What is MCP?
The Model Context Protocol is an open standard that enables AI assistants to interact with external systems through a unified interface. Instead of building custom integrations for each AI platform, MCP provides a single connection point that works with Claude, GPT-based agents, and other MCP-compatible AI systems.MCP uses a client-server architecture where AI agents connect as clients to the ShingleAI MCP server. The server exposes tools that agents can discover and invoke to perform actions on your behalf.
Why Use ShingleAI’s MCP Server?
- Direct AI Access - Give your AI agents the ability to read and manage your business data without building custom APIs
- Permission Control - Fine-grained permissions let you control exactly what each agent can access
- Real-Time Operations - Agents can create contacts, send messages, manage customers, and automate workflows in real-time
- Standardized Protocol - Works with any MCP-compatible AI assistant or automation platform
Available Tools
The MCP server provides 120+ tools across 10 categories:| Category | Tools | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Contacts | 16 | Create, update, search contacts and manage their emails, phones, and addresses |
| Customers | 12 | Manage customer records and transactions |
| Businesses | 43 | Handle business profiles, offerings, and online/physical presence |
| Messages | 8 | Read messages, search conversations, and view threads |
| Domains | 16 | Manage custom domains, contacts, and registrations |
| Automations | 7 | Create and manage automation workflows and view executions |
| Tasks | 12 | Create tasks, assign to users, and track completion |
| Files | 5 | Upload, download, search, and manage files |
| Folders | 2 | Create and organize folders |
| Resources | 2 | List available resources and get details |
Use Cases
AI Assistants
Connect Claude Desktop or other AI assistants to ShingleAI. Your assistant can then:- Look up contact information during conversations
- Create follow-up tasks after meetings
- Search through message history
- Draft and queue messages for review
Workflow Automation
Build automated workflows that leverage AI decision-making:- Process incoming leads and create customer records
- Categorize and route messages to appropriate team members
- Generate reports from business data
- Trigger automations based on AI analysis
Custom Integrations
Develop custom AI-powered applications that interact with ShingleAI:- Build chatbots that can access customer information
- Create AI agents that manage your inbox
- Integrate with other business tools through AI orchestration
Transport Method
The MCP server uses Server-Sent Events (SSE) as its primary transport method. SSE provides:- Persistent connections for real-time communication
- Efficient streaming of responses
- Automatic reconnection handling
- Wide compatibility with HTTP clients
For clients that don’t support SSE natively (like Claude Desktop), you can use the
mcp-remote proxy package. See the Connection Guide for details.