MCP Ecommerce

Installation guide

How to install Mailchimp Transactional (Mandrill) MCP

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 MCP server hosted by Mailchimp at `https://mandrillapp.com/mcp`. There is nothing to install locally. You add the URL to your client and authenticate with a static API key sent as an `Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY` header. It covers the Mailchimp Transactional (Mandrill) API only, not Marketing audiences or campaigns.

Have someone who administers the Transactional (Mandrill) account do this, ideally the developer or email operations owner who can create API keys and authenticate sending domains. The key has account-level power and no per-user scopes, so use a dedicated key, restrict it where possible, and keep first tests read-only.

Mailchimp Transactional (Mandrill) MCP setup guide: Mailchimp's MCP documentation page on mailchimp.com, shown in a browser frame (email and crm MCP server for e-commerce)
Mailchimp Transactional (Mandrill) MCP setup guide preview: Mailchimp’s documentation on mailchimp.com, captured Oct 13, 2026. The page may have changed since; the link opens the live version.

Before you start

  • A Mailchimp Transactional (Mandrill) account where you can create API keys.
  • An API key created in that account. For a first trial, prefer a restricted key with the AI Agents permission group enabled. An unrestricted key works by default but has more power than most tests need.
  • An authenticated sending domain, needed before sending email through the MCP.
  • A set-up SMS number, only if you plan to use Transactional SMS.
  • A client that supports remote MCP servers with custom HTTP headers, such as Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor or VS Code.
How it runs
Remote, added by URL
Access
Read and write
Server address
https://mandrillapp.com/mcp

Mailchimp Transactional (Mandrill) MCP in Claude

  1. Create or select your Transactional API key. If it is restricted, enable the AI Agents permission group on it.
  2. Open Claude Desktop and go to Claude menu, then Settings > Developer > Edit Config. This opens claude_desktop_config.json.
  3. Add the entry below under mcpServers, replacing YOUR_API_KEY with your key.
  4. Save the file and restart Claude Desktop.
  5. Look for the MCP indicator at the bottom right of the chat input, then run a verification prompt. The docs describe the config file route only. They do not cover adding this server through the Claude.ai web connector UI, which would need a way to send the Authorization header.
claude_desktop_config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mctx-mcp": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mandrillapp.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Mailchimp Transactional (Mandrill) MCP in ChatGPT

  1. The vendor documentation does not cover ChatGPT, so there is no vendor-verified procedure for it.
  2. If your plan allows custom MCP connectors, enable Developer mode in ChatGPT settings and add a custom connector by URL.
  3. Enter https://mandrillapp.com/mcp as the server URL.
  4. The server expects an Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY header. Only continue if the ChatGPT connector form lets you supply a bearer token or custom header. Otherwise this server is not usable there.
  5. If it connects, run a read-only prompt first and check the tool list.
Server URL
https://mandrillapp.com/mcp

Mailchimp Transactional (Mandrill) MCP in Gemini

  1. The vendor documentation does not cover Gemini, so the following uses Gemini CLI's standard method and is not vendor-verified.
  2. Open the Gemini CLI settings file and find or create the mcpServers object.
  3. Add an entry for this server with the URL https://mandrillapp.com/mcp. Check the Gemini CLI documentation for the exact key name for remote HTTP servers and for passing headers.
  4. Pass the header Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY using the header setting your Gemini CLI version supports.
  5. Restart Gemini CLI and run a read-only verification prompt.

Mailchimp Transactional (Mandrill) MCP in Microsoft Copilot

  1. The docs cover VS Code only, for GitHub Copilot. They do not cover Microsoft Copilot Studio.
  2. In your project, create or open .vscode/mcp.json.
  3. Add the block below, replacing YOUR_API_KEY with your key. Avoid committing the file with a real key.
  4. Save the file and start the server from the MCP controls in VS Code, then use Copilot in agent mode.
  5. For Copilot Studio, use its standard custom MCP tool or connector flow with the URL https://mandrillapp.com/mcp and a bearer header. This is not covered by the vendor docs.
.vscode/mcp.json
{
  "servers": {
    "mctx-mcp": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mandrillapp.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Mailchimp Transactional (Mandrill) MCP in Perplexity

  1. The vendor documentation does not cover Perplexity, so there is no vendor-verified procedure.
  2. In the Perplexity desktop app, open the connectors or MCP settings and choose to add a custom remote connector, if your plan offers it.
  3. Enter https://mandrillapp.com/mcp as the server URL.
  4. The server needs an Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY header. Proceed only if the connector form accepts a bearer token or custom header.
  5. If it connects, run a read-only prompt to confirm.
Server URL
https://mandrillapp.com/mcp

Mailchimp Transactional (Mandrill) MCP in Cursor

  1. Create or select your Transactional API key, with the AI Agents permission group enabled if the key is restricted.
  2. Open ~/.cursor/mcp.json, creating it if it does not exist.
  3. Add the block below, replacing YOUR_API_KEY with your key.
  4. Save the file and reload Cursor if the server does not appear in the MCP settings.
  5. Confirm the server is enabled in Cursor's MCP settings, then run a verification prompt.
~/.cursor/mcp.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mctx-mcp": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mandrillapp.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Mailchimp Transactional (Mandrill) MCP in Claude Code

  1. Create or select your Transactional API key, with the AI Agents permission group enabled if the key is restricted.
  2. Run the command below once in your terminal, replacing YOUR_API_KEY with your key.
  3. Start claude and run /mcp to confirm mctx-mcp is listed and connected.
  4. Run a read-only verification prompt before trying anything that sends email.
Terminal
claude mcp add --transport http mctx-mcp https://mandrillapp.com/mcp \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

Check that it works

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

  • Verify that my Mandrill MCP integration is active and confirm that you can access my account.
  • Check my Transactional account status and list the available Transactional Messaging API endpoints.
  • Retrieve open and click metrics from my account, including data for the last three emails sent.

Troubleshooting

+The client connects but calls fail with an authorization or permission error. What should I check?

Check that the API key exists, is enabled and has the right permissions. If the key is restricted to certain API calls, the `AI Agents` permission group must be enabled. Also confirm the header reads `Bearer YOUR_API_KEY` with your real key. For API error responses, see the vendor's API error code documentation.

+The server does not appear in my client after editing the config. What now?

Confirm the JSON is valid and sits in the right file: `claude_desktop_config.json` for Claude Desktop, `~/.cursor/mcp.json` for Cursor, or `.vscode/mcp.json` for VS Code. Note that VS Code uses a `servers` key, not `mcpServers`. Restart the client. In Claude Desktop, look for the MCP indicator at the bottom right of the chat input.

+Sending an email or SMS through the MCP fails even though the connection works. Why?

The docs say to set up your sending domain and, for SMS, an SMS number before sending. Authenticate the domain in your Transactional account first. You can also ask the assistant to run its failed-send diagnosis tool. Keep early tests read-only, since the key can send and change account data.

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