Connect to the Pendo MCP server

Last updated: June 02, 2026 19:40

This article covers how to connect an AI client to the Pendo MCP server. For background on what the Pendo MCP server does and how it works, see Overview of the Pendo MCP server.

Before you begin

Before you connect to the Pendo MCP server:

A subscription admin must enable MCP for your Pendo subscription.
You must confirm your regional URL.
You must have permission to add or configure external MCP servers in your AI client.
You need an AI client that supports OAuth authentication, Streamable HTTP or SSE transport, and external MCP server URLs. Common examples include Claude, Claude Code, ChatGPT, Cursor, Gemini CLI, and Windsurf.

Activate MCP in Pendo

A subscription admin must turn on the Pendo MCP server before anyone can connect from an AI client.

To do so:

In the top-right corner of Pendo, go to Settings > Subscription settings.
Select the AI access tab.
Turn on the toggle for Pendo MCP server (read-only tools). This lets connected AI clients query and retrieve your Pendo data.
Optionally, after turning on read-only tools, you can also turn on Pendo MCP server (write tools) to let AI clients take actions in Pendo, like creating feedback items.

After an admin turns on the MCP server in Pendo, any Pendo user can use the server in their preferred AI client that supports OAuth authentication, Streamable HTTP or SSE transport, and external MCP server URLs.

Find your regional URL

Use the MCP server URL that matches the data center where your Pendo subscription is hosted. This is the same host name you use to sign in to Pendo.

US: https://app.pendo.io/mcp/v0/shttp
US1: https://us1.app.pendo.io/mcp/v0/shttp
EU: https://app.eu.pendo.io/mcp/v0/shttp
Japan: https://app.jpn.pendo.io/mcp/v0/shttp
Australia: https://app.au.pendo.io/mcp/v0/shttp

You'll use this regional URL when you configure your preferred AI client later in this article. If you're unsure of your region, check your Pendo login URL.

If you have Pendo subscriptions in multiple regions, you'll need to configure a separate MCP server connection for each region.

Connect your AI client

There are two ways to connect an AI client to the Pendo MCP server:

Official Pendo apps and connectors. Some AI tools include Pendo as an officially supported app in their connector directory. This is the simplest setup path.
Custom MCP server configuration. For AI tools without an official Pendo app, or for Pendo subscriptions in a region that the official connector doesn't support, configure the Pendo MCP server manually using your regional URL.

Follow the steps below to configure the Pendo MCP server in your preferred AI client using OAuth and Streamable HTTP. You must be an existing user in a Pendo subscription and authenticate with your Pendo credentials to access data.

Note: Instructions are subject to change and can vary by AI client, version, and configuration. If something doesn't match what you see, refer to the AI client's documentation for the latest setup and troubleshooting guidance.

Claude.ai and Claude for Desktop

For both claude.ai and Claude for Desktop, an admin must first add the Pendo MCP server as a connector before other Claude users can connect.

Select your profile icon in the bottom-left corner of Claude, then select Admin settings.
Open the Connectors tab, then select Browse connectors at the bottom of the list.
Select Pendo, using the search box if needed.
For the Server URL, enter your regional URL, then select Continue. This adds it to the list of available connectors for your organization.

After Pendo MCP is added as a connector, any Claude user can connect to it using these steps:

Select your profile icon in the bottom-left corner of Claude, then select Settings.
Open the Connectors tab.
Next to the Pendo connector, select Connect.
If prompted, sign in to your Pendo account, then select Allow to grant Claude AI permissions to your Pendo subscription.
This redirects you to the Connectors page, where the Pendo connector displays with the option to Configure. Select this to:
- View each tool available for querying your Pendo data.
- Choose whether to Always allow or Needs approval for specific tools. By default, all tools are set to Needs approval, which requires Claude to ask for your permission after each prompt that runs the relevant MCP tool.

