MCP Ecommerce

Installation guide

How to install BigCommerce MCP Server (Storefront)

In Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, Perplexity, Cursor and Claude Code, with what to check before you start and the first prompts to run.

This is a remote server hosted by BigCommerce, but the documented setup runs through the `mcp-remote` bridge, started with `npx` on your machine. There is no API key. Each storefront has its own MCP server URL, which a store owner copies from the BigCommerce control panel after enabling Storefront MCP. The server is in private beta, so your store needs access before the toggle is available.

A BigCommerce store owner must enable the feature and accept the terms of service. A developer or agency then adds the URL to an AI client. The documented flow is a shopper-facing one (product search, cart, checkout handoff), not an admin or reporting tool. Start with read-only prompts and run cart actions only in supervised tests.

BigCommerce MCP Server (Storefront) setup guide: BigCommerce's MCP documentation page on docs.bigcommerce.com, shown in a browser frame (store platform MCP server for e-commerce)
BigCommerce MCP Server (Storefront) setup guide preview: BigCommerce’s documentation on docs.bigcommerce.com, captured Oct 13, 2026. The page may have changed since; the link opens the live version.

Before you start

  • A BigCommerce store with an active storefront and access to the Storefront MCP private beta
  • Store owner account in the BigCommerce control panel (only a store owner can enable MCP)
  • Your storefront's MCP server URL, copied from Settings > API and MCP > MCP
  • Node.js 18 or higher, so that npx mcp-remote can run
  • An AI client from the documented list: Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor or Warp
How it runs
Remote, added by URL
Access
Varies by tool
Server address
Copy it from the vendor documentation

BigCommerce MCP Server (Storefront) in Claude

  1. As store owner, open the BigCommerce control panel, go to Settings, and under API and MCP select MCP.
  2. Turn on the Storefront MCP toggle, then review and accept the terms of service.
  3. Under Select storefront, choose your storefront and copy its MCP API Endpoint. Each storefront has a different URL.
  4. In Claude Desktop, go to Settings > Developer > Edit Config and add the bigcommerce entry shown below, replacing <YOUR_MCP_SERVER_URL> with the copied URL.
  5. Save claude_desktop_config.json and restart Claude Desktop. Allow up to 10 minutes after enabling MCP before the server is fully available.
claude_desktop_config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "bigcommerce": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-remote",
        "<YOUR_MCP_SERVER_URL>"
      ]
    }
  }
}

BigCommerce MCP Server (Storefront) in ChatGPT

  1. The BigCommerce documentation does not cover ChatGPT. Its documented clients are Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor and Warp.
  2. Enable Storefront MCP in the BigCommerce control panel (Settings > API and MCP > MCP) and copy your storefront's MCP server URL.
  3. In ChatGPT, custom MCP connectors need Developer mode. Add a custom connector and enter the storefront URL where a server URL is requested.
  4. Whether ChatGPT can use this URL directly, without the mcp-remote bridge, is not stated in the docs. Confirm with BigCommerce before relying on it.
  5. Test with read-only prompts first.

BigCommerce MCP Server (Storefront) in Gemini

  1. The BigCommerce documentation does not cover Gemini. The entry below reuses the documented npx mcp-remote command in the standard Gemini CLI format.
  2. Enable Storefront MCP in the BigCommerce control panel and copy your storefront's MCP server URL.
  3. Open your Gemini CLI settings file and add the bigcommerce entry under mcpServers, replacing <YOUR_MCP_SERVER_URL>.
  4. Restart Gemini CLI so it loads the new server.
  5. Run the read-only verification prompts below.
Gemini CLI settings (mcpServers)
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "bigcommerce": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-remote",
        "<YOUR_MCP_SERVER_URL>"
      ]
    }
  }
}

