Connecting AI Assistants via MCP

Connecting AI Assistants via MCP

AB exposes a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server so AI assistants — Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, Windsurf, Codex CLI, Antigravity, and any other spec-compliant MCP client — can read and manage your tasks, projects, and wiki content on your behalf. This article walks through how to connect each of these clients.

What You Need Before You Start

• An existing AB account. If you don’t have one, sign up via Microsoft Teams first.
• The AB MCP server URL: https://mcp.actionbridge.io/mcp
• A Microsoft 365 account or your AB email/password for sign-in.

Important: the URL is https://mcp.actionbridge.io/mcp — include the /mcp path. The bare host alone (https://mcp.actionbridge.io) is not a valid MCP endpoint, and entering it will cause your AI client to report an authorization failure even though it reached the server.

Connecting Claude Desktop

1. Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Connectors.
2. Click Add Custom Connector.
3. Enter:
   • Name: ActionBridge
   • URL: https://mcp.actionbridge.io/mcp
4. Click Connect. A browser window opens asking you to sign in.
5. Choose Sign in with Microsoft, or enter your AB email and password.
6. Once signed in, Claude Desktop registers automatically and starts listing AB’s MCP tools.

Connecting Claude Cowork

In Cowork, open your MCP configuration and add:

URL:  https://mcp.actionbridge.io/mcp
Auth: OAuth (automatic)

Cowork opens a browser window the first time it connects, using the same OAuth sign-in as Claude Desktop.

Connecting ChatGPT

ChatGPT custom connectors require a Plus, Pro, Business, or Enterprise subscription.

1. Open ChatGPT → Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector.
2. Enter:
   • Name: ActionBridge
   • MCP Server URL: https://mcp.actionbridge.io/mcp (make sure the /mcp path is included)
3. Click Connect. A browser window opens.
4. Sign in with Microsoft, or your AB email and password.
5. After approval, ChatGPT returns to the connector list with AB shown as connected.

Connecting Cursor, Codex CLI, Windsurf, and Antigravity

These editors use a JSON configuration file for MCP servers. Add this entry (the surrounding config file format varies by tool, but the server block is the same):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "actionbridge": {
      "url": "https://mcp.actionbridge.io/mcp"
    }
  }
}

The first time the editor connects, it opens a browser window so you can sign in. No client ID or secret is required — authentication is handled by OAuth.

Managing Your MCP Access

Every time you connect a client, AB creates an API key behind the scenes and scopes it to your account. To review or revoke:

1. Open the AB web app.
2. Go to Settings → MCP API Keys.
3. You’ll see one entry per connected client with its label (e.g. MCP (a1b2c3d4)), creation date, and last-used time.
4. Click Revoke to disconnect a client. The next time that client calls AB, it will need to sign in again.

Troubleshooting

“Couldn’t reach the MCP server”

Almost always caused by the wrong URL. Confirm that:

• You used https://mcp.actionbridge.io/mcp, not the bare host.
• You typed https://, not http://.
• There are no trailing slashes, spaces, or extra characters.

“Authorization with the MCP server failed”

• Double-check that the URL includes /mcp. If the client was pointed at the bare host, OAuth will succeed but the first tool call returns the health-check response and the client reports “authorization failed.”
• If you signed in with Microsoft, make sure that Microsoft email matches an existing AB account. New users must sign up via Microsoft Teams first.
• If the problem persists, revoke the existing MCP API key in your AB settings and reconnect the client.

The client connects but shows no tools

Refresh the client’s tool list. If it’s still empty, revoke the API key and reconnect — the first initialize call may have raced with the token exchange.

Still stuck?

Contact support@actionbridge.io. If your AI client shows a reference code — for example ofid_... from ChatGPT, or any request ID — include it in your message. It lets our team pull the exact session out of the server logs.

Related Articles

• MCP Tools Reference — the 10 tools AB exposes to AI assistants.
• AI Support Features in AB — built-in AI features that don’t require MCP setup.