Claude Code

In your terminal, run claude mcp add --transport http pendo https://app.pendo.io/mcp/v0/shttp, with the URL replaced with a different regional URL if needed.
Start Claude Code using claude ., which prompts a confirmation message and then populates a brief message 1 MCP server needs auth in the bottom-right.
Enter /mcp to view your list of MCP servers, then use your arrow keys to navigate to Pendo and press enter to sign in to your Pendo account.
Choose to Authenticate, then press enter again.
If prompted, sign in to your Pendo account, then select Allow to grant Claude Code permissions to your Pendo subscription.
To confirm the authentication was successful, run /mcp to prompt a confirmation message: Authentication successful. Connected to Pendo. From here, you can view the available MCP tools and manage your authentication and connection.

ChatGPT (developer mode)

You can connect the Pendo MCP server to ChatGPT as a custom integration, but this requires using developer mode in ChatGPT.

In ChatGPT, select your name in the bottom-left corner, then select Settings.
Go to Apps & Connectors, then open Advanced Settings at the bottom of the window.
Turn on Developer mode if it isn't already on, then select Back.
In the top-right corner of the modal, select Create.
Enter Pendo as the connector's Name, your regional URL as the MCP Server URL, and OAuth for the Authentication method.
Select the checkbox next to I understand and want to continue, then select Create.
If prompted, sign in to your Pendo account, then select Allow to grant ChatGPT permissions to your Pendo subscription.
In ChatGPT, repeat step 1 to open your settings, then select Apps & Connectors. The Pendo MCP server displays with the options to view additional information, disconnect, and view a list of the available tools.
To use the Pendo MCP, return to your ChatGPT homepage. Select the + icon in the prompt bar, then select More > Pendo to attach the MCP to your chat.

Cursor

You can connect the Pendo MCP server to Cursor either with a shortcut link or by updating your MCP configuration file.

In your web browser, open Cursor's MCP directory. Alternatively, open this link in your browser: cursor://anysphere.cursor-deeplink/mcp/install?name=Pendo&config=eyJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL2FwcC5wZW5kby5pby9tY3AvdjAvc2h0dHAifQ==, then skip to step 3.
Search for pendo above the table, then select + Add to Cursor.
When prompted, choose Open Cursor to install the Pendo MCP server.
If your regional URL differs from what's populated in the URL field, update it accordingly, then select Install.
Select Connect, then allow Cursor to open the link by selecting Open.
If prompted, sign in to your Pendo account, then select Allow to grant Cursor permissions to your Pendo subscription.

Gemini CLI

You can connect the Pendo MCP server to the Gemini command line interface (CLI) to query live Pendo data from your terminal.

In your terminal (with Gemini CLI not running), enter gemini mcp add pendo https://app.pendo.io/mcp/v0/shttp --transport http --scope user and replace app.pendo.io with your regional URL if needed.
Start gemini-cli with the command gemini, then run /mcp auth pendo.
If prompted, sign in to your Pendo account, then select Allow to grant the Gemini CLI permissions to your Pendo subscription.
To confirm the authentication was successful, run /mcp to prompt a confirmation message: Successfully authenticated with MCP server. From here, you can view the available MCP tools and manage your authentication and connection.

Windsurf

You must have permission to turn on custom MCPs to follow these steps:

In your top menu bar, select Windsurf > Settings > Windsurf Settings.
In the Cascade section, find the MCP Servers setting, then select Open MCP Marketplace.
In the Installed MCPs section, select the gear icon on the right to open the ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json file.
Add the following configuration, with the URL replaced with a different regional URL if needed, and save the file:
```
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pendo": {
      "serverUrl": "https://app.pendo.io/mcp/v0/shttp"
    }
  }
}
```
Return to the MCP Marketplace tab, then select the refresh icon and select the pendo tile.
If prompted, sign in to your Pendo account, then select Allow to grant Windsurf permissions to your Pendo subscription.

