MCP server: connect Claude Desktop and Cursor to your store

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MCP server: connect Claude Desktop and Cursor to your store

LaunchMyStore exposes its admin tool catalog over the Model Context Protocol (MCP). Once connected, any MCP-aware client — Claude Desktop, Cursor, or your own LLM app — can manage products, orders, themes, and the rest of your store the same way Nova does, but from inside your editor or chat client.

What MCP is, in 30 seconds

MCP is an open protocol from Anthropic that lets LLM clients call typed "tools" hosted by a server. LaunchMyStore implements the MCP SSE transport: the client opens a long-lived Server-Sent Events stream, posts JSON-RPC tool calls to a messages endpoint, and receives streamed responses back. The protocol is the same one Claude Desktop uses for its built-in integrations.

Outcome — what you can do once connected

After setup, you can type things into Claude Desktop or Cursor like:

  • "Create a Black Friday landing page on my LaunchMyStore store with a hero, 3 featured products, and a countdown."
  • "List the 10 most-refunded products this quarter and draft an investigation memo."
  • "Add the metafield definition custom.fabric_weight (number_decimal, 0–2000, unit: grams)."

...and your editor's AI runs them as real actions on your store.

Step 1 — Generate a long-lived MCP token

MCP tokens are scoped to a single store and bypass the usual 24-hour OAuth ceiling — they're designed to live in a config file. Generate one:

POST https://api.launchmystore.io/mcp/token
Authorization: Bearer <your merchant session JWT>
Content-Type: application/json

{ "label": "claude-desktop-laptop" }

The response contains token — copy it once, you won't see it again. Tokens are listed by label under Settings → Developer → MCP tokens in the admin where you can also revoke them.

Step 2 — Configure Claude Desktop

Open Claude Desktop's MCP config file:

  • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
  • Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Add a launchmystore server entry:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "launchmystore": {
      "type": "sse",
      "url": "https://api.launchmystore.io/mcp/sse",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer <YOUR_TOKEN>" }
    }
  }
}

Important: the URL is /mcp/sse, not /mcp. The type must be "sse" — Claude Desktop also supports stdio servers but LaunchMyStore is SSE-only. Restart Claude Desktop after saving.

Step 3 — Configure Cursor

Cursor's MCP settings live under Settings → Cursor Settings → MCP. Click Add new MCP server and paste the same shape:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "launchmystore": {
      "type": "sse",
      "url": "https://api.launchmystore.io/mcp/sse",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer <YOUR_TOKEN>" }
    }
  }
}

Cursor exposes the tools to its agent automatically — no further wiring needed.

Verify the connection

Open a new conversation in your client and ask: "What MCP tools are available from launchmystore?" A working connection lists the LaunchMyStore tool catalog. If it returns nothing, double-check the token, the URL ends with /sse, and you've restarted the client.

Under the hood — the SSE wire format

Once the SSE stream opens, the very first event from the server is:

event: endpoint
data: /mcp/messages?session=<sessionId>

That tells the client where to POST JSON-RPC requests. POSTs return 202 Accepted immediately; the actual tool response is delivered back over the SSE stream as a message event matched by request id. This is the standard MCP SSE pattern — most clients handle it transparently.

What tools are available

The MCP server exposes a curated subset of the same catalog Nova uses internally — tools flagged mcpEnabled in the backend tools index. That includes products, variants, collections, orders, customers, coupons, blogs, pages, themes, menus, shipping, taxes, payments, metafields, analytics, exports, and more. Destructive operations require explicit confirmation arguments to avoid accidental wipes.

Security & rate limits

  • Token scope. Each MCP token is bound to one store and one merchant role. Issue separate tokens per machine/agent so you can revoke individually.
  • Revocation. Revoking a token under Settings → Developer → MCP tokens takes effect within seconds — open SSE streams are dropped.
  • Rate limits. MCP shares your account's tier-based rate limits (FREE 20 / BASIC 40 / PRO 100 / ENTERPRISE 500 req/s).
  • Audit. Every MCP tool call is logged with the token label, IP, tool name, and arguments. Visit Settings → Developer → Audit log.

FAQ

What's the difference between Nova and MCP?

Nova is the in-admin chat UI; MCP is the external interface to the same tool catalog. You can use both at the same time — they share rate limits and audit logs but use independent tokens.

Does MCP usage consume Nova credits?

No. MCP tools run under the merchant token, not the Nova billing path. Nova credits are only consumed when actions originate from a Nova chat (in-admin or scheduled agent).

Why is the URL /mcp/sse instead of /mcp?

The MCP SSE transport requires a dedicated SSE endpoint. /mcp/sse opens the long-lived event stream; the server tells the client where to POST messages via the first endpoint event.

Can I use MCP and Nova at the same time on the same store?

Yes. They share the underlying tool catalog and audit log but use independent auth, so they don't interfere. You can chat with Nova in the admin while Cursor runs MCP-driven edits.

How long do MCP tokens last?

Long-lived — until you revoke them. They are intended for config files, unlike OAuth access tokens which expire in 24 hours.

What happens to MCP sessions if I rotate my password?

Password changes do not affect MCP tokens (they have their own credential). Token revocation is the only path that kills an MCP session.

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