Accord MCP Server

Table of Contents

1. Model Context Protocol 
   1. What is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server? 
   2. Accord's MCP Server
2. Accord MCP Requirements 
   1. The Accord MCP Endpoint 
   2. The Configuration JSON Snippet 
   3. The Authentication Process 
3. Common Configurations 
   1. Configuring Claude Desktop 
   2. Configuring Claude Code (CLI) 
   3. Configuring Cursor 
   4. Configuring Gemini CLI 
   5. Other Clients 
4. Troubleshooting 

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Model Context Protocol 

What is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server? 

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open-source standard for connecting AI applications to external systems. Using MCP, applications like Claude can connect to data sources enabling them to access key information and perform tasks.

An MCP server is an application that provides context to clients such as Claude, by exposing specific data and capabilities.

Accord's MCP Server

Accord’s remote MCP server, wraps the Accord Developer API providing read access to the same set of data endpoints without the need to write any code. All MCP requests are scoped to your user and your workspace meaning the Accord MCP only sees data you already have access to in the web app.

The real power of MCP emerges when multiple servers work together, combining their specialized capabilities through a unified interface.  For example, you may want to leverage data from Accord + Gmail via its MCP connection to build a specific workflow or application. 

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Accord MCP Requirements 

In order to use the Accord MCP server the following is required: 

• An Accord workspace and your workspace slug (aka the part of the URL before .inaccord.com) 
• A client that supports remote MCP servers over HTTP (i.e., Claude Code, Claude Desktop etc.) 
• The Accord MCP endpoint (see below)
• The configuration JSON snippet 

The Accord MCP Endpoint 

An MCP endpoint is a standardized URL or network address that acts as the secure bridge between AI models (like Claude or ChatGPT) and external data sources or tools. 

The Accord MCP Endpoint 

• Name: accord-mcp
• Transport: http
• URL: https://api.inaccord.com/1/mcp/mcp 

The Configuration JSON Snippet 

Most clients that support MCP servers accept the same JSON snippet for configuration. Copy this and use it where indicated below.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "accord-mcp": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://api.inaccord.com/1/mcp/mcp"
    }
  }
}


For more details on specific client configuration see Common Configurations.

The Authentication Process 

The Accord MCP server uses OAuth 2.1 with PKCE to authenticate every connection. Authenticating does not require setting up API keys or tokens, your MCP client (i.e., Claude) handles the OAuth handshake automatically.

What to expect the first time you connect:

1. After adding the server in your client (see Common Configurations), the client will trigger an authorization request.
2. Your default browser will open to the Accord sign-in page at  api.inaccord.com/1/mcp/authorize.
3. You’ll see a “Sign In to Accord” screen
   

From there: 

1. Enter your workspace slug in the Workspace field (e.g. acme for acme.inaccord.com).
2. Click Sign in as [your name] (Google SSO) to authenticate.
3. When you see the “Authentication Successful” page (“You can close this window. Return to Claude Code.”), the handshake is complete an you can now
4. Close the browser tab and return to your MCP client.
    
   
   

After the first sign-in your client securely stores the access token, so you won’t need to sign in again unless the token expires or you remove the server.

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Common Configurations 

The Accord MCP Server can be configured for use with several MCP clients including: 

• Claude Desktop 
• Claude Code (CLI Command Line Interface) 
• Cursor 
• Gemini CLI 
• Additional Clients supporting MCP Servers

For most users we recommend configuring the Accord MCP within Claude Desktop. This configuration is ideal for casual users looking to query their Accord data using natural language, opposed to writing code to access the API. 

For more advanced use cases we recommend Claude Code or any MCP Client that supports HTTP protocol.

Configuring Claude Desktop 

Pre-Setup 

Before configuring, ensure that node v22 or above is installed on your system. For most users we recommend downloading from https://nodejs.org/en/download and selecting the prebuilt installer for your desired operating system. Node is required to run the npx command allowing MCP servers to run without needing to install them globally. 

