Overview#

AutomateNexus CRM supports the Model Context Protocol (MCP), an open standard that allows AI assistants and development tools to interact with your CRM data securely. By enabling the MCP server in AutomateNexus CRM, you can connect tools like Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, and other MCP-compatible clients to query contacts, manage deals, create tasks, and perform other CRM operations using natural language. Additionally, AutomateNexus CRM can connect to external MCP servers so that its own AI agents can call third-party tools. This guide covers both scenarios: exposing AutomateNexus CRM as an MCP server and connecting external MCP servers as AI connectors.

Prerequisites#

Before configuring MCP integrations, ensure you have:

An AutomateNexus CRM administrator account.
An MCP-compatible client application installed (e.g., Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, or another MCP client).
Node.js and npm on the computer that runs Claude Desktop or Cursor, because the connection runs the mcp-remote bridge with npx.
Basic familiarity with JSON configuration files (for client-side MCP setup).

What is MCP?#

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open protocol that standardizes how AI applications connect to external data sources and tools. It follows a client-server architecture where:

MCP Servers expose data and functionality through a standardized interface. AutomateNexus CRM acts as an MCP server, providing tools to interact with your CRM data.
MCP Clients are AI applications that connect to MCP servers to access their data and tools. Examples include Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, and other AI-powered development and productivity tools.

MCP defines tools, resources and prompts. The AutomateNexus CRM server exposes tools: functions the AI can call to read and change CRM data (e.g., list contacts, create a deal, complete a task). It does not publish resources or prompt templates.

Enabling the AutomateNexus CRM MCP Server#

Activating MCP#

Navigate to Settings → Integrations → Developer. The first section on the page is MCP server.
Turn on the switch on the MCP server card and expand the card.
The card shows your MCP Endpoint URL (it ends in /functions/v1/mcp-server) with a copy button. The server uses the Streamable HTTP transport: JSON-RPC 2.0 messages sent by HTTPS POST to this single URL. There is no SSE endpoint.
Under API Key, click Generate API Key. The key (it starts with mcp_) is displayed once, with the note "Copy this key now. It will not be shown again." Copy it. Afterwards only the key's prefix can be revealed with the eye button.
The card shows Active once the switch is on and a key exists.

The MCP key is separate from your REST API keys: the MCP server accepts only keys generated on this card. The card manages one key; use Revoke Key before generating a replacement, and update every client that used the old key.

Configuring MCP Permissions#

Control which CRM capabilities are exposed through MCP:

Once a key exists, the Permissions block appears on the MCP server card.
Toggle each scope on or off:
- Contacts (read) and Contacts (write)
- Deals (read) and Deals (write)
- Tasks (read) and Tasks (write)
- Conversations (read) and Conversations (write)
- Analytics (read)
By default every read scope is on and every write scope is off. Changes save immediately.

Tools whose scope is switched off are not listed to the client at all, and a call to one of them returns a permission-denied error.

MCP Authentication#

MCP connections to AutomateNexus CRM are authenticated with the MCP key:

Each client sends the key as a bearer token: Authorization: Bearer mcp_….
The key's permission toggles decide which tools the client sees and can call.
Requests are limited to 1,000 per hour per key. Over the limit, the server answers 429 with a Retry-After header.

Connecting Claude Desktop#

About Claude Desktop MCP#

Claude Desktop supports MCP connections, allowing Claude to directly interact with your AutomateNexus CRM data. You can ask Claude to look up contacts, summarize deal pipelines, create tasks, and more using natural language.

Step-by-Step Claude Desktop Setup#

On the MCP server card, expand Connection Instructions. It contains a ready-made Claude Desktop configuration with your endpoint URL filled in, and a copy button.
Open Claude Desktop on your computer.
Navigate to Settings (click the gear icon or use the keyboard shortcut).
Select Developer from the settings sidebar.
Click Edit Config to open the MCP configuration file (claude_desktop_config.json).

Paste the configuration into the mcpServers section. It has this shape:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "automatenexus-crm": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://YOUR-ENDPOINT/functions/v1/mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "API_KEY": "<YOUR_MCP_KEY>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace <YOUR_MCP_KEY> with the key you generated. Keep the endpoint URL exactly as the card shows it.
Save the configuration file.
Restart Claude Desktop.
The AutomateNexus CRM tools will appear in Claude Desktop. You can verify by clicking the tools icon in the chat input area.

Using Claude Desktop with AutomateNexus CRM#

Once connected, you can interact with your CRM data through natural conversation with Claude:

"Look up the contact details for John Smith."
"Show me all deals in the negotiation stage."
"Create a follow-up task for the Acme Corp deal, due next Friday."
"What is the total value of deals by stage?"
"Mark the task 'Send proposal' as completed."
"Search for anything related to TechCo."

Connecting Claude Code#

Connection Instructions on the MCP server card also gives a Claude Code command of the form claude mcp add automatenexus-crm "https://YOUR-ENDPOINT/functions/v1/mcp-server" --header "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_MCP_KEY>". Copy it, replace the key placeholder, and run it in a terminal. The AutomateNexus CRM tools are then available in your Claude Code sessions.

Connecting Cursor#

About Cursor MCP#

Cursor is an AI-powered code editor that supports MCP connections. Connecting AutomateNexus CRM to Cursor allows developers to query CRM data while building integrations, debugging API calls, or developing custom features.

Step-by-Step Cursor Setup#

Open Cursor's settings and go to its MCP section.
Add a new MCP server using the same npx -y mcp-remote <your endpoint URL> command and MCP key as the Claude Desktop configuration above.
Save the configuration and restart Cursor if prompted.
The AutomateNexus CRM tools will be available in Cursor's agent mode.

