MCP

The MCP server lets AI clients read, and optionally write, structured content in a project. You control the connection from the Studio.

Clients can authenticate either through OAuth 2.1 (interactive browser consent for clients like ChatGPT, Claude, and Cursor) or with a manual MCP API key. GraphQL keys do not work with the MCP server, and MCP keys do not work with GraphQL.

Connect with OAuth 2.1 (Recommended)

OAuth-compatible MCP clients can connect directly without manually creating an API key:

1. Enter https://mcp.contismo.com as the MCP server URL in your client (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude, or Cursor).
2. When prompted, sign in to Contismo Studio.
3. Select the Workspace to connect and choose MCP - Read Only or MCP - Read/Write permissions.
4. Click Approve Access.

Approving an OAuth connection automatically provisions a standard Contismo MCP API key named after the connecting client (for example, ChatGPT or Claude) and enables MCP on the selected project. You can view, edit permissions on, or revoke OAuth-provisioned keys at any time in Settings → API Keys. Revoking the key immediately invalidates the OAuth connection.

Enable MCP manually

1. Go to Settings → MCP.
2. Turn on Enabled.
3. Choose a Default Environment, or leave it unset and send X-Environment from the client.
4. Optionally limit Models. Leave the list empty to expose every content model.
5. Turn on Allow Writes only if clients should create, update, or delete entries.
6. Turn on Allow Drafts if read tools should be able to request draft and other non-published statuses.
7. Click Save Settings.

Writes need both settings

Allow Writes is not enough on its own. The client must also use an MCP - Read/Write API key. If either is missing, write tools are not available.

When MCP is turned off, every request returns 403.

Create an MCP API key

Keys are created on the API Keys page, not on the MCP page.

1. Go to Settings → API Keys.
2. Click Create API Key.
3. Choose MCP - Read Only (mcp_) or MCP - Read/Write (mcpw_).
4. Copy the key and store it somewhere safe.

Read-only keys can list and read content. Read/write keys can also create, update, and delete entries, but only when Allow Writes is on. MCP keys cannot change models, components, team members, or billing.

Connect a client

Clients connect to https://mcp.contismo.com. The MCP page shows the connection URL, the required headers, and a Cursor mcp.json snippet.

Send the key as a Bearer token. Send X-Environment with the environment API ID, or omit it to use the default environment configured above.

Authorization: Bearer <your-mcp-api-key>
X-Environment: <environment-api-id>

For tool names, resources, and a full client example, see the MCP server reference.