CiviCRM MCP server

Work with your own CiviCRM: contacts, contributions, memberships, events; log activities. Hosted by usefulapi: connect it to Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or any MCP client.

Connect CiviCRM50 free tool calls a month

What can I ask?

Turn on the CiviCRM connector, then ask in plain words. The AI picks the tools.

What you can do with CiviCRM in Claude and ChatGPT

For nonprofit and association staff who manage contacts, donations and memberships in CiviCRM.

Find a contact with their donations and memberships

The AI finds a contact by name, email or phone and reads their contributions and memberships, with amounts, status and dates. It can list memberships that end before a date, for renewal follow-up.

Find large donations in a period

The AI lists contributions filtered by date range, minimum amount, status or financial type, newest first, and adds up the total.

Check event participants

The AI lists events, upcoming first, and the registrations of an event with status, role, registration date and fee.

Log a call or note on a contact

The AI records an activity such as a phone call or meeting with one or more contacts, or adds a note to a contact. Nothing is sent.

Changes data

Add a contact, membership or donation

The AI creates a contact, gives a contact a membership, or records a donation that was paid elsewhere. No payment is taken and nothing is sent.

Changes data

Add a contact to a group or register for an event

The AI adds a contact to a static group, or registers a contact for an event. It sends no confirmation email.

Changes data

How do I connect CiviCRM?

Before you connect

The login page asks for your CiviCRM site address and CiviCRM API key.

Site address: the https address you log in at, for example https://crm.example.org (a WordPress, Drupal or Joomla site with CiviCRM inside works too; give the site's own address, or your /wp-admin/ or /administrator/ address if CiviCRM has no clean URLs there). API key: a key attached to one CiviCRM contact (Contacts → edit the contact → API Key with the API Key extension, or via the APIv4 Explorer). Use a dedicated contact whose role has only the permissions you want the AI to have, plus authenticate with api key. An administrator must also allow API keys under Administer → System Settings → Authentication (CiviCRM 5.47 or newer; AuthX in 5.36–5.46). The key is used only to call your CiviCRM on your behalf and to derive a private account id; it is never shown to anyone.

Claude claude.ai · Desktop

  1. Open Customize → Connectors, then click + Add → Add custom connector.
  2. Enter the name CiviCRM and this URL, then click Add:
    https://civicrm.usefulapi.io/mcp
  3. Claude opens the login page: enter your CiviCRM site address and CiviCRM API key.
  4. In a chat, click + → Connectors and turn on CiviCRM.

Team and Enterprise: an Owner adds the connector for the organization first.

ChatGPT chatgpt.com

  1. Open Plugins, click +, then Add custom MCP server.
  2. Enter the name CiviCRM and this URL, choose OAuth as the authentication, confirm the warning and create it:
    https://civicrm.usefulapi.io/mcp
  3. ChatGPT opens the login page: enter your CiviCRM site address and CiviCRM API key.
  4. In Plugins, install CiviCRM, then choose it in a chat.

No Add custom MCP server option? It depends on your account or workspace settings: see OpenAI's guide.

Claude Code

Run this command, then run /mcp in Claude Code to log in:

claude mcp add --transport http civicrm https://civicrm.usefulapi.io/mcp

Cursor

Add to Cursor or add this to ~/.cursor/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "civicrm": {
      "url": "https://civicrm.usefulapi.io/mcp"
    }
  }
}

VS Code

Add to VS Code or add this to .vscode/mcp.json:

{
  "servers": {
    "civicrm": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://civicrm.usefulapi.io/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Codex

Run these commands. The second one opens the login page:

codex mcp add civicrm --url https://civicrm.usefulapi.io/mcp
codex mcp login civicrm

Other clients

Windsurf, Cline, Zed and other MCP clients: add this URL as a remote MCP server (Streamable HTTP). The client then opens the login page in your browser.

https://civicrm.usefulapi.io/mcp

Add only the URL. Do not add an Authorization header or an API key to the client config. The server signs you in with OAuth: the login page asks for your CiviCRM site address and CiviCRM API key. If the config has such a header, remove it: some clients then send that header instead of the login token, and every call fails with 401.

