MCP OAuth

Most of our API services can be consumed as MCP tools in clients such as Claude Desktop, VS Code and Copilot Studio. The MCP server endpoint URL for each method is listed in the main web service documentation.

When you add one of our MCP server tools to your client, most clients will automatically detect how to log in. Detailed instructions on how to add a tool to some popular clients are listed below.

As part of the authentication process you will be shown a login prompt in your web browser. This will ask you to enter an API key for the MCP client to use. You should generate a server-side API key in the dashboard under Development > API Keys. For enhanced security you can limit this API key by the IP address that your MCP client will be connecting from, by the service/method that you want your client to be able to use, or the number of credits per IP address per day that your MCP client will be able to consume.

Claude & Claude Desktop

If you have a Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise plan for Claude or Claude Desktop, you can add the MCP server by pasting in the endpoint URL under Settings > Connectors (Pro/Max) or Admin settings > Connectors (Team/Enterprise). You do not need to enter an OAuth Client ID or OAuth Client Secret - these will be generated for you automatically. For more details please see the Claude documentation.

If you are on a free plan for Claude Desktop you can still access the MCP server. Open the Settings page and go to the Developer tab, then click "Edit Config" under "Local MCP servers". This will open File Explorer showing the claude_desktop_config.json file. Edit this in a program such as VS Code and enter the details in the format:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "data8-businessinformation": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://webservices.data-8.co.uk/mcp/businessinformation"
      ]
    }
  }
}

replacing the URL shown here with the appropriate one for the MCP server you want to add.

Once you have saved the file you will need to fully close and reopen Claude Desktop for it to recognise the new MCP server.

GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio Code

In Visual Studio Code, press F1 to open the command palette and search for "MCP: Add Server...". Select "HTTP (HTTP or Server-Sent Events)" and paste in the URL of the MCP server you want to add. Finally, enter a name to use to refer to the MCP server (e.g. "data8-businessinformation" if you're adding the MCP server at https://webservices.data-8.co.uk/mcp/businessinformation)

You'll next be prompted to authenticate the service. Click "Allow", then "Sign in to another account". Paste in your Data8 server-side API key and click Authorize. You'll then be redirected back to VS Code and the server will be enabled for use.

Microsoft Copilot Studio

When editing an agent in Microsoft Copilot Studio, navigate to the "Tools" tab and click "Add a tool". Click "New tool" then "Model Context Protocol". Enter a descriptive name and comment, then paste in the URL of the MCP server.

Select the authentication type as OAuth 2.0, and the type as "Dynamic discovery", then click Create.

After Copilot Studio validates the service details you will be shown a success page indicating that the connector has been created. You will now need to create the connection. Click on the "Not connected" button, then "Create new connection". Click "Create" and you will be shown an authorization popup window. Paste in your Data8 server-side API key and click Authorize. You will be returned to the previous page but the previous "Not connected" message will be replaced by the name of your new connection. You can now click "Add and configure" to add the tool into your agent.