Skip to main content

Connecting Your AI

Connect MCPBundles to your preferred AI assistant to give it access to real-world tools and APIs.

Overview​

MCPBundles works with any AI that supports the Model Context Protocol (MCP):

  • ChatGPT - Via OpenAI Connectors
  • Claude Desktop - Via .mcpb file download
  • Cursor - Via mcp.json configuration
  • VS Code (with Continue or other MCP extensions)
  • Any MCP-compatible AI

Choose your platform below for specific setup instructions.

Quick Setup by Platform​

ChatGPT

OpenAI Connectors

Time: 3-5 minutes

Requirements: Plus or Team account

Setup Guide →

Claude Desktop

.mcpb file installation

Time: 1-2 minutes

Requirements: Claude Desktop app

Setup Guide →

Cursor

mcp.json configuration

Time: 2-3 minutes

Requirements: Latest Cursor version

Setup Guide →

Universal

MCP URL for any client

Time: Varies by client

Requirements: MCP-compatible AI

Setup Guide →

Before You Start​

1. Enable a Bundle​

  1. Log in to MCPBundles Dashboard
  2. Navigate to Bundles
  3. Click on a bundle you want to use (or create one)
  4. Make sure it's enabled

2. Connect Provider Credentials​

For tools to work, you need to connect credentials:

  1. Go to Dashboard → Providers
  2. Find providers used by your bundle
  3. Click Connect for each provider
  4. Complete OAuth or enter API keys

See Setting Up Credentials for detailed instructions.

ChatGPT Setup​

Integration Options

Requirements​

  • ChatGPT Plus or Team account (free tier doesn't support MCP)
  • Bundle enabled in your MCPBundles dashboard
  • Provider credentials connected

Step 1: Get Your Bundle URL​

  1. Go to Dashboard → Bundles
  2. Click on your bundle
  3. Copy the MCP Server URL
    • Format: https://mcp.mcpbundles.com/bundle/YOUR-BUNDLE-ID

Step 2: Open ChatGPT Connectors​

  1. Open ChatGPT
  2. Click your profile icon (bottom left)
  3. Select Settings
  4. Navigate to Connectors in the left sidebar

Step 3: Enable Developer Mode​

  1. Find Advanced settings section
  2. Toggle Developer mode to ON
  3. This allows adding custom MCP servers
info

Developer mode is required for external MCP servers. Without it, only pre-approved connectors are available.

Step 4: Create a New Connector​

  1. Click "Create a new connector"
  2. Fill out the form:
    • Name: Your bundle name (e.g., "Marketing Tools")
    • MCP Server URL: Paste your bundle URL from Step 1
    • Authentication: Select OAuth
  3. Click Save

Step 5: Test the Connection​

  1. Start a new chat in ChatGPT
  2. Ask: "What tools do you have access to?"
  3. ChatGPT should list all tools from your bundle

Example response:

"I have access to the following tools from your Marketing Tools bundle:

  • list_campaigns - Get all email campaigns
  • create_contact - Add a new contact ..."

Using Tools​

Simply ask ChatGPT to perform tasks that require the tools:

"Check my Smartlead campaigns and tell me which has the best reply rate"

"Add these people to HubSpot: John Doe (john@example.com), Jane Smith (jane@example.com)"

"List my GitHub repos and check for open PRs"

ChatGPT will automatically call the relevant tools and format results.

Claude Desktop Setup​

Requirements​

  • Claude Desktop app installed
  • Bundle enabled in MCPBundles dashboard
  • Provider credentials connected

Step 1: Download .mcpb File​

  1. Go to Dashboard → Bundles
  2. Click on your bundle
  3. Click Download .mcpb button
  4. Save the file to your Downloads folder

Step 2: Install the Bundle​

  1. Double-click the downloaded .mcpb file
  2. Claude Desktop should open automatically
  3. Click Install when prompted
  4. Wait for installation to complete (5-10 seconds)
tip

If double-clicking doesn't work, you can manually install:

  • macOS: Open Claude Desktop → Settings → MCP → Add Server → Browse → Select .mcpb file
  • Windows: Same process, look for MCP settings in Claude Desktop

Step 3: Verify Installation​

  1. Start a new chat in Claude Desktop
  2. Ask: "What tools do you have?"
  3. Claude should list all tools from your bundle

Using Tools​

Chat naturally with Claude, and it will use tools when appropriate:

"Can you check my email campaigns and summarize performance?"

"Create a contact in my CRM for Tony Lewis at tony@example.com"

"What GitHub repositories do I have access to?"

Cursor Setup​

Requirements​

  • Latest Cursor version (update to current release)
  • Bundle enabled in MCPBundles dashboard
  • Provider credentials connected

Step 1: Get Your Bundle URL​

  1. Go to Dashboard → Bundles
  2. Click on your bundle
  3. Copy the MCP Server URL

Step 2: Locate Your MCP Config File​

Cursor stores MCP configuration in .cursor/mcp.json:

macOS:

~/.cursor/mcp.json

Windows:

%USERPROFILE%\.cursor\mcp.json

Linux:

~/.cursor/mcp.json
note

If the file doesn't exist, create it.