Other clients

You can also connect from any client that supports:

OAuth authentication.
Streamable HTTP or SSE transport.
External MCP server URLs.

Follow the client's documentation for setup, and use the following configuration when adding the Pendo MCP server:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "Pendo": {
      "url": "ENTER_YOUR_REGIONAL_ENDPOINT_HERE"
    }
  }
}

After saving your configuration, follow these steps to authenticate with OAuth:

Accept the OAuth prompt.
Sign in with your Pendo credentials.
Grant access to requested scopes.

Regional limitations for official connectors

Some official connectors don't yet support all Pendo regions:

The official ChatGPT app currently supports the US and EU regions only.
The official Cursor integration currently supports the US region only.

If your Pendo subscription is in a region that isn't supported by the official connector, follow the custom MCP server configuration for your AI client instead.

Subscription scope

How the Pendo MCP server handles access to multiple Pendo subscriptions depends on your authentication method:

Interactive OAuth. A single connection covers all Pendo subscriptions you belong to within the same region. To query a specific subscription, include its subscription ID in your prompt. You don't need to reconnect or switch subscriptions to query different ones.
Service accounts. Each service account is scoped to a single Pendo subscription. To query data from multiple subscriptions, create a separate service account in each one. For more information, see Authenticate to the Pendo MCP server with a service account.

Pendo data is regionally isolated, so neither authentication method can access data across regions. If you have Pendo subscriptions in multiple regions (for example, both US and EU), you must configure a separate connection for each region using its regional URL.

Tip: To see which subscriptions your AI client can access, ask it to list all applications.

Authenticate with a service account

If you're building an AI agent or integration that runs without a person signing in, use a Pendo service account instead of interactive OAuth. For more information, see Authenticate to the Pendo MCP server with a service account.

Troubleshooting

Try the following if something isn't working as expected.

Tip: To confirm you're properly authenticated and connected to the Pendo MCP server, ask the client which tools you have access to.

Connection fails or returns an authentication error

Check that you're using the correct regional URL with the full /mcp/v0/shttp path. The most common cause of connection failures is using a Pendo login URL (for example, https://app.pendo.io/) instead of the MCP server URL.

If you authenticated with an incorrect URL, your AI client may have cached it. Remove the Pendo connector or MCP server entry from your client and re-add it with the correct regional URL.

OAuth issues

For OAuth-specific issues, check the following:

Make sure your client supports OAuth.
Confirm that you have the correct permissions in your AI client.
Sign out and back in if you've switched Pendo subscriptions.
Verify you're using the MCP server URL that matches your subscription's data center (US1, EU, Japan, Australia).

The AI client connects but returns no data

Check the following:

Authentication completed successfully.
A subscription admin has enabled the Pendo MCP server in Settings > Subscription settings > AI access.
You have access to the data you're querying. The MCP server inherits your Pendo permissions.
You're querying the correct subscription. If you belong to multiple subscriptions, the AI client may be connected to a different one than you expect.
Look for errors in the client console or logs.

Microsoft Copilot Studio: "String or binary data would be truncated" error

If you encounter this error when adding the Pendo MCP server to Microsoft Copilot Studio using Dynamic discovery, switch to Manual configuration and enter the OAuth endpoints directly. This is a known limitation in Copilot Studio.

Other connection issues

For additional help, contact your Pendo account representative or our support team.

Overview of the Pendo MCP server. Learn what the Pendo MCP server is, what it can do, and how it works.
Pendo MCP tools for AI agents. Learn which tools are available and what data they return.
Authenticate to the Pendo MCP server with a service account. Configure non-interactive access for agents and backend jobs.
Deliver guides through your AI agent. Use MCP to surface Pendo guides in response to support questions.
Serve Pendo guides using Intercom Fin. Surface Pendo guides in Fin conversations through MCP.
Improve Fin resolution rate with session context. Give Fin access to Pendo session data during support conversations.