Activepieces MCP server

Activepieces is an open source automation platform similar to Zapier, offering over 280+ integrations that can be used as Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers with large language models through Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Windsurf. It provides a TypeScript framework for building custom integrations with various services.

Installation

To get started with Activepieces as an MCP server, you'll need to install it on your system. There are several installation options available.

Prerequisites

Before installing, ensure you have:

• Node.js and npm installed
• Docker (for containerized installation)
• Access to a database (PostgreSQL recommended)

Docker Installation

The easiest way to deploy Activepieces is using Docker:

docker run -d \
  --name activepieces \
  -p 8080:8080 \
  -e AP_DATABASE_URL=postgresql://postgres:[email protected]:5432/activepieces \
  -v activepieces_data:/app/data \
  activepieces/activepieces:latest

This command will:

• Download the Activepieces image
• Map port 8080 to your local machine
• Connect to a PostgreSQL database
• Store persistent data in a Docker volume

Configuration Options

When deploying Activepieces, you can configure it using the following environment variables:

# Required configuration
AP_DATABASE_URL=postgresql://postgres:postgres@localhost:5432/activepieces

# Optional configurations
AP_ENCRYPTION_KEY=YOUR_ENCRYPTION_KEY
AP_JWT_SECRET=YOUR_JWT_SECRET
AP_FRONTEND_URL=http://localhost:8080

Using Activepieces as an MCP Server

Once you have Activepieces running, you can use it as an MCP server with LLMs through compatible clients.

Connecting to LLM Clients

1. Start your Activepieces server
2. Open your LLM client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Windsurf)
3. Add a new MCP server with your Activepieces URL
4. Authenticate using your Activepieces credentials

Available Integrations

Activepieces offers 280+ integrations (pieces) including:

• Email services (Gmail, Outlook)
• Productivity tools (Google Sheets, Notion)
• Social media platforms (Twitter, LinkedIn)
• AI services (OpenAI, Anthropic)
• Database connectors (PostgreSQL, MongoDB)
• Project management tools (Asana, Trello)

Creating Automation Flows

To create and manage automation flows:

1. Navigate to the Activepieces dashboard
2. Click on "New Flow" to create a new automation
3. Choose a trigger (event that starts your flow)
4. Add actions to perform when the trigger occurs
5. Configure each step with the required information
6. Test and publish your flow

{
  "name": "Example Flow",
  "trigger": {
    "type": "WEBHOOK"
  },
  "actions": [
    {
      "type": "PIECE",
      "name": "Send Email",
      "pieceType": "gmail"
    }
  ]
}

Advanced Features

Using Loops and Branches

Activepieces supports complex flow logic:

// Example of using a loop in your flow
const items = steps.trigger.output.items;
for (const item of items) {
  // Process each item
}

// Example of using branches
if (steps.trigger.output.status === 'completed') {
  // Do something
} else {
  // Do something else
}

Code Steps

You can include custom code in your flows:

// Example code step
const data = steps.trigger.output;
const transformedData = {
  name: data.name.toUpperCase(),
  email: data.email.toLowerCase(),
  timestamp: new Date().toISOString()
};
return transformedData;

Human Input and Approval

Activepieces supports human-in-the-loop operations:

1. Add a "Human Approval" step to your flow
2. Configure who should receive the approval request
3. Set up approval options and timeout settings
4. The flow will pause until approval is received or timeout occurs

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

If you encounter issues with your Activepieces MCP server:

• Check that your database connection is properly configured
• Ensure all required environment variables are set
• Verify network connectivity between your LLM client and Activepieces server
• Check the server logs for detailed error messages

docker logs activepieces

Getting Help

If you need assistance:

• Join the Activepieces Discord community
• Check the official documentation
• Browse the list of available pieces

How to install this MCP server

For Claude Code

To add this MCP server to Claude Code, run this command in your terminal:

claude mcp add-json "activepieces" '{"command":"npx","args":["-y","@activepieces/cli"]}'

See the official Claude Code MCP documentation for more details.

For Cursor

There are two ways to add an MCP server to Cursor. The most common way is to add the server globally in the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file so that it is available in all of your projects.

If you only need the server in a single project, you can add it to the project instead by creating or adding it to the .cursor/mcp.json file.

Adding an MCP server to Cursor globally

To add a global MCP server go to Cursor Settings > Tools & Integrations and click "New MCP Server".

When you click that button the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file will be opened and you can add your server like this:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "activepieces": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "@activepieces/cli"
            ]
        }
    }
}

Adding an MCP server to a project

To add an MCP server to a project you can create a new .cursor/mcp.json file or add it to the existing one. This will look exactly the same as the global MCP server example above.

How to use the MCP server

Once the server is installed, you might need to head back to Settings > MCP and click the refresh button.

The Cursor agent will then be able to see the available tools the added MCP server has available and will call them when it needs to.

You can also explicitly ask the agent to use the tool by mentioning the tool name and describing what the function does.

For Claude Desktop

To add this MCP server to Claude Desktop:

1. Find your configuration file:

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

2. Add this to your configuration file:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "activepieces": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "@activepieces/cli"
            ]
        }
    }
}

3. Restart Claude Desktop for the changes to take effect