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Melbora

Set up MCP

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The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is a standard way for AI clients (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.) to discover and call tools. Melbora ships @vantageconnections/mcp — an MCP server that exposes the platform’s operations as tools the AI can invoke directly.

With it installed, you can ask Claude Code things like:

  • “List all my websites” — calls vantage_websites_list
  • “Create a new site for Joe’s Plumbing” — calls vantage_websites_create
  • “What’s the current content for wb_01J7…” — calls vantage_content_get
  • “Add joesplumbing.com as a domain” — calls vantage_domains_add

…and the AI executes them as actual API calls, not just text suggestions.

Prerequisites

Section titled “Prerequisites”

Install

Section titled “Install”

The recommended path is the claude mcp CLI:

Terminal window
claude mcp add vantage --env VANTAGE_TOKEN=vc_pat_... -- npx -y @vantageconnections/mcp

This writes the entry into ~/.claude.json and handles auth setup for you. Run /mcp inside Claude Code to confirm vantage is loaded.

Or edit ~/.claude.json directly:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "vantage": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@vantageconnections/mcp"],
      "env": {
        "VANTAGE_TOKEN": "vc_pat_..."
      }
    }
  }
}

For a project-scoped install (everyone on the team gets it), put the same mcpServers block in a .mcp.json at the project root instead.

In Cursor settings → MCP → Add Server:

{
  "command": "npx",
  "args": ["-y", "@vantageconnections/mcp"],
  "env": {
    "VANTAGE_TOKEN": "vc_pat_..."
  }
}

Edit ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (Mac) or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "vantage": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@vantageconnections/mcp"],
      "env": {
        "VANTAGE_TOKEN": "vc_pat_..."
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop.

Verify it’s connected

Section titled “Verify it’s connected”

In the AI client, ask:

List my Melbora websites.

The AI should call vantage_websites_list and return the table. If it says “no MCP server named vantage” or doesn’t call a tool, the config isn’t loaded — check JSON syntax, restart the client, verify the VANTAGE_TOKEN is set.

What tools are exposed

Section titled “What tools are exposed”

The MCP server mirrors the CLI command surface 1:1 — every CLI subcommand becomes one MCP tool with the same arguments. Full list:

  • vantage_whoami
  • vantage_websites_list, vantage_websites_get, vantage_websites_create, vantage_websites_delete
  • vantage_content_get, vantage_content_save
  • vantage_blueprint_get
  • vantage_bookings_enable, vantage_bookings_disable
  • vantage_seo_set_tier, vantage_seo_disable, vantage_seo_scan, vantage_seo_geo_probe, vantage_seo_get
  • vantage_domains_list, vantage_domains_add

17 tools total. See MCP reference for each tool’s argument schema. The CLI exposes additional commands (selftest, websites features, blueprint positions, domains remove, keys list/create/revoke) that don’t have MCP equivalents yet — use the SDK or the shell for those.

Scoped tokens

Section titled “Scoped tokens”

Use a scoped token for the AI client, not your main admin token. Mint a token specifically labeled “Claude Code on my laptop” so you can revoke it without revoking everything else.

Example session

Section titled “Example session”

You, in Claude Code:

Create a new Melbora site called “Acme Coffee” with slug “acme-coffee”. Wait for it to be ready, then add acmecoffee.com as a custom domain.

Claude’s behavior:

  1. Calls vantage_websites_create with { name: "Acme Coffee", slug: "acme-coffee" }
  2. Polls vantage_websites_get every 30 seconds until status: "active"
  3. Calls vantage_domains_add with { websiteId, domain: "acmecoffee.com", kind: "site" }
  4. Returns the DNS records you need to set, with a summary

You don’t write any code. You don’t run the CLI. Claude is the operator.

Troubleshooting

Section titled “Troubleshooting”

“Tool call failed: 401”. The VANTAGE_TOKEN env var isn’t set or is invalid. Re-mint a token, update the config, restart the client.

Tools don’t appear in the MCP picker. Config not loaded — check JSON syntax with jq, restart the client. On Claude Code, run /mcp to see loaded servers.

Tools appear but error with “spawn npx ENOENT”. Node.js isn’t in PATH for the client’s spawn environment. Use the absolute path to npx in command, or install the MCP server globally (npm i -g @vantageconnections/mcp) and use command: "vantage-mcp".

See also

Section titled “See also”