MCP Server

Connect AI agents to the Influship API using the Model Context Protocol

The Influship MCP server exposes the API to AI agents through 14 typed tools. It works with Claude Desktop, Cursor, ChatGPT Connectors, VS Code Copilot, and any Model Context Protocol-compatible client.

The server is hosted at https://mcp.influship.com/mcp and uses the Streamable HTTP transport (spec 2025-06-18). Stdio-only clients connect via the mcp-remote bridge.

How it works

Generic MCP clients authenticate with an Influship API key. Clients that support account linking can use OAuth instead. Calls use the billing route and rate limits associated with the credential.

1. The agent connects to https://mcp.influship.com/mcp with an X-API-Key or linked Influship account
2. The agent discovers 14 typed tools, each with a full description and parameter schema
3. The agent picks the right tool, such as semantic_search_creators, and calls it with its arguments
4. The result includes the REST response fields plus MCP-specific suggested_followups

Clients can list available tools without authentication. get_sample_creator provides an unauthenticated preview. The remaining tools require an API key or OAuth account link.

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Tools

Tool	Method	Endpoint
get_sample_creator	GET	Configured creator preview
search_creators	GET or POST	/v1/creators/autocomplete or /v1/search
semantic_search_creators	POST	/v1/search
autocomplete_creators	GET	/v1/creators/autocomplete
find_lookalike_creators	POST	/v1/creators/lookalike
match_creators	POST	/v1/creators/match
get_creator	GET	/v1/creators/:id or /v1/profiles/:platform/:username
get_profile	GET	/v1/profiles/:platform/:username
lookup_profiles	POST	/v1/profiles/lookup
get_posts	GET	/v1/posts
get_instagram_post	GET	/v1/raw/instagram/post/:shortcode
get_instagram_posts	POST	/v1/raw/instagram/posts
get_instagram_post_transcript	GET	/v1/raw/instagram/transcript/:shortcode
get_instagram_post_transcripts	POST	/v1/raw/instagram/transcripts

Each tool description tells the agent when to use it. Use semantic_search_creators for topical or campaign discovery, search_creators for a name or partial handle, and find_lookalike_creators when you already have seed creators.

Quickstart

Choose the setup for your client below. Config-based clients need an API key from the dashboard; account-linking clients use OAuth.

Claude Code (CLI)

One command:

claude mcp add influship --transport http https://mcp.influship.com/mcp --header "X-API-Key: YOUR_INFLUSHIP_API_KEY"

Add --scope user to install across every project, not just the current directory.

Claude Desktop

Open Customize → Connectors → Add custom connector, enter https://mcp.influship.com/mcp, then complete Influship account linking when prompted. Claude’s remote custom-connector flow uses OAuth rather than an arbitrary API-key header.

If you prefer an API-key-backed local bridge, add this to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "influship": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://mcp.influship.com/mcp",
        "--header",
        "X-API-Key:YOUR_INFLUSHIP_API_KEY"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Cursor and Windsurf

Both clients use the same remote-server configuration. Set INFLUSHIP_API_KEY in the environment that launches the app, then add this JSON to .cursor/mcp.json for Cursor or ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json for Windsurf:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "influship": {
      "url": "https://mcp.influship.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "X-API-Key": "${env:INFLUSHIP_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}

VS Code

Run MCP: Add Server, or add the server to .vscode/mcp.json. VS Code uses a top-level servers object rather than Cursor’s mcpServers key:

{
  "inputs": [
    {
      "type": "promptString",
      "id": "influship-api-key",
      "description": "Influship API key",
      "password": true
    }
  ],
  "servers": {
    "influship": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.influship.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "X-API-Key": "${input:influship-api-key}"
      }
    }
  }
}

ChatGPT (Apps & Connectors)

In an eligible workspace, enable developer mode, create a custom app from Settings → Apps, and use https://mcp.influship.com/mcp as the remote MCP endpoint. Complete Influship account linking when prompted.

Stdio-only clients

Some clients only support stdio transport. Bridge them with mcp-remote:

npx -y mcp-remote https://mcp.influship.com/mcp --header "X-API-Key:YOUR_INFLUSHIP_API_KEY"

Authentication and billing

The MCP server supports two authentication paths:

• Generic clients send X-API-Key; calls use the associated API account’s metering and rate limits
• Account-linking clients send an OAuth bearer token; calls use the linked account’s billing route and allowance
• get_sample_creator is an unauthenticated preview and does not expose arbitrary creator data

If you don’t have an API key, create one in the dashboard.

Pricing

MCP tool calls bill at the same per-credit price as the underlying REST endpoint. There’s no MCP surcharge.

Tool	Cost
get_sample_creator	No user charge
search_creators	0.05 credits for indexed creator lookup, or the search price when routed to semantic search
semantic_search_creators	25 credits + 2 per result returned
find_lookalike_creators	1.5 per creator returned
match_creators	1 per creator scored
autocomplete_creators	0.05 per call
get_creator	0.1 per call
get_profile	0.1 per call
lookup_profiles	0.1 per profile returned
get_posts	0.05 per post returned
get_instagram_post	1 per post
get_instagram_posts	1 per successful post
get_instagram_post_transcript	5 per transcript
get_instagram_post_transcripts	5 per successful transcript

One credit is $0.01. See the REST pricing reference for the full breakdown.

Rate limits

The credential’s account limits apply, matching direct REST usage. There’s also a per-IP cap of 60 requests per minute. If you hit it, the server returns 429 with a retry-after header.

If you’re connecting many agents from the same IP (a corporate proxy, for example), reach out and we’ll tune the IP cap.

Error codes

When a tool call fails, the error message is surfaced as readable text in the MCP client.

Error	Meaning
400	Missing or invalid parameter
401	Missing or invalid API key or account authorization
402	Payment required
403	Credential valid but lacks permission for this tool
404	Creator, profile, or post not found
429	Rate limit exceeded — check retry_after_seconds in the response
5xx	Server or temporary upstream error; live data 503s may include retry_after_seconds

Anonymous agents (no API key)

For one-off agents without an API key or linked account, use the direct HTTP API with x402 or MPP. These payment protocols apply to supported REST endpoints rather than MCP tool calls.

Implementation tips

• Trust tool descriptions. Each tool’s description is written for the LLM. It explains when to pick that tool over the others. Don’t override or rewrite it client-side.
• Pass real IDs. Tools that take a creator_id expect a UUID from a previous tool’s response. Resolving by platform + username is supported on lookalike, match, and posts — useful when the user types a handle.
• Cache get_creator and get_profile. Both are cheap, and creator/profile data doesn’t change often. If your agent runs many sessions for the same user, cache.

Next steps

Get an API Key

Sign up and grab your key from the dashboard

API Reference

Full endpoint specs and response schemas — the tools mirror these

Pay with x402

Anonymous per-request payment for one-off agents

Pay with MPP

Stripe cards or Tempo USDC for agent-native payments