MCP Server

Basics

The Snipcart MCP Server lets you manage your store through natural language using AI assistants like Claude, GPT (via Codex), or any MCP-compatible client. Instead of navigating API endpoints manually, you describe what you need — "show me last week's orders", "create a 15% off coupon", "refund order X" — and the AI handles the rest.

What is MCP? The Model Context Protocol is an open standard that allows AI assistants to interact with external tools and services. Think of it as a bridge between your AI assistant and your Snipcart store.

What you can do

The MCP Server exposes 38 tools covering every major area of your Snipcart store:

Orders — List, view, update status, send notifications, access digital goods
Customers — Search, view profiles, update details, manage accounts
Products — Browse catalog, update stock levels, archive products
Discounts — Create coupon codes, cart-total triggers, percentage or fixed-amount discounts
Refunds — View and create refunds
Abandoned carts — Monitor and analyze abandoned carts
Shipping methods — Create and manage custom shipping rates
Domains — Configure allowed checkout domains
Order logs — Add and view internal notes on orders

Supported clients

The Snipcart MCP Server uses the Streamable HTTP transport with a custom X-Snipcart-Api-Key header for authentication. Any MCP client that supports remote servers with custom headers can connect.

Client	Supported	Notes
Claude Desktop	Yes	macOS and Windows
Claude Code	Yes	CLI and IDE extensions
Cursor	Yes	Via MCP settings in the IDE
Windsurf	Yes	Via `mcp_config.json`
OpenAI Codex CLI	Yes	Via `config.toml` with `http_headers`
GitHub Copilot	Yes	Via MCP server settings
ChatGPT (web)	No	Only supports `authorization` header, not custom headers
Claude.ai (web)	No	Requires OAuth 2.1, which Snipcart does not support

Note: Any MCP-compatible client that supports Streamable HTTP with custom headers should work. If your client isn't listed here, check its documentation for remote MCP server configuration.

How it works

When you ask your AI assistant a question about your store, it sends a request to the MCP Server. The server authenticates with your Snipcart private API key, calls the appropriate Snipcart API endpoint, and returns the result in a structured format that the AI interprets for you.

You (natural language)
  → AI assistant (selects the right tool)
    → MCP Server (authenticates + calls Snipcart API)
      → Snipcart API (returns data)
    → MCP Server (formats response)
  → AI assistant (explains results)
→ You (readable answer)

No code, no curl commands, no memorizing endpoint paths. Just ask.

Important notes

The MCP Server uses your private API key — the same key you would use with the REST API. Keep it secret.
All requests go through the hosted server at snipcart-mcp.azurewebsites.net. You can also self-host the server if you prefer.
The server enforces rate limiting to protect both your store and the Snipcart API.