MCP reference

Connect AI exposes the Query MCP server. Agents query any connected source with SQL. Developer Edition adds a second server, the Management MCP, which lets agents manage Connect AI itself (list, create, test, and delete connections) from any MCP-aware client.

Authentication

Both servers use HTTP Basic auth. Generate a Personal Access Token from Settings → Access Tokens in cloud.cdata.com, then base64-encode the email:PAT pair:

echo -n "[email protected]:YOUR_PAT" | base64

The resulting string is what goes after Basic in the Authorization header. Every client below uses the same encoded credential.

Client setup

Each MCP client has its own way of accepting a remote server URL with an auth header. The endpoint, auth, and tools are identical. Only the registration step differs.

Claude Code

Use the built-in claude mcp add command. No file editing required.

claude mcp add --transport http connectmcp https://mcp.cloud.cdata.com/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Basic YOUR_BASE64"

For both servers, register a second entry pointing to /mcp/mgmt with a different name (e.g. connectmcp-mgmt).

Cursor

Open Cursor Settings → Tools & MCP → New MCP Server. The mcp.json file opens. Paste:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cdata-connect-ai": {
      "url": "https://mcp.cloud.cdata.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Basic YOUR_BASE64"
      }
    },
    "cdata-connect-ai-mgmt": {
      "url": "https://mcp.cloud.cdata.com/mcp/mgmt",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Basic YOUR_BASE64"
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop

Claude Desktop accepts only stdio-based MCP servers, so the remote HTTP server is bridged via the mcp-remote npm package. Edit claude_desktop_config.json (Settings → Developer → Edit Config):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cdata-connect-ai": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://mcp.cloud.cdata.com/mcp",
        "--header",
        "Authorization: Basic YOUR_BASE64"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Requires Node.js installed. Fully quit and restart Claude Desktop after saving.

Other clients

The n8n, Windsurf, Cline, and Continue setups all use the same Basic-auth header against the same URLs. Only the config UI differs. See the per-client guides in the Connect AI AI Tools docs.

The built-in CData Connect AI connector in claude.ai (the chat interface, not Claude Code) is a separate product path that requires a paid Connect AI tier. Developer Edition users should use Claude Code or one of the other clients above.

Query MCP tools

Query and inspect any connected data source. Available on all editions.

Manage connections programmatically from any MCP client. Use these tools to list, create, test, and delete connections without touching the Connect AI UI.