MCP Server Setup

The MentorStack MCP server lets AI agents — Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, and others — read and write your mentorship program data directly. Instead of copying information between tools, your AI assistant can query goals, schedule meetings, surface match recommendations, and more, all from within your existing AI workflow.

How it works

MentorStack exposes a single HTTP endpoint that speaks the Model Context Protocol:

POST https://app.mentorstack.io/api/mcp
Authorization: Bearer ms_live_<your-key>

Any MCP-compatible AI tool can connect to this endpoint using an API key you generate in settings. The key determines what the agent can see and do.

Step 1 — Generate an API key

1. Go to Settings → API & Integrations in your MentorStack org
2. Click Generate API Key
3. Choose a key role:
   • Admin — full access to org data, reports, member management, and all admin tools. Use for HR workflows and program automation.
   • Participant — scoped to a single member's own data (their matches, goals, meetings, messages). Use when setting up an AI agent for an individual mentor or mentee.
4. For participant keys, select the member the key belongs to
5. Give the key a name (e.g. Claude Desktop — HR team)
6. Copy the key immediately — it's shown only once

Step 2 — Connect your AI tool

Claude Desktop

Open claude_desktop_config.json (find it via Claude menu → Settings → Developer → Edit Config) and add a mentorstack entry under mcpServers:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mentorstack": {
      "url": "https://app.mentorstack.io/api/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ms_live_YOUR_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Save the file and restart Claude Desktop. You'll see a hammer icon in the chat toolbar when MentorStack tools are available.

Claude Code

Run this in your terminal:

claude mcp add --transport http mentorstack https://app.mentorstack.io/api/mcp \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ms_live_YOUR_KEY_HERE"

To verify it connected: claude mcp list. The MentorStack server should appear with a green status indicator.

Cursor

Edit ~/.cursor/mcp.json (global, applies to all projects) or .cursor/mcp.json in a specific project directory:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mentorstack": {
      "url": "https://app.mentorstack.io/api/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ms_live_YOUR_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart Cursor after saving. Tools will appear in the Agent panel.

Windsurf

Edit ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mentorstack": {
      "url": "https://app.mentorstack.io/api/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ms_live_YOUR_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart Windsurf after saving.

Key management

All keys appear in Settings → API & Integrations with their name, role, linked member (for participant keys), creation date, and last-used timestamp.

To revoke a key, click Revoke next to it. Revocation is immediate — any agent using that key will lose access. Revoked keys stay visible in the table for your audit records but are permanently invalid.

Rate limits

Each API key is limited to 60 requests per minute. For admin automations that process large amounts of data (bulk reporting, member imports), run batches with a short delay between requests to stay within limits.

Troubleshooting

Agent says it can't find MentorStack tools

• Verify the key starts with ms_live_ — keys in any other format are invalid
• Check that you restarted the AI tool after updating the config file
• Confirm the key hasn't been revoked (check Settings → API & Integrations)

Getting Unauthorized errors

• Regenerate a new key — the raw key is shown only once and cannot be retrieved after creation
• Make sure the Authorization header value is exactly Bearer ms_live_<key> with a space between Bearer and the key

Participant key can't access certain data

• Participant keys are scoped to one member. The agent can only see that member's own goals, meetings, matches, and messages — not other members or org-level data
• If you need broader access, generate an admin key instead