Connecting MCP Servers to AI Clients

This guide explains how to connect Universal API MCP servers to Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cline (VS Code), and other MCP-compatible clients.

Authentication

All MCP server tools that modify data require a Bearer token. Pass it in the connection headers:

Authorization: Bearer uapi_ut_XXXX_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Get your token at universalapi.co/keys → Credentials → Create Access Token.

Public vs Authenticated Access

Without token: You can list and view public resources, execute public actions, and use public MCP server tools
With token: Full access including creating/updating/deleting resources, accessing private resources, agent chat, knowledge storage, and user account operations

Quick Start: Universal API Full Server

The universalapi-full MCP server provides 47 tools, 2 resources, and 2 prompts for managing the entire Universal API platform — Actions, MCP Servers, Agents, Search, Knowledge, Keys, Tokens, Logs, Subscriptions, and Author Dashboard.

Endpoint: https://api.universalapi.co/mcp/96303dd2-d86f-4df0-ad94-1b8bce625535

Cline (VS Code) — Recommended

Add to your cline_mcp_settings.json:

json

{
  "universalapi-full": {
    "type": "streamableHttp",
    "url": "https://api.universalapi.co/mcp/96303dd2-d86f-4df0-ad94-1b8bce625535",
    "headers": {
      "Authorization": "Bearer uapi_ut_your-token-here"
    },
    "autoApprove": ["get_platform_info", "list_actions", "list_agents", "list_mcp_servers", "search_resources"]
  }
}

Config file locations:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/globalStorage/saoudrizwan.claude-dev/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json
Windows: %APPDATA%\Code\User\globalStorage\saoudrizwan.claude-dev\settings\cline_mcp_settings.json
Linux: ~/.config/Code/User/globalStorage/saoudrizwan.claude-dev/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json

After saving, reload VS Code (Cmd+Shift+P → "Reload Window").

Claude Desktop

Add to your Claude Desktop config:

json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "universalapi-full": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "https://api.universalapi.co/mcp/96303dd2-d86f-4df0-ad94-1b8bce625535"],
      "env": {
        "AUTHORIZATION": "Bearer uapi_ut_your-token-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Config file locations:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Restart Claude Desktop after editing.

Claude Code (CLI)

Add to ~/.claude/settings.json or your project's .claude/settings.json:

json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "universalapi-full": {
      "url": "https://api.universalapi.co/mcp/96303dd2-d86f-4df0-ad94-1b8bce625535",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer uapi_ut_your-token-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Verify with the /mcp command in Claude Code.

curl (Testing)

bash

# List all tools
curl -s -X POST "https://api.universalapi.co/mcp/96303dd2-d86f-4df0-ad94-1b8bce625535" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer uapi_ut_your-token" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Accept: application/json, text/event-stream" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/list","params":{}}'

# Call a tool
curl -s -X POST "https://api.universalapi.co/mcp/96303dd2-d86f-4df0-ad94-1b8bce625535" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer uapi_ut_your-token" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Accept: application/json, text/event-stream" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":2,"method":"tools/call","params":{"name":"search_resources","arguments":{"query":"weather forecast","limit":3}}}'

Available Tools (47)

The universalapi-full MCP server provides tools organized by category:

Search (2 tools)

Tool	Description
`search_resources`	Semantic search across actions, MCP servers, agents, and tools
`search_knowledge`	Search your uploaded knowledge files

Actions (7 tools)

Tool	Description
`list_actions`	List actions with pagination and filters
`get_action`	Get action details by UUID
`get_action_by_slug`	Get action by slug (e.g., `snowtimber/get-current-time`)
`execute_action`	Execute an action with parameters
`create_action`	Create a new action
`update_action`	Update an existing action
`delete_action`	Delete an action

MCP Servers (6 tools)

Tool	Description
`list_mcp_servers`	List MCP servers
`get_mcp_server`	Get server details by UUID
`get_mcp_server_by_slug`	Get server by slug
`create_mcp_server`	Create a new MCP server
`update_mcp_server`	Update an existing server
`delete_mcp_server`	Delete a server

Agents (8 tools)

Tool	Description
`list_agents`	List AI agents
`get_agent`	Get agent details by UUID
`get_agent_by_slug`	Get agent by slug
`create_agent`	Create a new agent
`update_agent`	Update an existing agent
`delete_agent`	Delete an agent
`chat_with_agent`	Send a message and get a response
`list_agent_conversations`	List conversations for an agent
`get_agent_conversation`	Get full conversation history

User & Account (4 tools)

Tool	Description
`get_user_info`	Get profile, credits, subscription tier
`get_user_credits`	Get credit balance
`set_user_alias`	Set your username/alias
`get_subscription`	Get subscription details

Author Dashboard (2 tools)

Tool	Description
`get_author_earnings`	Revenue breakdown by resource
`get_author_resources`	All authored resources with metrics

Access Tokens (3 tools)

Tool	Description
`create_access_token`	Create a new Bearer token
`list_access_tokens`	List your tokens
`revoke_access_token`	Revoke a token

Third-Party Keys (3 tools)