BigCommerce MCP Server (Storefront) in Microsoft Copilot

  1. The BigCommerce documentation does not cover Microsoft Copilot Studio or GitHub Copilot. The entry below reuses the documented npx mcp-remote command in the standard VS Code format.
  2. Enable Storefront MCP in the BigCommerce control panel and copy your storefront's MCP server URL.
  3. For GitHub Copilot in VS Code, create or edit .vscode/mcp.json and add the bigcommerce server, replacing <YOUR_MCP_SERVER_URL>.
  4. Start the server from the MCP controls in VS Code and check that its tools are listed in Copilot Chat.
  5. For Copilot Studio, use its standard custom connector or MCP tool flow. The docs do not describe it, so check the BigCommerce docs for compatibility.
.vscode/mcp.json
{
  "servers": {
    "bigcommerce": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-remote",
        "<YOUR_MCP_SERVER_URL>"
      ]
    }
  }
}

BigCommerce MCP Server (Storefront) in Perplexity

  1. The BigCommerce documentation does not cover Perplexity.
  2. Enable Storefront MCP in the BigCommerce control panel (Settings > API and MCP > MCP) and copy your storefront's MCP server URL.
  3. In the Perplexity desktop app, open the connectors settings and add a custom MCP server using its standard flow.
  4. The documented setup uses a local npx mcp-remote bridge. Whether Perplexity accepts the URL directly is not stated, so confirm with BigCommerce.
  5. If it connects, test with read-only prompts first.

BigCommerce MCP Server (Storefront) in Cursor

  1. As store owner, enable Storefront MCP under Settings > API and MCP > MCP and accept the terms.
  2. Under Select storefront, copy the MCP API Endpoint for your storefront.
  3. Open Cursor's MCP settings and add a server to the mcpServers object, using the npx command with the mcp-remote argument and your URL. The snippet below follows the documented command.
  4. Save the config and confirm the bigcommerce server shows as enabled in Cursor's MCP settings.
  5. Allow up to 10 minutes after enabling MCP if the server does not respond at first.
Cursor MCP config (mcpServers)
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "bigcommerce": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-remote",
        "<YOUR_MCP_SERVER_URL>"
      ]
    }
  }
}

BigCommerce MCP Server (Storefront) in Claude Code

  1. Enable Storefront MCP in the BigCommerce control panel (Settings > API and MCP > MCP) and copy your storefront's MCP server URL.
  2. Check that Node.js 18 or higher is installed, because npx mcp-remote needs it.
  3. In a terminal, run the command below with your URL in place of <YOUR_MCP_SERVER_URL>. It wraps the documented npx mcp-remote command in the standard claude mcp add form.
  4. Run claude mcp list to confirm bigcommerce is registered.
  5. Start a session and try the read-only prompts below. Allow up to 10 minutes after enabling MCP.
Terminal
claude mcp add bigcommerce -- npx mcp-remote <YOUR_MCP_SERVER_URL>

Check that it works

Start with questions that only read data. If these answer from your real account, the connection is good.

  • Search the storefront for products matching a keyword from our catalog and list the first five results with their names and prices.
  • Show the full details for one of those products, including its variants and options.
  • List which tools the BigCommerce server exposes in this session, without creating a cart or changing anything.

Troubleshooting

+The server is configured but does not respond or shows no tools. What should I check?

BigCommerce says it can take up to 10 minutes after enabling Storefront MCP before the server is fully available, so wait and restart the client. Then confirm the URL belongs to the right storefront, Node.js is 18 or higher, and `npx mcp-remote` runs from your terminal.

+I cannot find the MCP page or the Storefront MCP toggle in the control panel. Why?

Only a store owner can enable MCP, so check that you are signed in with that account. The storefront server is also in private beta, so your store may not have access yet. Ask BigCommerce about beta access, and take the exact steps from the vendor documentation.

+Can the agent see orders, reports or admin data, or act as a logged-in customer?

No admin or reporting tools are described. The server is shopper-facing: product search, product details, cart handling and checkout links. Logged-in customer or B2B buyer sessions need a session sync token passed at initialization, which suits Stencil chat widgets. Follow the vendor's Storefront session sync page for setup.

Written Oct 13, 2026 from the vendor documentation. Exact menus, addresses and commands change; the official documentation is the source of truth.