Zoho Creator MCP server for AI agents

The CData MCP Server for Zoho Creator is a specialized tool that allows Large Language Models (like Claude Desktop) to access and query your Zoho Creator data using natural language. This server acts as a bridge between LLMs and your Zoho Creator applications, enabling data retrieval without requiring SQL knowledge.

Installation and Setup

Prerequisites

Java Runtime Environment
Maven (for building from source)
CData JDBC Driver for Zoho Creator

Step-by-Step Installation

Clone the repository and build the server:

git clone https://github.com/cdatasoftware/zoho-creator-mcp-server-by-cdata.git
cd zoho-creator-mcp-server-by-cdata
mvn clean install

Download and install the CData JDBC Driver for Zoho Creator from CData's website
License the JDBC Driver:
- Navigate to the driver's installation directory
- Run the licensing command:
```
java -jar cdata.jdbc.zohocreator.jar --license
```
- Enter your name, email, and "TRIAL" (or your license key)
Configure your connection to Zoho Creator:
- Run the configuration utility:
```
java -jar cdata.jdbc.zohocreator.jar
```
- Configure your connection parameters in the utility
- Test the connection and copy the connection string for later use

Create a properties file (e.g., zoho-creator.prp) with the following content:

Prefix=zohocreator
ServerName=CDataZohoCreator
ServerVersion=1.0
DriverPath=PATH\TO\cdata.jdbc.zohocreator.jar
DriverClass=cdata.jdbc.zohocreator.ZohoCreatorDriver
JdbcUrl=jdbc:zohocreator:InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH;
Tables=

Replace the placeholder paths and connection strings with your actual values.

Integration with Claude Desktop

Configuration

Create or modify Claude Desktop's configuration file (claude_desktop_config.json) to add the MCP server:

Windows:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zohocreator": {
      "command": "PATH\\TO\\java.exe",
      "args": [
        "-jar",
        "PATH\\TO\\CDataMCP-jar-with-dependencies.jar",
        "PATH\\TO\\zoho-creator.prp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

macOS/Linux:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zohocreator": {
      "command": "/PATH/TO/java",
      "args": [
        "-jar",
        "/PATH/TO/CDataMCP-jar-with-dependencies.jar",
        "/PATH/TO/zoho-creator.prp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Place the configuration file in the appropriate location:

Windows:

%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

macOS:

/Users/{user}/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Restart Claude Desktop completely to load the new configuration.

Using the MCP Server

Available Tools

The MCP Server provides several tools that Claude can use:

zohocreator_get_tables: Lists all available tables in your Zoho Creator account
zohocreator_get_columns: Retrieves column information for a specific table
zohocreator_run_query: Executes SQL SELECT queries on your Zoho Creator data

Querying Data with Claude

Once configured, you can simply ask Claude questions about your Zoho Creator data. For example:

"What applications do I have in my Zoho Creator account?"
"How many records are in my Customer table?"
"Show me the most recent form submissions"

Claude will automatically use the appropriate tools to retrieve and display the requested information.

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Server not visible in Claude: Fully quit and restart Claude Desktop
Connection failures: Verify your connection string is correct using the Connection String utility
Authentication issues: Ensure OAuth is properly configured if required

For additional support:

Contact the CData Support Team
Join the CData Community

Limitations

This open-source version provides read-only access to your Zoho Creator data. For full CRUD capabilities (create, read, update, delete) and action support, consider the CData MCP Server for Zoho Creator (beta).

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 "zoho-creator" '{"command":"java","args":["-jar","PATH/TO/CDataMCP-jar-with-dependencies.jar","PATH/TO/zoho-creator.prp"]}'

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": {
        "zoho-creator": {
            "command": "java",
            "args": [
                "-jar",
                "PATH/TO/CDataMCP-jar-with-dependencies.jar",
                "PATH/TO/zoho-creator.prp"
            ]
        }
    }
}

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": {
        "zoho-creator": {
            "command": "java",
            "args": [
                "-jar",
                "PATH/TO/CDataMCP-jar-with-dependencies.jar",
                "PATH/TO/zoho-creator.prp"
            ]
        }
    }
}

3. Restart Claude Desktop for the changes to take effect