Step 3: Edit the Config File​

If file is empty or doesn't exist:

Create a new file with this content:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "your-bundle-name": {
      "url": "https://mcp.mcpbundles.com/bundle/YOUR-BUNDLE-ID"
    }
  }
}

If file already has other MCP servers:

Add your bundle to the existing mcpServers object:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "existing-server": {
      "url": "https://some-other-server.com"
    },
    "your-bundle-name": {
      "url": "https://mcp.mcpbundles.com/bundle/YOUR-BUNDLE-ID"
    }
  }
}

Replace:

  • your-bundle-name - Short identifier without spaces (e.g., marketing-automation)
  • YOUR-BUNDLE-ID - Your actual bundle URL from Step 1

Step 4: Save and Restart Cursor​

  1. Save the mcp.json file
  2. Quit Cursor completely (not just close the window)
  3. Reopen Cursor
  4. Wait 10-20 seconds for MCP servers to initialize

Step 5: Verify the Connection​

  1. Open Cursor command palette (Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + P)
  2. Type "MCP" and look for MCP-related commands
  3. Or ask the AI: "What tools do you have access to?"

Expected response:

"I have access to tools from the following MCP servers:

  • your-bundle-name: list_campaigns, create_contact, send_message..."

Using Tools​

Cursor will automatically use tools when relevant to your coding tasks:

"Get the latest campaign data from Smartlead and create a TypeScript interface for it"

"List my GitHub repos, find 'api-server', and check for open PRs"

"Fetch the latest 10 contacts from HubSpot and generate SQL for importing them"

Universal MCP URL​

For any MCP-compatible client not listed above, use the universal MCP URL approach.

Step 1: Get Your Bundle URL​

  1. Go to Dashboard → Bundles
  2. Click on your bundle
  3. Copy the MCP Server URL
    • Format: https://mcp.mcpbundles.com/bundle/YOUR-BUNDLE-ID

Step 2: Add to Your MCP Client​

The exact steps vary by client, but generally:

  1. Find MCP server configuration in your client's settings
  2. Add a new MCP server
  3. Paste your bundle URL
  4. Save and restart the client

Common Clients​

VS Code with Continue:

  1. Open Continue extension settings
  2. Add MCP server URL to configuration
  3. Restart VS Code

Zed:

  1. Open Zed settings
  2. Navigate to MCP configuration
  3. Add your bundle URL
  4. Reload window

Other clients: Refer to your client's documentation for MCP server setup instructions.

Troubleshooting​

Connection Failed​

Cause: URL is unreachable or invalid.

Fix:

  • Verify URL includes https://
  • Check for extra spaces when pasting
  • Ensure bundle is enabled in dashboard
  • Try copying URL again

Tools Don't Appear​

Cause: Client hasn't loaded MCP configuration.

Fix:

  1. Quit the AI client completely
  2. Wait 5 seconds
  3. Reopen the client
  4. Wait 20 seconds for initialization
  5. Try asking "What tools do you have?"

Authentication Required Error​

Cause: Provider credentials not connected.

Fix:

  1. Go to Dashboard → Providers
  2. Find the provider for that tool
  3. Click Connect and complete OAuth or add API key
  4. Try the tool again

See Setting Up Credentials for details.

Tools Work But Return Empty Data​

Cause: Connected to wrong account or no data exists.

Fix:

  1. Dashboard → Providers → [Provider Name]
  2. Check which account is connected
  3. If wrong account, click Reconnect
  4. Verify data exists in the provider's app

Bundle Shows "Needs Credentials"​

Cause: One or more providers not connected.

Fix:

  1. Dashboard → Bundles → [Your Bundle]
  2. Look for "Not Connected" badges on providers
  3. Click Connect on each provider
  4. Complete authentication
  5. Bundle status should become "Operational"

Best Practices​

Naming Bundles​

Use descriptive, short names without spaces:

  • ✅ marketing-automation
  • ✅ dev-tools
  • ✅ crm-suite
  • ❌ my bundle with spaces
  • ❌ bundle-123-abc-xyz-really-long-name

Multiple Bundles vs Combined Bundle​

Use multiple bundles when:

  • Different projects need different tools
  • You want to limit tool access per workspace

Use one combined bundle when:

  • You use the same tools across all projects
  • Simpler configuration preferred

Testing New Bundles​

Before adding to your main configuration:

  1. Test in a separate chat/window
  2. Verify tools work correctly
  3. Check credentials are valid
  4. Then add to main config

Platform Comparison​

FeatureChatGPTClaude DesktopCursorUniversal
Setup Time3-5 min1-2 min2-3 minVaries
Installation MethodConnectors UI.mcpb fileJSON configClient-specific
Multiple BundlesOne per chatMultipleMultipleClient-specific
Tool VisibilityExpandable sectionsIn-chatCommand paletteClient-specific
Auto-updatesYesManualManualClient-specific
Requires SubscriptionYes (Plus/Team)NoNoVaries

Next Steps​

Need Help?​