Install a client
Any tool that speaks MCP over HTTP can connect. Either it signs in and fetches its own token, or you give it one: this page is mostly about telling which of those your client needs.
Pick your client
| Client | Tab in Settings | How it connects | Needs Node.js |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude web & desktop | AI assistants | Paste a URL, sign in at Shopify | No |
| ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok | AI assistants | Paste a URL, sign in at Shopify | No |
| Claude Code | Developer Tools | One terminal command, with a token | No |
| Cursor | Developer Tools | A .cursor/mcp.json file, with a token | No |
| Claude Desktop (token) | Developer Tools | Config file, through a bridge | Yes |
| Other clients | Developer Tools | Whichever of the two it supports; includes Codex | Depends |
ChatGPT, Gemini and Grok follow the same sign-in flow as Claude web, open the assistant, paste the server URL, and sign in at Shopify. Each one's exact first step (for example turning on Developer mode in ChatGPT) is shown in the app when you click Add assistant on the AI assistants tab. See Authentication for the shared steps.
Claude Desktop is listed twice on purpose. Recent versions can add a connector by URL and sign
in, which is the easy path and the one to try first. The
token page is for older builds that only read
claude_desktop_config.json.
Before you start
From Settings, on either tab:
- The Server URL: every client needs this.
- A token, if your client is one that needs one. Created on the Developer Tools tab and shown once, see Authentication.
- An access level: Read-only, or Read and write (store owner only). Chosen when you connect and fixed after that.
Rename the server if you have more than one store
Every generated snippet names the server aov-bundle.
AI clients key their server list by name. Paste two stores' snippets unchanged and the second
silently replaces the first, you end up with one connection and no way to tell from an answer
which store it came from. Give each store its own name before pasting, for example
aov-bundle-northwind. The name is yours to choose; only the URL and the token have to match what
the app gave you.
After you connect
Do not treat "no error" as proof. Check both halves:
-
The client sees the server.
/mcpin Claude Code, Settings → MCP in Cursor, the tools icon in Claude. You should see the server listed with 14 tools on a Read-only connection, or 26 on a Read and write one (5 on a connection made before September 2026). -
The token is accepted. Ask something only this store can answer:
Are my bundles showing on the storefront right now?
A real answer means the whole chain works. A refusal means the server was reached and the token was not, see Troubleshooting.
A third check worth one click: open Settings and look at Last used on the connection, on whichever tab you connected from. Still Never used means nothing has reached the server, whatever the client shows.
Changing the URL or the token
Remove the server and add it again rather than editing the entry in place. Clients cache what they learned when a server was first registered, and editing a URL does not always clear it.