Connecting External MCP Servers to AutomateNexus CRM#

About AI Connectors#

In addition to acting as an MCP server, AutomateNexus CRM can connect to external MCP servers. Their tools are offered to the built-in AI agents (the sales, support, marketing, operations and scheduling agents) alongside the CRM's own tools, so an agent can, for example, look something up in an internal system or a third-party service while it works. A connector's tools appear to the agents as connector_name__tool_name.

Adding an AI Connector#

Navigate to Settings → Integrations → Developer and scroll to AI connectors.
In Add MCP Connector, enter the server details:
- Connector Name: A descriptive name (e.g., "GitHub Tools", "Internal Wiki").
- Server URL: The server's HTTP endpoint (e.g., https://mcp.example.com/mcp). The server must speak MCP over HTTP (JSON-RPC by POST); servers that only offer a local stdio transport cannot be connected.
- Authentication: None, Bearer Token or API Key, plus the token or key when one is required.
Click Add Connector. AutomateNexus CRM immediately contacts the server, discovers its tools, and reports Connected with the number of tools found, or Connection failed with the error.

Managing AI Connectors#

The MCP Connectors list shows each connector's status (Connected, Error or Not Tested), how many tools it offers, its server URL, the last error, and when it last connected.
Test repeats discovery and refreshes the tool list.
The switch enables or disables the connector without removing it; a disabled connector's tools are not offered to the agents.
Show available tools expands the discovered tools with their descriptions.
The trash button deletes the connector. To change a connector's URL or credentials, delete it and add it again. A server URL can be registered only once per organization.

Available MCP Tools#

When AutomateNexus CRM is connected as an MCP server, the following tools are available to MCP clients, subject to the permission toggles:

Contact and Customer Tools#

list_contacts: Search and list contacts by name or email; returns name, email, phone, job title and the associated customer. Requires Contacts (read).
get_contact: Retrieve full details for a specific contact. Requires Contacts (read).
create_contact: Create a new contact (first and last name required; email, phone, job title and customer optional). Requires Contacts (write).
update_contact: Update fields on an existing contact. Requires Contacts (write).
list_customers: List customers (companies/accounts), optionally filtered by status. Requires Contacts (read).
search: Full-text search across contacts, deals, tasks and customers. Requires Contacts (read).

Deal Tools#

list_deals: List deals with optional filters by stage or title. Requires Deals (read).
get_deal: Retrieve a deal with its customer details. Requires Deals (read).
create_deal: Create a deal with a title and optional value, stage, customer, description and expected close date. Requires Deals (write).
update_deal: Update a deal, including moving it to a different stage. Requires Deals (write).
get_pipeline_stats: Deal count and total value by stage. Requires Analytics (read).

Task Tools#

list_tasks: List tasks with optional status and priority filters. Requires Tasks (read).
create_task: Create a task with a title and optional description, priority, due date, customer and deal. Requires Tasks (write).
complete_task: Mark a task as completed. Requires Tasks (write).

Conversation Tools#

list_conversations: List recent internal or client conversations. Requires Conversations (read).
send_message: Send a message in a conversation. Requires Conversations (write).

Security Best Practices#

Restrict MCP permissions: Only enable the scopes your clients need. If you only need read access, leave the write toggles off; they are off by default.
Monitor MCP usage: The Usage block on the MCP server card shows requests today, when a client last connected, and the most-used tools.
Rotate the key periodically: Click Revoke Key, then Generate API Key, and update your clients. Revoking immediately disconnects every client that used the old key.
Secure your configuration files: Ensure the claude_desktop_config.json and similar MCP configuration files are not committed to public repositories or shared in insecure channels.

Testing MCP Connections#

Verify server status: Navigate to Settings → Integrations → Developer and check that the MCP server card shows Active.
Test from Claude Desktop: Open Claude Desktop and ask a simple CRM query like "List my most recent contacts." Verify that Claude calls the AutomateNexus CRM tools and returns accurate data.
Test write operations: With the relevant write scope on, ask Claude to create a test contact or task. Verify the record appears in AutomateNexus CRM.
Test from Cursor or Claude Code: Ask for CRM data and verify the response includes real data from your CRM.
Check usage: After testing, the Usage block on the card should show the requests and the tools that were called.

Troubleshooting#

MCP Server Not Connecting#

Verify the MCP server switch is on under Settings → Integrations → Developer.
Check that the key in your client configuration is the MCP key from the card (not a REST API key) and has not been revoked.
Ensure the endpoint URL matches the MCP Endpoint URL on the card exactly.
The endpoint accepts HTTP POST only; a client configured for SSE will not connect.

Tools Not Appearing in Claude Desktop#

Restart Claude Desktop after updating the configuration file.
Check the configuration file for JSON syntax errors (missing commas, brackets, etc.).
Make sure Node.js and npm are installed so that npx -y mcp-remote can run.
Check the Claude Desktop developer console for error messages.

Permission Denied Errors#

Check the Permissions toggles on the MCP server card. The scope the tool needs must be on; write tools need the matching write scope.
Tools for a disabled scope are hidden from the client; if a tool is missing from the client's list, this is why.

Slow MCP Responses#

Check your internet connection stability.
Large queries (e.g., listing contacts without a search term) may take longer. Use the query filters and the limit and offset arguments.
A burst of requests can hit the 1,000-per-hour limit; the server then returns 429 until the window passes.

AI Connector Connection Fails#

Verify the external server URL is correct and the server is running and reachable from the internet.
Check that the authentication type and credentials are valid.
Ensure the external server supports MCP over HTTP; stdio-only or SSE-only servers cannot be reached.
Read the last error shown on the connector's row, then click Test after fixing it.

AI Provider Configuration — Configure the AI providers used by the agents that call your AI connectors.
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Automation Platform Connections — Connect automation platforms alongside MCP for comprehensive workflow coverage.