MCP Server Overview

Quickstart

1. Open your AI client’s MCP settings
2. Paste the ShipBob MCP URL (see Setup) — use the sandbox URL to test without affecting real data; switch to the production URL when you’re ready to go live
3. Sign in to ShipBob in the browser window your client opens
4. Ask the assistant about your orders, inventory, or shipments

What is MCP?

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open protocol that standardizes how AI assistants connect to external data sources and tools. The ShipBob MCP Server acts as a bridge between your AI assistant and the ShipBob API, enabling natural language interactions with your fulfillment operations.

Key Benefits

• Natural language access: Check orders, inventory, products, and channels by asking your assistant in plain English
• OAuth sign-in: No API tokens to copy, paste, or rotate. You sign in with your ShipBob account on first use.
• Hosted by ShipBob: No server to install, run, or update
• Read-only: Tools safely query your data without modifying anything
• Real-time data: Every call hits the live Developer API

Transport

The server uses Streamable HTTP transport as defined in the MCP specification. Other transports (stdio, sse) are not supported.

Prerequisites

• A ShipBob account
  • Sandbox: Sign up for sandbox
  • Production: Sign up for production
• An MCP-compatible client that supports remote servers and OAuth:
  • claude.ai — add ShipBob directly as a custom connector in the web app
  • Claude Desktop — desktop app with MCP connector support
  • VS Code with GitHub Copilot — configure via .vscode/mcp.json or user profile
  • Any other MCP client that supports Streamable HTTP with OAuth

Server URLs for both environments are listed on the Setup page.

Next Steps

• Setup - Add the ShipBob MCP server to your AI assistant
• Tools & Examples - Browse the available tools and example prompts
• Troubleshooting & FAQ - Common issues, security, and support