Set Up Insider One MCP

Insider One MCP connects your AI client to Insider One's analytics and campaign data through natural language queries. Once connected, you can ask questions about campaign performance and retrieve channel metrics directly from your AI client without switching between platforms.

You can connect using either the recommended OAuth 2.0 method or API keys, depending on your preferred authentication approach.

Insider One MCP currently supports the following channels:

• SMS

• Web Push

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have the required credentials and tools for your preferred authentication method.

• For OAuth 2.0 setup:

  • An MCP-compatible AI client (Claude, Cursor, or similar)

  • Insider One Client ID and Client Secret (available in your Insider One Account Settings)

  • Node.js is installed on your machine (not required for Claude Desktop)

• For API key setup:

  • An MCP-compatible AI client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, or similar)

  • Node.js is installed on your machine

  • Per-channel API keys from Insider One's settings

  • Your Partner ID from Account Settings

Create a dedicated key set specifically for your MCP client. Do not reuse existing keys.

Set up MCP with the OAuth 2.0 method

OAuth 2.0 is the recommended authentication method because it supports all available channels and does not require separate API keys for each one.

Before connecting your AI client, generate your OAuth 2.0 credentials from Insider One.

Generate your OAuth 2.0 credentials

Generate a Client ID and Client Secret from the InOne panel by following the steps below.

1. Navigate to InOne > your username > Settings > InOne Settings > Integration Settings.

2. Scroll to the OAuth 2.0 Credentials section and click Generate OAuth 2.0 Credentials.

3. Select the scopes you want to grant. For full MCP functionality, enable all available channels.

4. Once generated, copy your Client ID and Client Secret and store them securely. You will need these in the setup steps below.

Your Client Secret is only shown once. Make sure to save it before closing this screen.

Claude Desktop (No code required)

If you use Claude Desktop, you can connect to Insider One MCP through Claude's built-in Connectors interface. No configuration files or terminal commands are required.

1. Navigate to Claude > Customize > Connectors and click the + (plus) button to add a new custom connector.

2. Enter the following MCP URL and click Connect: https://mcp.insiderone.com/mcp

3. Enter your Insider One Client ID and Client Secret when prompted. Click Save.

4. You will see a Connected confirmation screen. You can close this tab and return to Claude.

5. Once the connection is established, Insider One MCP becomes available within Claude and provides access to 8 read-only tools across supported channels.

Cursor and other clients (OAuth via npx mcp-remote)

If your AI client does not support the Connectors interface (e.g., Cursor and similar tools), configure the MCP server manually using the settings below.

Node.js must be installed on your machine.

1. Get your Client ID and Client Secret from your Insider One Account Settings.

2. To add the MCP server, navigate to Cursor > Settings > Tools and Integrations > MCP Tools > Add Custom MCP.

3. Add the following configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "insider-one-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://mcp.insiderone.com/mcp",
        "--header",
        "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN"
      ]
    }
  }
}

4. Replace YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN with the Bearer token obtained via the OAuth 2.0 authorization flow using your Client ID and Client Secret.

5. Fully restart Cursor (or your chosen client) to apply the configuration.

Set up MCP with the API keys method

API key-based authentication is available for SMS and Web Push. Choose this method if you want to authenticate each channel individually instead of using OAuth 2.0.

Node.js must be installed on your machine.

1. From your Insider One Account Settings, collect:

• Your Partner ID

• API keys for each channel you want to enable (SMS, Web Push)

2. Edit your client configuration file:

• For Claude Desktop, edit:

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

• For Cursor, navigate to Settings > Tools and Integrations > MCP Tools > Add Custom MCP.

Add the following configuration, replacing placeholder values with your actual credentials:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "insider-one-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://mcp.insiderone.com/mcp",
        "--header",
        "X-Partner-Id: YOUR_PARTNER_ID",
        "--header",
        "X-SMS-API-Key: YOUR_SMS_API_KEY",
        "--header",
        "X-Web-Push-API-Key: YOUR_WEB_PUSH_API_KEY"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Only include headers for the channels you want to enable. Unused headers can be removed.

3. Fully restart your client to apply the configuration.

Test your connection

After completing the setup, run one of the following queries to confirm that your connection is working correctly:

• “How many web push notifications were sent in the last 10 days?”

• “Show me SMS sending volume over the last 3 months.”

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues during setup or connection, review the common solutions below.

Server not connecting

• Verify that the URL is correct: https://mcp.insiderone.com/mcp

• Make sure you are using HTTPS, not HTTP.

• Fully restart your client after making any configuration changes.

Invalid credentials

• Double-check your Client ID and Client Secret (for the OAuth 2.0 method) or your API keys and Partner ID (for the API Keys method).

• Ensure you are not reusing keys from another integration.

Tools not returning data

• Confirm that the relevant channels are active on your Insider One account.

• For API key setup, verify that the correct channel headers are included in your configuration.

If you still have issues, please contact the Insider One team at support@useinsider.com.