Ask Claude for the Amazon job in plain language — reprice a set of SKUs, patch a listing that failed validation, pull last week's campaign performance, build an Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) audience — and it works against your live Amazon accounts instead of guessing from training data. Writes stay scoped to the credentials you grant, and the packaged Skills gate activation on your approval.
Connect Claude to your private MCP server in a few minutes. Use Claude's custom connector flow for Claude on the web or Claude Desktop, and use bearer-header configuration for Claude Code.
Your MCP server hostname is private to your deployment. It comes from your cloud provider, belongs to your environment, and is not shared across customers. Replace {your-private-mcp-host} with the private host shown in your dashboard.
Prerequisites
- A connected workspace with access to your private MCP server.
- A dashboard API key, or a signed Claude connector URL from the dashboard Keys tab.
- Claude on the web, Claude Desktop, or Claude Code.
Claude custom connector
Use this path for Claude on the web and Claude Desktop. Claude's custom connector UI accepts a single MCP server URL, so use the signed connector URL from your dashboard instead of a raw bearer token.
Copy prompt
Paste this into Claude if you want it to walk you through setup:
Walk me through setting up my private MCP server in Claude using the custom connector flow, step by step.
Use Claude's Customize > Connectors flow, not claude_desktop_config.json and not a local Node or mcp-remote workaround.
If I need a Claude connector URL, tell me to copy it from my dashboard Keys tab instead of pasting my API key into chat.
Keep each step short, tell me what to click, and wait for me after each step.
The connector URL will look like:
https://{your-private-mcp-host}/mcp/connect/{signed-token}1. Copy your Claude connector URL
In your dashboard, open the Keys tab. Create a key if needed, then copy the Claude connector URL.
That URL is already signed for Claude. You do not need to paste your raw API key into Claude.
https://{your-private-mcp-host}/mcp/connect/{signed-token}2. Add the custom connector
In Claude, open the official connectors UI:
- Open Customize > Connectors.
- Click the + button.
- Choose Add custom connector.
- Name it something clear, such as
private-mcp. - Paste the signed Claude connector URL.
- Click Add.
Claude's custom connector UI does not let you manually attach an Authorization header. If you only have the normal /mcp endpoint, go back to the dashboard and copy the Claude connector URL.
3. Enable it in a chat
Start a new Claude chat, open Connectors from the composer, and toggle the connector on for that conversation.
If Claude shows a Tool access setting, leave it on Auto unless you specifically want on-demand approvals.
4. Verify the connection
Ask Claude to list the available tools without calling write actions:
What tools are available from my private MCP connector?If the connector is active, Claude should enumerate the tools exposed by your private MCP server.
Claude Code
Use this path when you want Claude Code to call your private MCP server from a local project or user profile.
For a deeper reference on Claude Code MCP transports, scopes, authentication, JSON config, plugins, and managed settings, see the Claude Code MCP quick start.
Copy prompt
Paste this into a Claude Code conversation if you want Claude Code to handle setup:
Add my private MCP server so I can use its tools from Claude Code.
Use the private host from my dashboard:
https://{your-private-mcp-host}/mcp
Use my local MCP_API_KEY environment variable. Do not ask me to paste or share the raw key in chat. If MCP_API_KEY is not set in this shell, tell me to export it from my dashboard first.
Run the Claude Code setup command using the literal env-var header:
'Authorization: Bearer ${MCP_API_KEY}'1. Set your local key
Set the API key in the shell that launches Claude Code:
export MCP_API_KEY="mcp_live_..."For repeated use, store it in your shell profile or secret manager. Do not commit the raw value to .mcp.json.
2. Add the MCP server
Add the remote HTTP MCP server:
claude mcp add --transport http private-mcp https://{your-private-mcp-host}/mcp \
--header 'Authorization: Bearer ${MCP_API_KEY}'Keep the single quotes around the header so Claude Code stores the environment-variable reference, not your raw key.
Scope options
- Local scope: Available only in the current local project.
- Project scope: Shared through
.mcp.jsonin the project root. Add--scope projectto the command. - User scope: Available across all projects. Add
--scope userto the command.
Project scope is useful when each collaborator should use the same server entry but their own local MCP_API_KEY.
Alternative: JSON config
If you prefer adding the full JSON definition:
claude mcp add-json private-mcp '{
"type": "http",
"url": "https://{your-private-mcp-host}/mcp",
"headers": {
"Authorization": "Bearer ${MCP_API_KEY}"
}
}'3. Verify the connection
Type /mcp in any Claude Code session. You should see private-mcp listed with its tools.
You can also inspect the saved config:
claude mcp get private-mcpTroubleshooting
The custom connector will not add
Make sure you pasted the full signed Claude connector URL from the dashboard, not the raw /mcp endpoint. Claude custom connectors use /mcp/connect/{signed-token} and do not accept a separate bearer header.
Unauthorized or 401 errors
For Claude custom connectors, create a fresh key in the dashboard and copy the Claude connector URL again. Rotated or revoked keys invalidate old connector URLs.
For Claude Code, make sure MCP_API_KEY is exported in the shell Claude Code uses, then double-check that your server URL ends with /mcp.
Tools not appearing
In Claude on the web or Claude Desktop, the connector must be enabled per conversation. Open Connectors in the current chat and make sure your connector is toggled on.
In Claude Code, run /mcp to check server status. If the server shows an error, verify the private hostname and local MCP_API_KEY value.
Slow responses
Check your network path to the private host and confirm the cloud deployment is healthy. The hostname is specific to your environment, so connectivity issues are usually tied to your cloud provider, DNS, firewall, or deployment status.
Start using tools
Try read-only prompts first:
- "What tools are available from my private MCP server?"
- "Show me the account or workspace context this server can access."
- "List the read-only tools before calling any write actions."
- "Summarize the last 7 days of available advertising, inventory, or operational data."
For write-capable workflows, ask Claude to explain the proposed action and wait for approval before it calls any mutating tool.
Add reusable workflows
After Claude can reach your MCP server, install Claude Code skills for repeatable workflows and task-specific instructions. See the Claude Code Skills quick start.