Tool	Description
`list_third_party_keys`	List stored API keys
`store_third_party_key`	Store a key (OpenAI, SerpAPI, etc.)
`check_third_party_key`	Check if a key exists

Logs (3 tools)

Tool	Description
`get_user_logs`	Usage logs with filtering
`get_action_logs`	Logs for a specific action
`get_request_log`	Detailed log for a request

Knowledge Storage (6 tools)

Tool	Description
`list_knowledge_files`	List files and folders
`get_knowledge_upload_url`	Get presigned upload URL
`get_knowledge_download_url`	Get presigned download URL
`create_knowledge_folder`	Create a folder
`delete_knowledge_file`	Delete a file
`delete_knowledge_folder`	Delete a folder

OAuth (1 tool)

Tool	Description
`get_oauth_authorize_url`	Start OAuth flow (Google, Microsoft, GitHub)

Platform (1 tool)

Tool	Description
`get_platform_info`	Comprehensive platform documentation

Available Resources (2)

MCP resources provide data that AI clients can read as context:

Resource	URI	Description
Platform Info	`universalapi://platform-info`	Platform metadata, endpoints, auth guide, subscription tiers
User Credits	`universalapi://user/{userId}/credits`	User credit balance (use `get_user_credits` tool for authenticated access)

Available Prompts (2)

MCP prompts are guided templates that help AI assistants create resources:

Prompt	Arguments	Description
`create-mcp-server`	`serverName`, `toolDescription`	Complete MCP server template with tools, resources, and prompts
`create-agent`	`agentName`, `agentPurpose`	Complete Strands agent template with model config and MCP tool usage

Built-in MCP Servers

Universal API provides these built-in MCP servers:

Server	Slug	Tools	Description
Universal API Full	`snowtimber/universalapi-full`	47 tools, 2 resources, 2 prompts	Full platform access
Echo	—	5 tools, 2 resources, 2 prompts	Testing and reference implementation
DocHound	`snowtimber/dochound`	Documentation search tools	Search web documentation
Google Suite	`snowtimber/google-suite-universalapi`	9 tools	Gmail, Drive, Calendar
AWS	`snowtimber/aws-mcp-proxy-universalapi`	AWS service tools	AWS API access

Connecting Your Own MCP Server

Any MCP server you create on Universal API gets an endpoint URL:

https://api.universalapi.co/mcp/{serverId}

Or by slug:

https://api.universalapi.co/mcp-admin/s/{owner}/{slug}

Use the same connection patterns shown above — just replace the server ID.

Troubleshooting

Server Not Connecting

Verify the URL is correct

Test with curl:

bash

curl -X POST "https://api.universalapi.co/mcp/your-server-id" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Accept: application/json, text/event-stream" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"initialize","params":{"protocolVersion":"2024-11-05","capabilities":{},"clientInfo":{"name":"test","version":"1.0.0"}}}'

Check for JSON syntax errors in your config file

Tools Not Appearing

Run /mcp in Claude Code to verify connection
In Cline, check the MCP servers panel (server icon in sidebar)
Verify your createMcpServer function returns the server correctly

Authentication Errors

Ensure your Bearer token starts with uapi_ut_
Check the token hasn't been revoked
Verify the Authorization header format: Bearer uapi_ut_XXXX_...

Next Steps

Creating MCP Servers — Build your own servers
Examples — Code templates
API Reference — MCP server endpoints

Connecting MCP Servers to AI Clients ​

Authentication ​

Quick Start: Universal API Full Server ​

Cline (VS Code) — Recommended ​

Claude Desktop ​

Claude Code (CLI) ​

curl (Testing) ​

Available Tools (47) ​

Search (2 tools) ​

Actions (7 tools) ​

MCP Servers (6 tools) ​

Agents (8 tools) ​

User & Account (4 tools) ​

Author Dashboard (2 tools) ​

Access Tokens (3 tools) ​

Third-Party Keys (3 tools) ​

Logs (3 tools) ​

Knowledge Storage (6 tools) ​

OAuth (1 tool) ​

Platform (1 tool) ​

Available Resources (2) ​

Available Prompts (2) ​

Built-in MCP Servers ​

Connecting Your Own MCP Server ​

Troubleshooting ​

Server Not Connecting ​

Tools Not Appearing ​

Authentication Errors ​

Next Steps ​

Connecting MCP Servers to AI Clients

Authentication

Quick Start: Universal API Full Server

Cline (VS Code) — Recommended

Claude Desktop

Claude Code (CLI)

curl (Testing)

Available Tools (47)

Search (2 tools)

Actions (7 tools)

MCP Servers (6 tools)

Agents (8 tools)

User & Account (4 tools)

Author Dashboard (2 tools)

Access Tokens (3 tools)

Third-Party Keys (3 tools)

Logs (3 tools)

Knowledge Storage (6 tools)

OAuth (1 tool)

Platform (1 tool)

Available Resources (2)

Available Prompts (2)

Built-in MCP Servers

Connecting Your Own MCP Server

Troubleshooting

Server Not Connecting

Tools Not Appearing

Authentication Errors

Next Steps