Pricing

PlanPriceLimit
Free$050 tool calls / month
Proper user$9/mo · $90/yr10,000 tool calls / month
Pro+per user$39/mo · $390/yr100,000 tool calls / month

Each paid plan covers this CiviCRM server only. Ask your AI to run civicrm_upgrade and choose Pro or Pro+, billed monthly or yearly (it returns a Stripe Checkout link). If you already have Pro, ask to change it to Pro+. The change requires your confirmation, keeps your billing interval and charges the price difference for the rest of the period immediately. Cancel any time with civicrm_cancel_subscription: your paid plan continues to the end of the paid period, with no refund for the current period, and asking to resume the same plan with civicrm_upgrade before then undoes the cancel. Or write to support@usefulapi.io.

Tools 28

Show all 28 tools (the AI picks them for you)

Read only · 16

  • Get current contactcivicrm_whoami
    The CiviCRM contact this API key belongs to (contact id, display name, contact type) and how it authenticated. Everything the other tools do is limited to that contact's permissions. GET /civicrm/authx/id, then APIv4 Contact.get.
  • Search contactscivicrm_search_contacts
    Find contacts (people, organizations, households) by a word in their name, e-mail address or phone number, optionally of one contact type. Trashed contacts are left out. Returns id, display name, type, primary e-mail and phone. APIv4 Contact.get.
  • Get contactcivicrm_get_contact
    One contact by id: name, type, job title, source, communication preferences (do not e-mail, opted out, ...), dates, plus all their e-mail addresses, phone numbers and postal addresses. APIv4 Contact.get, Email.get, Phone.get, Address.get.
  • List contact notescivicrm_list_contact_notes
    The notes recorded on one contact (subject, text, who wrote it, when), newest first. APIv4 Note.get.
  • List contact relationshipscivicrm_list_relationships
    The relationships of one contact (employee of, spouse of, volunteer for, ...) with the other contact, start and end date and whether it is active. APIv4 Relationship.get.
  • List contributionscivicrm_list_contributions
    Contributions (donations, membership dues, event fees) with contact, amount, currency, financial type, status, payment method, date and source, newest first. Filter by contact, status, financial type, date range and minimum amount. Test contributions are left out. APIv4 Contribution.get.
  • List membershipscivicrm_list_memberships
    Memberships with contact, membership type, status (New, Current, Grace, Expired, ...), join, start and end date. Filter by contact, status, type, or those ending before a date (renewal follow-up). Test memberships are left out. APIv4 Membership.get.
  • List eventscivicrm_list_events
    Events with title, type, start and end date, whether active and public, maximum participants and summary. Upcoming events first when upcoming_only is set. Template events are left out. APIv4 Event.get.
  • List event participantscivicrm_list_participants
    Event registrations with event, contact, status (Registered, Attended, Cancelled, ...), role, registration date and fee. Filter by event, contact or status. Test registrations are left out. APIv4 Participant.get.
  • List activitiescivicrm_list_activities
    Activities (meetings, phone calls, e-mails, follow-ups, ...) with type, subject, status, date and details, newest first. With contact_id: the activities that contact took part in, with their role (source, target or assignee). Otherwise all activities, optionally of one type or status. APIv4 ActivityContact.get / Activity.get.
  • List casescivicrm_list_cases
    Cases (CiviCase) with subject, case type, status and dates. With contact_id: the cases that contact is a client of. Needs the CiviCase component to be enabled. APIv4 CaseContact.get / Case.get.
  • List groupscivicrm_list_groups
    Contact groups (mailing lists, static groups, smart groups) with title, description, visibility and type. APIv4 Group.get.
  • List group memberscivicrm_list_group_contacts
    The members of one static group (or the groups one contact belongs to): contact, group and membership status (Added, Removed, Pending). Smart groups are computed by CiviCRM and not listed here. APIv4 GroupContact.get.
  • Describe an entity's fieldscivicrm_get_fields
    The fields of one CiviCRM entity (Contact, Contribution, Event, ...) including custom fields: name, label, data type, whether required, and the allowed options for a pick-list field. Use it to find the right field names for civicrm_query and the right option names for the filters and write tools. APIv4 <Entity>.getFields.
  • List API entitiescivicrm_list_entities
    The APIv4 entities this CiviCRM site offers (Contact, Contribution, Event, plus those of installed extensions), with a short description. Use the names with civicrm_get_fields and civicrm_query. APIv4 Entity.get.
  • Query any entitycivicrm_query
    Read records of ANY CiviCRM entity with APIv4 Entity.get: choose fields, filter, sort and page. Use civicrm_list_entities and civicrm_get_fields for the names. Field names may be joined (`contact_id.display_name`, `email_primary.email`) or ask for an option's text (`status_id:label`). Examples: entity Tag; entity Campaign with where [{field:'is_active',op:'=',value:true}]; entity Contribution with select ['id','total_amount'] and where [{field:'total_amount',op:'>=',value:1000}]. Read-only; credential fields and system entities (settings, payment processors, mailings, users) are refused.

