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Quick Start Guide

Connect your first MCP server to ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible AI in just a few minutes.

Time to complete: 5–10 minutes

What You'll Accomplish​

By the end of this guide, you'll have:

  • An MCP server enabled on your account
  • Provider credentials connected, verified, and working
  • Server showing Ready status with Credentials valid subtext
  • Your MCP server connected to your AI assistant
  • Successfully called a tool from your AI

What is MCP? (60 seconds)​

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is a standard that lets AI tools discover and call external capabilities.

Instead of your AI being limited to what it was trained on, MCP lets it:

  • Access real-time data from APIs
  • Perform actions in external services
  • Extend its capabilities dynamically

An MCP server is one URL that exposes a related set of tools. Add the URL to your AI, and every tool on that server becomes available.

Example: A marketing MCP server might give your AI tools to list email campaigns, check replies, generate copy, and create contacts—all from one URL.

Prerequisites​

Before starting:

  • An MCPBundles account (Sign up free)
  • An AI tool that supports MCP (ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, VS Code, etc.)
  • Credentials for any providers the MCP server uses (API keys or OAuth)

Step 1: Choose or Connect an MCP Server​

Option A: Use a Server from Discover​

  1. Go to MCP Servers
  2. Open the Discover tab
  3. Browse by category (Marketing, Development, Analytics, etc.)
  4. Find one that fits your needs
  5. Click the server card, then click Enable

The MCP server is now on your account. If it requires credentials, you'll see Setup Required until you connect providers in Step 2.

Option B: Create Your Own MCP Server​

  1. Go to MCP Servers
  2. Click Create (or Create Bundle in the dashboard UI)
  3. Enter:
    • Name: Descriptive (e.g., "My Marketing Tools")
    • Description: What it does
    • Category: Pick the closest match
  4. Click Create
  5. Click Add Tool to add tools to your server
  6. When done, click Publish
  7. Enable it on your account

New to MCP servers? See Understanding MCP Servers for how they work.

Step 2: Configure Provider Credentials​

Most MCP servers require credentials to access external APIs (Smartlead, GitHub, Slack, etc.). You'll add and verify these from your MCP server page in just a few clicks.

Team Workspaces

If you're in a team workspace (2+ members), credentials are shared with all members. When one person connects a provider, everyone in the workspace can use it — no duplicate setup needed. See Understanding Workspaces for details.

Check What's Needed​

  1. On your MCP server page, look at the status display in the header (below the name):

    • Ready with subtext Credentials valid (green) = All providers configured ✅
    • Setup Required with subtext Connect provider accounts (amber) = Some providers still need credentials
    • Connection Error with subtext Credentials expired (red) = Some credentials are invalid

  2. Scroll down to the Credentials section

  3. You'll see individual cards for each required provider with their status:

    • Not configured badge (amber) = Needs credentials
    • Verified badge (green) = Ready to use
    • Unverified badge (amber) = Credential exists but not validated

  4. The section header shows a summary: X of Y configured or All configured with a green checkmark

Adding Credentials​

When you see a provider card marked as Not configured:

  1. Click Add Credential on the provider card
  2. A credential setup panel slides in from the right

Important: The credential panel stays open throughout the entire process — you won't lose your place.

For OAuth Providers (GitHub, Slack, Sentry, etc.)​

  1. Enter an optional credential name (e.g., "Production Account", "Work Slack")
  2. Click Connect with [Provider]
  3. OAuth window opens → Log in to the provider
  4. Review and approve the requested permissions
  5. OAuth window closes → You return to the credential panel
  6. Validation tool picker opens automatically

For API Key Providers (Smartlead, OpenAI, etc.)​

  1. Get your API key from the provider's website (usually Settings → API Keys)
  2. Paste the API key into the credential panel
  3. (Optional) Enter a credential name
  4. Click Create Credential

Now you can optionally select a validation tool to test it.

Choose a Validation Tool​

After adding your credential, pick a tool marked Recommended — these are read-only and safe.

  1. Click Use as validator on a recommended tool
  2. Click the green Validate Now button
  3. Wait 1–3 seconds:
    • ✅ Success: Status changes to VERIFIED
    • ❌ Failed: Error message explains what went wrong

Confirm the Server is Ready​

When the header shows Ready with Credentials valid and all provider cards show Verified, you're ready for Step 3.

Step 3: Add Your MCP Server to Your AI​

Before proceeding: Confirm Ready status in the header. If not, finish Step 2 first.

Get Your MCP Server URL​

  1. On your MCP server page, confirm Ready with Credentials valid ✅
  2. Scroll to Quick Setup (only visible when the server is operational)
  3. Copy the MCP Server URL — e.g. https://mcp.mcpbundles.com/bundle/your-server-slug
  4. Click Copy
Quick Setup Section

Quick Setup only appears when the server is enabled and all credentials are verified. If you don't see it, finish credential setup first.

Add to Your AI Tool​

Choose your platform — see Integration Guides for full steps:

ChatGPT: Settings → Apps → Create app → paste MCP Server URL → OAuth → Connect

Cursor: Add to .cursor/mcp.json with your MCP server URL, then restart Cursor

Claude Desktop: Settings → Custom Connectors → paste URL

Claude Code (CLI):

claude mcp add --transport http my-server https://mcp.mcpbundles.com/bundle/your-server-slug

Step 4: Test Your Tools​

In Your AI​

  1. Open a new conversation
  2. Ask your AI to list available tools: 
    What MCP tools do you have available?
  3. Your AI should show tools from your MCP server
  4. Try calling one: 
    Use the list_campaigns tool to show my email campaigns

Try MCPBundles Studio First​

Before testing in your AI, you can run tools interactively in the dashboard:

→ MCPBundles Studio

If Tools Don't Appear​

Check in order:

  1. Server status shows Ready with Credentials valid
  2. All required providers show Verified (green)
  3. Server is enabled on your account
  4. You restarted your AI client after adding the URL
  5. You're using the correct MCP URL from Quick Setup (/bundle/your-slug)

Still stuck? See Troubleshooting.

What's Next?​

Learn the Concepts​

Expand Your Setup​

Get Help​

Need Help?​

Congratulations! You're now using MCP servers to extend your AI with real-world capabilities.