A complete guide to setting up and using the Mailercloud Model Context Protocol (MCP) server. Connect Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, Gemini, and any MCP-compatible AI tool to your Mailercloud account
What is Mailercloud MCP?
MCP stands for Model Context Protocol — an open standard that allows AI assistants to securely communicate with external tools and services.
The Mailercloud MCP server acts as a bridge between your AI tool and your Mailercloud account. You type a request in plain English — your AI carries out the action inside Mailercloud on your behalf. No code, no dashboard navigation required.
For example:
"Show me my top 5 campaigns by open rate this quarter."
"Create a new list called VIP Customers."
"Schedule a re-engagement campaign for inactive subscribers."
Before you connect
By connecting your AI tool to the Mailercloud MCP server, you are granting it permission to access and manage your Mailercloud account data on your behalf. Mailercloud does not send your data to any AI tool. You remain in full control and can revoke access at any time by deleting your API key in Mailercloud Settings.
What You Need Before You Start
You only need two things:
1
A Mailercloud API Key
Mailercloud account → Settings → API Keys → Generate New Key. Copy it — you will only see it once.
2
The Mailercloud MCP Server URL
Paste this into your AI tool's connector setup screen:
You can use the same API key across multiple AI tools, or generate a separate key for each. You can revoke any key from Settings → API Keys at any time.
Currently Supported AI Tools
The following tools have been tested and have full step-by-step instructions in this guide:
Claude
ChatGPT
Cursor
Gemini / Other MCP Clients
How to Connect — Claude (Desktop App or Web)
These steps work for both the Claude desktop app (macOS / Windows) and the Claude website at claude.ai.
Before you begin
Make sure you have the latest version of the Claude app, or use claude.ai in your browser
Have your Mailercloud API key ready
MCP connectors are available on Claude Pro, Team, and Enterprise plans
Step-by-step instructions
1
Open Claude
Launch the Claude desktop app or go to claude.ai. Sign in if prompted.
2
Go to Settings → Connectors
Click your profile icon in the top-right corner. Select Settings from the menu.
In the Settings sidebar, click Connectors.
3
Open Custom Connectors
Scroll down in the Connectors page and click Custom Connectors.
A form will appear asking for two things: a name and a Remote MCP Server URL.
4
Fill in the connector form
Fill in the two fields as follows:
Field
What to enter
Name
Mailercloud (just a label — you can name it anything)
After adding, Mailercloud will appear in your connectors list with a Connect button next to it. Click Connect.
This will open the Mailercloud authentication page in your browser.
6
Generate your API key and paste it
In a new browser tab, open your Mailercloud account → Settings → API Keys.
Click Generate New Key. Give it a name (e.g. "Claude") and copy the key.
Go back to the Mailercloud authentication page, paste the key, and click Connect.
7
Click Configure → Always Allow
Back in Claude, click the Configure button next to Mailercloud.
When prompted for permissions, select Always Allow.
This step is essential — Claude will only have full access to your Mailercloud data after clicking Always Allow.
8
Test the connection
Start a new chat in Claude and type: "Is my Mailercloud account connected?"
Claude will confirm the connection is active. You can now ask it to pull reports, create campaigns, manage contacts, and more.
You're connected
Mailercloud will remain active in your Claude connectors for all future sessions. You do not need to reconnect each time.
How to Connect — ChatGPT
Connecting Mailercloud MCP to ChatGPT requires a ChatGPT Pro or Plus plan. This feature is currently in beta from OpenAI and is not yet available on Team plans.
Tick the I trust this application checkbox at the bottom, then click Create.
4
Generate your API key and paste it
You will be redirected to the Mailercloud authentication page in your browser.
In a new tab, open Mailercloud → Settings → API Keys → generate a new key and copy it.
Return to the authentication page, paste the key, and click Connect.
5
Activate Mailercloud in a chat
Start a new chat. Click the + icon next to the input field → More → Developer Mode.
In the chat, go to Add Sources and toggle on Mailercloud.
Mailercloud is now active and ready to use in this session.
6
Test the connection
Type: "Is my Mailercloud account connected?" — ChatGPT will confirm it is active.
You can now ask it to pull reports, manage contacts, create campaigns, and more.
How to Connect — Cursor
Cursor is a code editor built for developers and power users. Connecting Mailercloud MCP to Cursor lets you manage your email marketing directly from within your development environment.
Before you begin
Download and install the Cursor app from cursor.com if you haven't already
Have your Mailercloud API key ready
Note for Cursor Free Plan users
Cursor's free plan supports a maximum of 40 active tools from a single MCP connector. If you see an 'Exceeding total tools limit' warning, go to your Mailercloud connector settings inside Cursor and toggle off tools you don't need.
Step-by-step instructions
1
Open MCP Settings in Cursor
Open the Cursor application. Go to Settings (gear icon) → Features → MCP Servers.
Save the connector. When the authentication page opens, go to Mailercloud → Settings → API Keys, generate a new key, copy it, and paste it into the authentication page. Click Connect.
Start a new chat session and type: "Is my Mailercloud account connected?" to confirm it is active.
Tip for Gemini users
Google Gemini supports MCP connections through Gemini Advanced. Go to Extensions or Connectors in your Gemini settings, add a custom MCP server, paste the Mailercloud URL, and authenticate with your API key.
Example Prompts to Get You Started
Here are some prompts you can try immediately after connecting:
Campaign Analysis
"Identify my top 3 performing campaigns from the last quarter and tell me what they have in common."
"Show me a comparison of my weekly newsletters vs. my promotional emails this year."
"What is the average open rate across all my campaigns in the last 6 months?"
