send a message to a channel/topic or as a direct message: Post to channel topic and a DM to self | api | done ✓ | POST /messages -> id 629431342 (channel) and 629431346 (DM); GET /messages with channel+topic narrow returns 629431342 with its content |
| Edit or delete a sent message: Edit message content, then delete another message | api | done ✓ | PATCH /messages/629431342 success; /history shows 2 versions with edited content; DELETE /messages/629431381 success, GET then returns 400 'Invalid message(s)' BAD_REQUEST |
| Move a message between channels or topics: Move a message to another channel and topic | api | done ✓ | PATCH /messages/629431400 stream_id+topic success; new narrow agentdrives-archive/'moved here' returns 629431400; old narrow returns none |
| Search message history: Search for 'edited' | api | done ✓ | GET /messages narrow search:edited returns [629431342], the edited message |
| Share and store files/images in conversations: Upload a text file and share it in a message | api | done ✓ | POST /user_uploads -> /user_uploads/97069/-1saTN4ZXK6qHVb5_0os3-rl/ad-test.txt; GET /attachments lists id 11791653 ad-test.txt; message 629431428 links it; GET /api/v1/user_uploads/<path> returns a temporary URL that downloads 'AgentDrives test file' (200 text/plain) |
| Start a voice or video call from a conversation: Create a BigBlueButton call link and post it in the topic | api | done ✓ | GET /calls/bigbluebutton/create -> join URL; message 629431464 read back with the call link |
| React to messages with emoji: Add thumbs_up to the first message | api | done ✓ | POST /messages/629431342/reactions success; GET /messages/629431342 reactions = ['thumbs_up'] |
| Create a poll or collaborative to-do list in a message: Send /poll and /todo messages through the API | api | done ✓ | Messages 629431486 and 629431491; GET /messages/<id> submessages show widget_type poll (question + 2 options) and todo (2 tasks) |
| Schedule a reminder for yourself: POST /reminders with message_id (documented route) | api | done ✓ | reminder_id 134846; GET /reminders lists it with the note and message link |
| Mark a topic as resolved: Rename topic 'drive log' to '✔ drive log' (change_all) | api | done ✓ | PATCH /messages/629431342 topic='✔ drive log' propagate_mode=change_all; GET /users/me/641750/topics -> ['✔ drive log'] |
| Save and reuse message snippets: Create snippet 'AD greeting' | api | done ✓ | POST /saved_snippets -> 587; GET /saved_snippets lists (587,'AD greeting') |
| Save message drafts: Create a channel draft | api | done ✓ | POST /drafts -> ids [1989]; GET /drafts lists 'draft text' |
| Set status, availability, and typing indicators: Set status 'Driving Zulip' :car: and send a typing start | api | done ✓ | POST /users/me/status success; GET /users/1211474/status -> status_text 'Driving Zulip', emoji car; POST /typing op=start success |
| Configure notification settings: Turn off offline email notifications, turn on channel desktop notifications, add alert word | api | done ✓ | PATCH /settings success; POST /register user_settings shows enable_offline_email_notifications=False, enable_stream_desktop_notifications=True; GET /users/me/alert_words -> ['agentdrives'] |
| Mark messages/topics/channels as read or unread: Mark channel read, mark one message unread then read | api | done ✓ | POST /mark_stream_as_read success; POST /messages/flags remove read -> GET /messages/629431342 flags []; add read -> ['read'] |
| Create and manage bots for automation: Create a generic bot and post as it | api | done ✓ | POST /bots -> user_id 1211476 + api_key; GET /users shows AgentDrives Bot is_bot true; bot posted message 629431671 |
| Get read receipts for a message: Have the bot mark a message read and fetch receipts | api | done ✓ | GET /messages/629431342/read_receipts -> user_ids [1211476] after the bot removed and re-added the read flag |
| Connect native and custom integrations/webhooks: Create an incoming-webhook bot and POST a JSON event to /api/v1/external/json | api | done ✓ | POST /bots bot_type=2 -> 1211477; POST /external/json -> success; GET /messages narrow agentdrives-test/webhook shows message 629431745 from 'AgentDrives Hook' |
| Add custom linkifiers: POST /realm/filters (documented add-linkifier) | api | done ✓ | id 5114; GET /realm/linkifiers lists the pattern; message 'See AD-41' renders a link to https://agentdrives.com/drive/41 |
| Schedule a message to send later: Schedule a channel message 90 s ahead | api | done ✓ | POST /scheduled_messages -> 134845; GET /scheduled_messages listed it with scheduled_delivery_timestamp 1791264929; after delivery it left the list and GET /messages search returned 629431742 'Scheduled by AgentDrives' |