Changes data · 8

  • Create contactcivicrm_create_contact
    WRITE: creates ONE new contact (an individual, organization or household) and optionally its first e-mail address and phone number. Does not check for duplicates: search first with civicrm_search_contacts. Sends nothing. APIv4 Contact.create, Email.create, Phone.create.
  • Update contactcivicrm_update_contact
    WRITE: changes basic fields of ONE existing contact (name, job title, source, preferred language) and/or its communication preferences (do not e-mail, do not phone, do not mail, do not SMS, opted out of bulk mail). Only the fields you give are changed. Setting a do-not flag to false re-enables contact the person may have declined, so only do that on the person's request. APIv4 Contact.update.
  • Add contact notecivicrm_add_contact_note
    WRITE: adds ONE note to a contact's record, written by the contact this API key belongs to. Sends nothing. APIv4 Note.create.
  • Log activitycivicrm_log_activity
    WRITE: records ONE activity (a meeting, phone call, e-mail, follow-up, ...) with one or more contacts. It only STORES the record: an activity of type Email does not send an e-mail. Added by the contact this API key belongs to unless source_contact_id is given. APIv4 Activity.create.
  • Record contributioncivicrm_record_contribution
    WRITE: records ONE contribution (a donation, a payment received elsewhere) for a contact. It only STORES the financial record: no card is charged, no receipt is e-mailed, and the amount shows up in CiviCRM's reports and the contact's giving history. Check civicrm_list_contributions first to avoid a duplicate. APIv4 Contribution.create.
  • Create membershipcivicrm_create_membership
    WRITE: gives ONE contact a membership of a type. CiviCRM works out the dates and status from the type unless you give dates. It does NOT record a payment (use civicrm_record_contribution for that) and sends nothing. APIv4 Membership.create.
  • Add contact to groupcivicrm_add_contact_to_group
    WRITE: adds ONE contact to ONE static group. If the group is used as a mailing list, the contact will receive future mailings sent to it, so only add people who agreed. Sends nothing by itself. Adding a contact who is already in the group changes nothing; a contact who was removed from it (or is pending) is set back to Added. APIv4 GroupContact.save matched on group and contact.
  • Register participantcivicrm_register_participant
    WRITE: registers ONE contact for ONE event (a participant record). It does not check the event's capacity or fee, does not take payment and sends no confirmation e-mail. APIv4 Participant.create.