Contact & List Management
"How many active subscribers do I have right now?"
"Create a new list called Summer 2026 Leads."
"Show me all subscribers who joined in the last 30 days."
Segmentation
"Create a segment of subscribers who haven't opened an email in the last 6 months."
"Show me a breakdown of my subscribers by country."
Campaigns — Creation & Scheduling
"Draft a re-engagement campaign for subscribers who haven't opened in 90 days."
"Schedule my August Sale campaign to send next Tuesday at 10AM."
Full List of Available Tools
Once connected, your AI assistant has access to the following tools:
Campaign Management
Tool Name
What it does
create_campaign
Create a new email campaign (regular, A/B, or resend type)
get_campaign
Retrieve details of a specific campaign by ID
list_campaigns
List all campaigns with optional filters for status and type
update_campaign
Update campaign details including name, subject line, sender, and content
delete_campaign
Delete a campaign permanently
schedule_campaign
Schedule a campaign to be sent at a specific date and time
cancel_campaign
Cancel a campaign that has already been scheduled
get_campaign_subscribers
Get the list of subscribers who received a specific campaign
Contact Management
Tool Name
What it does
add_contact
Add a new contact or update an existing one
get_contact
Retrieve contact details by ID or email address
update_contact
Update information on an existing contact (non-destructive)
list_contacts
List all contacts with filters for status
get_contact_activity
Get the full activity history for a specific contact
get_contact_count
Get the total number of contacts in your account
delete_contact
Remove a contact (retains data for re-subscription)
forget_contact
GDPR-compliant complete removal of all contact data
List Management
Tool Name
What it does
list_contact_lists
Get all contact lists in your account
create_contact_list
Create a new contact list
update_contact_list
Update the name or settings of an existing list
delete_contact_list
Delete a contact list
get_list_contacts
Get all contacts in a specific list
add_contact_to_list
Add a specific contact to a list
remove_contact_from_list
Remove a contact from a list
import_contacts_to_list
Bulk import multiple contacts to a list at once
Segmentation
Tool Name
What it does
list_segments
Get all segments in your account
get_segment_contacts
Get contacts within a specific segment, with status filtering
update_segment
Update segment name or conditions
delete_segment
Delete a segment
Automation Management
Tool Name
What it does
list_automations
List all automation workflows, with filters for name and status
get_automation
Get full details of a single automation
get_automation_activity
Get subscriber activity for an automation, filtered by status
create_automation
Create a new automation draft
delete_automation
Delete an automation
Transactional Emails & Webhooks
Tool Name
What it does
send_transactional_email
Send a transactional email via the Mailercloud Email API
list_webhooks
List all configured webhooks in your account
create_webhook
Create a new webhook with a name, URL, and event triggers
update_webhook
Update an existing webhook including enabling or disabling it
delete_webhook
Delete a webhook
Analytics & Reporting
Tool Name
What it does
get_campaign_stats
Retrieve open rates, click rates, bounces, and revenue for any campaign
get_account_overview
Get account-level stats including total contacts, lists, and usage
get_auth_status
Check the current authentication and connection status
Make sure your API key is still valid — go to Settings → API Keys in Mailercloud to check. Regenerate if needed.
Try removing the connector and adding it again from scratch.
My AI tool says it doesn't recognise any Mailercloud tools
Make sure you completed the authentication step — paste your API key and click Connect on the Mailercloud authentication page.
For Claude specifically: confirm you clicked Configure → Always Allow. Without this, Claude will not have full access.
For Cursor: confirm you are in Agent mode, not Ask or Edit mode.
Try starting a fresh chat session after connecting.
Cursor shows 'Exceeding total tools limit'
This is a Cursor Free plan limitation (max 40 tools per connector).
Go to your Mailercloud MCP connector settings in Cursor and toggle off tools you don't currently need.
I want to disconnect Mailercloud from my AI tool
Go to your AI tool's connector or MCP settings and remove the Mailercloud connector.
To fully revoke access: go to Mailercloud Settings → API Keys and delete the key you used. This immediately terminates all AI access to your account.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is MCP?
MCP stands for Model Context Protocol. It is an open standard that provides a universal way for AI assistants to securely communicate with external tools and services. It eliminates the need for custom code by giving any MCP-compatible AI a standardised way to discover and use the tools — like create_campaign or add_contact — that a service provides.
Do I need to know how to code?
No. The only steps are: adding the Mailercloud MCP server URL to your AI tool's connector settings, and pasting your Mailercloud API key when prompted. Everything else is plain English conversation with your AI.
Which AI tools work with Mailercloud MCP?
Any MCP-compatible AI tool will work — including Claude (Anthropic), ChatGPT (OpenAI), Cursor, Gemini (Google), Windsurf, and others. The list continues to grow as more AI platforms adopt the MCP standard.
Is my data secure?
Yes. Your API key is private to your account and only shared with the specific AI tool you connect. Mailercloud does not send your data to any AI tool. You can revoke access at any time by deleting your API key in Mailercloud Settings → API Keys.
Is Mailercloud MCP free to use?
The Mailercloud MCP server is included at no additional cost on all paid Mailercloud plans. Note that some AI tools require a paid subscription on their platform to access MCP connector features.
How is this different from the Mailercloud API?
The Mailercloud API requires a developer to write code. MCP removes all of that — your AI tool handles everything automatically in response to plain-language prompts. No code, no endpoints, no technical knowledge required.
Can I connect multiple AI tools at the same time?
Yes. You can connect as many MCP-compatible AI tools as you like using the same API key, or generate a separate key per tool. Managing individual keys makes it easier to revoke access for one tool without affecting the others.