| Message a channel by sending email to it: Get the channel's email address | api | partial | GET /streams/641750/email_address -> agentdrives-test.••••.show-sender@streams.zulipchat.com |
| Export organization data: POST /export/realm export_type=2 (int, older form) | api | failed ✓ | 400 'Invalid export_type' BAD_REQUEST |
| Export organization data: POST /export/realm export_type=public | api | done ✓ | export id 3108; GET /export/realm shows pending False with export_url; download 200 binary/octet-stream 15093 |
| Invite and manage users: Email-invite our second inbox, accept, deactivate, reactivate | api | done ✓ | POST /invites (an inbox) success; GET /invites listed 1322449; mail arrived, accepted via web form headless; GET /users shows user 1211478; DELETE /users/1211478 -> is_active False; POST /users/1211478/reactivate -> is_active True. POST /invites/multiuse also returned a join link. |
| Add guest users with limited access: Invite as guest (invite_as=600) and confirm role | api | done ✓ | GET /users/1211478 role 600 (600 = guest) |
| Create and manage custom user groups: Create group agentdrives-testers with two members | api | plan_gated ✓ | POST /user_groups/create -> 400 'Available on Zulip Cloud Standard. Upgrade to access.' BAD_REQUEST |
| Set custom profile fields for users: Create profile field 'Drive ID' | api | done ✓ | POST /realm/profile_fields -> 8593; GET /realm/profile_fields lists 'Drive ID' |
| Set channel/message permissions: Make channel private and restrict posting to administrators | api | done ✓ | PATCH /streams/641750 is_private + can_send_message_group={new:1780376}; GET /streams/641750 shows invite_only True, can_send_message_group 1780376 (role:administrators) |
| Set a message retention policy: PATCH /streams/{id} message_retention_days=30 | api | plan_gated ✓ | 400 'Available on Zulip Cloud Standard. Upgrade to access.' |
| Customize organization branding: Change organization description | api | done ✓ | PATCH /realm description -> success; POST /register realm_description = 'AgentDrives test organization' |
| Enable public access option: PATCH /realm enable_spectator_access=true | api | plan_gated ✓ | 400 'Available on Zulip Cloud Standard. Upgrade to access.' |
| Configure authentication methods: Turn GitHub login off (and back on) via PATCH /realm authentication_methods | api | done ✓ | POST /register realm_authentication_methods showed GitHub enabled False after the change; Email/Google/GitLab/GitHub available on Free |
| Install and use desktop, mobile, terminal, and web apps: Install the official zulip Python package and use its SDK and zulip-send CLI | sdk | done ✓ | pip install zulip (0.9.1) in a run venv; Client.send_message -> 629432100 and read back; zulip-send posted [629432104] read back via GET /messages |
| View organization usage/analytics statistics: Open /stats in the browser after logging in | browser | partial ✓ | /stats renders 'Zulip analytics for AgentDrives Test': guests 1, file storage 22 B, charts; message counts 0 with 'Analytics are fully available 24 hours after organization creation.' |
| pay step: Probe agent payment rails and find the purchase path | browser | partial ✓ | No 402 anywhere: API 401 carries only 'WWW-Authenticate: Basic realm="zulip"'; x402./mpp./agents.zulip.com serve the marketing page (200 HTML); no zulip entries in the x402 Bazaar or mpp.dev/api/services; OpenAPI has no billing or payment operations. /upgrade (logged in) offers Zulip Cloud Standard $8/user/month or $6.67 annual; 'Add card' opens Stripe Checkout (checkout.stripe.com, Kandra Labs, Inc.) asking for card, cardholder name and billing address, with Stripe's hCaptcha present (no visible challenge); 'or pay by invoice' also offered. |
| Choose and upgrade a plan: Reach the upgrade page and see the checkout | browser | partial ✓ | /upgrade lists Standard monthly/annual and leads to Stripe Checkout; stopped before payment (no card, no paying). |
| Import data from Slack, Teams, Mattermost, or Rocket.Chat: Not attempted | none | skipped | Import is chosen at organization creation (signup form 'Import chat history?'); we have no Slack/Mattermost/Rocket.Chat export to import. |
| Set a custom domain: Not attempted | none | skipped | No API field for a custom domain in the OpenAPI; capability map lists it as paid; we own no domain to point at it. |
| delete account and data: POST /realm/deactivate deletion_delay_days=14 | api | done ✓ | 200 success; GET /users/me then 401 {'msg':'This organization has been deactivated','code':'UNAUTHORIZED'} |
| cancel plan: No paid plan was started | none | skipped | Drive stayed on Zulip Cloud Free; nothing recurring to cancel. |
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