Setup 

1. Open Claude Desktop and go to Settings → Developer → Edit Config.
2. This opens your system's default file manager and automatically navigates to the claude_desktop_config.json file. 
3. Open this file in your text editor of choice (notepad works fine!) 
4. For most users this mcpServers heading may not yet exist, but can be added at the same level as “preferences’

{
  "mcpServers": {},
  "preferences": {
    "coworkScheduledTasksEnabled": true,
    "ccdScheduledTasksEnabled": true,
    "coworkWebSearchEnabled": false,
    "epitaxyPrefs": {
      "starred-local-code-sessions": [],
      "starred-cowork-spaces": [],
      "starred-session-groups": [],
      "dframe-local-slice": {
        "pinnedOrder": [],
        "customGroupAssignments": {},
        "customGroupOrder": {}
      }
    }
  }
}

1. Add the accord-mcp entry point into the configuration file inside “mcpServers” For users with node v22 or above installed this should look like this. Ensure that all brackets are resolved. 

 "mcpServers": {
    "accord-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://api.inaccord.com/1/mcp/mcp"
      ]
    }
  },

1. If you have other versions of node installed and also v22 your setup will look like this:

"mcpServers": {
  "accord-mcp": {
    "command": "~/.nvm/versions/node/v22.12.0/bin/npx",
    "args": [
      "mcp-remote",
      "https://api.inaccord.com/1/mcp/mcp"
    ]
   }
  },

1. After editing, save the file and fully quit and restart Claude Desktop. 

2. On first use, Claude Desktop will open your browser to the Accord sign-in page. Enter your workspace slug and complete sign-in (see Authentication) 

3. Once authorized, open a new chat. You should see Accord MCP listed under available tools. 

Verifying the connection 

After setup, ask your client: “List the tools available from accord-mcp”

You should see a response listing the Accord tools. If you do, you’re all set!

Configuring Claude Code (CLI) 

Run this single command from your terminal:

claude mcp add --transport http accord-mcp https://api.inaccord.com/1/mcp/mcp

To verify it was added run: 

claude mcp list

You should see accord-mcp in the output. The first time you start a Claude Code session and use an Accord tool, the CLI will print a URL.

Open it in your browser, enter your workspace slug, and complete sign-in (see Authentication) After that, the tools will be available in every session.

Configuring Cursor 

1. Open Cursor and go to Settings → MCP (or Cursor Settings → Features → MCP).
2. Click Add new MCP Server.
3. Choose HTTP as the type.
4. Enter:
   • Name: accord-mcp
   • URL: https://api.inaccord.com/1/mcp/mcp
5. Save. Cursor will open a browser window to the Accord sign-in page — enter your workspace slug, complete Google sign-in, and wait for the “Authentication Successful” page (see Authentication ). The server will then appear in your MCP list with a green status.

Alternatively, you can edit ~/.cursor/mcp.json directly:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "accord-mcp": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://api.inaccord.com/1/mcp/mcp"
    }
  }
}


Configuring Gemini CLI 

Add the following in ~/.gemini/settings.json

"mcpServers": {
    "accord-mcp": {
      "httpUrl": "https://api.inaccord.com/1/mcp/mcp",
      "oauth": {
        "enabled": true
      }
    }
  }

Once you start Gemini. To trigger the login flow type…

/mcp auth accord-mcp

Other Clients 

If your client supports remote MCP servers, look for a settings option that accepts an HTTP transport. Provide:

For clients that only support a config file, drop in the JSON block from the top of this guide.

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Troubleshooting 

The server doesn’t show up after restart

• Double-check the JSON syntax. A missing comma or bracket will cause the config to fail.
• Make sure you fully quit the app (not just closed the window) before reopening.

Connection errors

• Confirm you can reach the URL from your machine: curl -I <https://api.inaccord.com/1/mcp/mcp>
• Check your firewall or VPN. Corporate networks sometimes block MCP traffic.

Tools list is empty

• Verify your client supports MCP version compatible with the server (most recent client versions do).
• Try removing and re-adding the server.

Browser doesn’t open for sign-in

• Some clients only trigger the OAuth flow when you first invoke an Accord tool. Try asking your assistant to use any Accord tool to kick off the auth flow.
• Check that your default browser is set correctly at the OS level.

“Workspace not found” or sign-in fails

• Make sure you’re entering just the slug (e.g. acme), not the full URL (acme.inaccord.com).
• Confirm you can sign in to https://<your-slug>.inaccord.com directly in your browser. If that fails, contact your workspace admin.

I never see the “Authentication Successful” page

• The browser may have blocked the redirect. Check your browser’s pop-up blocker and any privacy extensions.
• Try the auth flow in an incognito/private window if a conflicting Google account is interfering. a Tokens expired / I need to re-authenticate
• Remove the server from your client and re-add it to trigger a fresh OAuth flow.
• In Claude Code: claude mcp remove accord-mcp, then run the claude mcp add command again.