Your usefulapi plan · 4

  • Usage status (free-tier meter)civicrm_usage_status
    Report the caller's current usage: the plan, calls used this month, the limit of the plan (the free monthly cap or the Pro fair use limit), remaining, and whether the limit is reached. Read-only; does not count against the meter.
  • Request a missing featurecivicrm_request_feature
    Tell usefulapi that the user needs something the CiviCRM tools cannot do yet (a missing tool, field or filter). Call it only when the user asks for something none of the tools can do, and tell the user that you send the request. Do not call it for errors or for normal requests. Do not include personal data, credentials or customer records. Stored with the product name and the client type (for example Claude or Cursor), without the user's account. At most 5 requests per day. Does not count against the meter.
  • Upgrade to Pro or Pro+civicrm_upgrade
    Get a paid plan for CiviCRM (the free tier caps monthly usage). Pro: 10,000 tool calls a month, for normal use — plan "monthly" ($9/month) or "yearly" ($90/year, 2 months free). Pro+: 100,000 tool calls a month, for automations and heavy use — plan "plus" ($39/month) or "plus_yearly" ($390/year). Without a plan it returns both Pro and Pro+, each with a payment link, for the user to choose; with a plan, one link. An existing Pro subscription changes to Pro+ in place: call without confirm first, as the reply states the exact charge for this account (the price difference for the rest of the period, or in a free Pro trial the full Pro+ price, as the trial ends); then call with confirm: true. Cancel any time: the plan then runs to the end of the paid period, so it also suits a one-time job. A link opens Stripe Checkout in the browser; after payment the account upgrades automatically. Does not count against the meter.
  • Cancel the Pro subscriptioncivicrm_cancel_subscription
    Cancel the caller's CiviCRM Pro subscription at the end of the paid period (no refund for the current period; Pro continues until then, then the free tier applies). Requires confirm: true. Run civicrm_upgrade later to undo the cancel before the period ends. Does not count against the meter.

FAQ

What can I do with CiviCRM in Claude or ChatGPT?

Find a contact with their donations and memberships. Find large donations in a period. Check event participants. Log a call or note on a contact. Add a contact, membership or donation. Add a contact to a group or register for an event. See what you can do for the details.

Is this an official CiviCRM product?

No. usefulapi is an independent service. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by CiviCRM. The server calls the CiviCRM API with your own CiviCRM access, so it sees only the data that your account can see.

Can I connect CiviCRM to Claude or ChatGPT?

Yes. In Claude, add this server's URL as a custom connector. In ChatGPT, add it as a custom MCP server in Plugins. Then log in once. Cursor, VS Code, Claude Code and Codex work too. See the setup steps.

What do I need to connect?

The login page asks for your CiviCRM site address and CiviCRM API key. See Before you connect for where to find them.

Do I put my CiviCRM key or an Authorization header in the client config?

No. Add only the URL. Do not add an Authorization header or an API key to the client config. The server signs you in with OAuth: the login page asks for your CiviCRM site address and CiviCRM API key. If the config has such a header, remove it: some clients then send that header instead of the login token, and every call fails with 401.

How do you keep my CiviCRM credentials?

The login stores them encrypted in the authorization grant of your connection. The server uses them to call the CiviCRM API for you and to derive a private account id for usage metering. usefulapi does not show them on any page or in any reply. To stop all access, remove the connector and change or delete these credentials in CiviCRM.

Can the AI change my CiviCRM data?

Yes, if you approve it. 8 of the 24 CiviCRM tools can create or change data. The other 16 are marked read-only. Most MCP clients ask you to approve a tool call before it runs.

What does it cost?

The Free plan gives 50 tool calls / month. Pro costs $9/mo or $90/yr, with 10,000 tool calls / month. Pro+ costs $39/mo or $390/yr, with 100,000 tool calls / month. Each subscription covers this CiviCRM server only. Cancel any time: your paid plan then runs to the end of the paid period. Run civicrm_usage_status to see how many calls you used.

How do I subscribe or cancel?

Ask the AI to run civicrm_upgrade and choose Pro or Pro+, billed monthly or yearly: it returns a Stripe Checkout link. If you already have Pro, ask to change it to Pro+. After you confirm, your existing subscription changes in place, keeps its billing interval and charges the price difference for the rest of the period immediately. To cancel, run civicrm_cancel_subscription. Your paid plan continues to the end of the paid period.

What if a CiviCRM tool that I need is missing?

Tell the AI what you wanted to do. It can send the request with civicrm_request_feature. We store the text with the server name, the type of AI client and the tool you tried, not with your account, and read every request when we plan new tools. You can send up to 5 requests per day.

Which AI clients can I use?

Any client that supports remote MCP servers (Streamable HTTP) with OAuth login: Claude (web and desktop), Claude Code, ChatGPT, Codex, Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf and others.

This is a Model Context Protocol endpoint — meant to be connected from an AI client, not opened in a browser. An invalid_token response at the URL is the auth gate working as designed; clients authenticate automatically.

Need a tool this server does not have, or a connection to another system? We build custom integrations and MCP servers.

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