How to Connect Shipi to Claude, Cursor and Other AI Tools (MCP Setup Guide)

Shipi’s MCP server lets AI assistants such as Claude, Cursor and GitHub Copilot work with your Shipi account. From a normal conversation you can compare carrier rates, create shipping labels, track shipments and manage your address book. This guide shows how to connect each AI tool in a few minutes.

Important: every request must include your integration key. Without it Shipi answers “Error: integration key required” and nothing is shipped. If your AI tool shows that error, or shows placeholder links instead of a real label, see the Shipi MCP troubleshooting guide.

In this guide: What is Shipi MCP · Before you start · Step 1: Find your key · Step 2: Connect your AI tool · Step 3: Test · What to ask · Security · FAQ

What is the Shipi MCP server?

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard that lets AI assistants use external tools. The Shipi MCP server is Shipi’s official MCP endpoint. Once connected, your AI assistant can call Shipi on your behalf, using the carrier accounts, addresses and shipments of your Shipi store.

With Shipi connected, your AI assistant can:

• Get live shipping rates from your connected carriers
• Create shipping labels (they use your normal Shipi label balance)
• Track shipments and get tracking links
• List, search and cancel shipments
• Schedule carrier pickups
• Add, edit and look up addresses in your address book
• Show your carrier accounts, account balance and shipping statistics

Your carrier credentials (API keys, passwords, account numbers) are never sent to the AI. The AI only sees shipment details and results.

Before you start

• A Shipi account with at least one carrier connected. See how to configure shipping accounts in Shipi.
• Your Shipi integration key (Step 1).
• An AI tool that supports MCP: Claude.ai, Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code with GitHub Copilot, or your own application.

Step 1: Find your Shipi integration key

1. Log in to the Shipi dashboard.
2. Open Settings and go to the Websites & MCP tab.
3. Copy the Integration Key of the store you want the AI to work with.

Each store (website) in Shipi has its own integration key. The AI works with the carriers, addresses and shipments of the store whose key you use.

Treat the key like a password: anyone who has it can create labels on your account. If a key is exposed, click Regenerate next to it, then update every AI tool that used the old key.

Step 2: Connect your AI tool

Claude.ai (web, desktop app and mobile)

Claude.ai custom connectors cannot send custom headers, so you give Claude your key in the conversation and Claude includes it in every Shipi tool call.

1. In Claude, open Settings → Connectors and click Add custom connector.
2. Name: Shipi. URL: https://mcp.myshipi.com/api/mcp. Click Add.
3. In a chat, make sure the Shipi connector is switched on in the tools menu.
4. Tell Claude: “My Shipi integration key is YOUR_INTEGRATION_KEY. Use it for every Shipi tool.”

Tip: Claude doesn’t carry the key into new chats. Create a Claude Project for shipping and put the sentence above in the Project instructions, so every chat in that project has the key.

Claude Desktop (config file)

Option A: remote server (recommended). Requires Node.js 18 or later. In Claude Desktop open Settings → Developer → Edit Config and add:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "shipi": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://mcp.myshipi.com/api/mcp",
        "--header",
        "Authorization:${AUTH_HEADER}"
      ],
      "env": {
        "AUTH_HEADER": "Bearer YOUR_INTEGRATION_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Keep Authorization:${AUTH_HEADER} exactly as shown, with no space after the colon. The space belongs inside AUTH_HEADER; this avoids an argument-escaping problem in Claude Desktop on Windows.

Option B: local package. Install the Shipi MCP server from npm and pass the key as an environment variable:

npm install -g shipi-mcp-server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "shipi": {
      "command": "shipi-mcp-server",
      "env": {
        "SHIPI_INTEGRATION_KEY": "YOUR_INTEGRATION_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Fully quit Claude Desktop (also from the system tray or menu bar) and open it again. The Shipi tools then appear in the tools menu.

Claude Code

claude mcp add --transport http shipi https://mcp.myshipi.com/api/mcp --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_INTEGRATION_KEY"

Run claude mcp list to check that shipi shows as connected.

Cursor

Add Shipi to ~/.cursor/mcp.json (all projects) or .cursor/mcp.json (one project):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "shipi": {
      "url": "https://mcp.myshipi.com/api/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_INTEGRATION_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

To keep the key out of the file, set an environment variable and use "Bearer ${env:SHIPI_INTEGRATION_KEY}" as the header value.

VS Code (GitHub Copilot)

Create .vscode/mcp.json in your workspace. VS Code asks for the key once and stores it securely:

{
  "inputs": [
    {
      "type": "promptString",
      "id": "shipi-key",
      "description": "Shipi integration key",
      "password": true
    }
  ],
  "servers": {
    "shipi": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.myshipi.com/api/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${input:shipi-key}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Use Copilot Chat in Agent mode to call the Shipi tools.

Your own app or any other MCP client

• Endpoint: https://mcp.myshipi.com/api/mcp (Streamable HTTP, JSON-RPC over POST).
• Send Authorization: Bearer YOUR_INTEGRATION_KEY on every request.
• Send Accept: application/json, text/event-stream.
• Use one key per Shipi store. Keep the key on your server; never put it in browser or mobile app code.

Test the connection from a terminal:

curl -X POST https://mcp.myshipi.com/api/mcp \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_INTEGRATION_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Accept: application/json, text/event-stream" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/call","params":{"name":"get_account_info","arguments":{}}}'

A working key returns your Shipi account details. If you get an error message instead, see the troubleshooting guide.

For app builders: when a Shipi tool fails, the tool result contains the error message. Show that message to your user, and instruct your AI model never to report a tracking number, label or link that is not in the tool result. Otherwise the model may invent a success message with placeholder links. More in the troubleshooting guide.

Step 3: Test the connection

1. Ask your AI assistant: “Show my Shipi account info.” You should see your store name, plan and label balance.
2. Ask: “List my Shipi carrier accounts.” You should see the carriers you connected in Shipi.
3. If you see an error, or the AI answers without real data from your account, follow the troubleshooting guide.

A working connection always returns real data from your account. If the AI shows placeholders such as [Tracking Number] or [Label Link], the Shipi tool did not succeed.

What you can ask Shipi through AI

• “Get rates for a 3 lb box, 12×10×6 in, from my warehouse to 90001, US.”
• “Create a label with the cheapest option and send me the label link.”
• “Where is tracking number 794987330490?”
• “List shipments created this week that are not delivered yet.”
• “Add a new shipper address for our Houston warehouse.”
• “Show my shipping stats for this month.”

Addresses you save are shared with the dashboard. See how the Shipi address book works.

Security and privacy

• The integration key gives full access to that store’s shipping. Share it only with tools you trust.
• Each key belongs to one store. A connection can’t see other stores on your account.
• Regenerating the key immediately disconnects every AI tool that used the old key.
• Carrier API keys and passwords are never returned to the AI.
• All traffic to the Shipi MCP server is encrypted (HTTPS).
• Labels created through AI count against your Shipi label balance and are charged by your carrier, exactly like labels created in the dashboard.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

• Shipi MCP troubleshooting: fix connection and label errors
• How to configure shipping accounts in Shipi
• How to configure FedEx in Shipi
• How to configure DHL Express in Shipi
• How to configure UPS in Shipi
• Shipi API overview

Last updated: September 24, 2026