| # Zapier MCP: Supercharge Your AI Workflows with Real-World App Integrations | |
| Are you ready to unlock the full potential of your AI assistants by connecting them to the apps you use every day? Zapier's Model-Controller-P (MCP) empowers large language models (LLMs) like Claude and Cursor to perform real-world tasks directly within your chat interface, without leaving the conversation. | |
| This tutorial will guide you through setting up Zapier MCP, integrating it with popular AI clients, and demonstrating practical use cases that can drastically streamline your daily workflows. | |
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| ### Step 1: Setting up Your Zapier MCP Server | |
| The first step is to create your dedicated Zapier MCP server, which acts as a bridge between your AI assistant and over 8,000 apps supported by Zapier. | |
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| You'll navigate to `mcp.zapier.com`. From the dashboard, you can see existing servers or create a new one. | |
| To get started, click on "+ New MCP Server." | |
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| Next, you'll be prompted to select an MCP Client. This determines which AI application will be using this server's tools. For this tutorial, we'll demonstrate integrations with both **Claude** and **Cursor**. | |
| Once your server is created, you can begin adding the specific tools (app actions) you want your AI assistant to access. Click "Add tool" to browse thousands of apps and actions. | |
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| Imagine needing to enrich contact data. We can add a tool like ZoomInfo. Search for "zoominfo", select the app, and then choose the specific actions you want to enable, like "Enrich Contact." | |
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| You can configure each tool with specific permissions or default values. For instance, you could pre-set a HubSpot "Find Contact" action to only search by email, ensuring consistent data retrieval for your AI assistant. | |
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| These configurations give you granular control over how your AI interacts with your apps, making it both powerful and secure. | |
| ### Step 2: Boosting Productivity with Claude & Zapier MCP | |
| One of the most powerful applications of Zapier MCP is enhancing your meeting preparation and daily research with AI. Let's see how our Zapier MCP server can empower Claude. | |
| **Connecting Claude to Your MCP Server** | |
| With your Zapier MCP server configured, the next step is to connect it to Claude. | |
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| On your Zapier MCP server page, click the "Connect" tab. You'll find straightforward instructions here. Crucially, **these steps must be done by a Claude organization owner** and typically require using Claude in a browser session for initial setup. | |
| The key is to copy the provided "Integration URL." | |
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| Then, in your Claude.ai account, navigate to "Settings" -> "Integrations." Click "Add more" and paste the copied URL, giving your integration a recognizable name (e.g., "Zapier MCP"). | |
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| Remember, custom integrations in Claude are currently available for Team, Enterprise, and Max plans. This ensures that the added integration is available to all users in your organization, but only *you* will be able to see actions you add to this specific MCP server. | |
| Once connected, in any new Claude chat, click the "Search and tools" icon (magnifying glass) to reveal the "Zapier" option. The first time, you'll need to connect with OAuth to create a connection between Zapier MCP and Claude. Afterward, you'll see all your enabled Zapier actions as toggles. | |
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| **Meeting Preparation Use Case: Find Contacts, Research, and Share** | |
| No more jumping between your calendar, CRM, and research tools. With Zapier MCP, Claude can do it all, giving you a comprehensive briefing before your next meeting. | |
| Let's ask Claude: "Who am I meeting with from Zapier?" | |
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| Claude will intelligently use the `google_calendar_find_multiple_events` action to scan your calendar and identify relevant attendees. | |
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| Now, let's gather more in-depth information about these contacts. We can prompt Claude: "Help me lookup information about Matt and Wade to help me prepare?" | |
| Claude recognizes the need for contact enrichment. It will first use its built-in web search capabilities for a general overview, and then leverage the more specialized `zoominfo_enrich_contact` Zapier action to pull detailed professional information. | |
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| Claude compiles a comprehensive briefing, including background, company achievements, and even suggested talking points and preparation notes tailored to your meeting and the attendees' profiles. | |
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| This personalized briefing helps you walk into any meeting fully prepared. But the utility doesn't stop there. Claude can also share this information with your team through integrated apps. | |
| Prompt Claude: "Share this with my sales team." Claude will draft a message. | |
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| It understands the context and uses the `slack_send_channel_message` action, intelligently figuring out the correct Slack channel (`#team-sales`) to share the briefing. After a quick confirmation, your team is instantly up-to-date. | |
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| This level of intelligent automation drastically reduces manual preparation time. | |
| ### Step 3: Streamlining Developer Workflows with Cursor & Zapier MCP | |
| Zapier MCP isn't just for sales and marketing; it's a game-changer for developers too. AI IDEs like Cursor can integrate with Zapier MCP to manage project tasks directly from your code editor. | |
| **Connecting Cursor to Your MCP Server** | |
| Similar to Claude, connecting Cursor involves a few simple steps in your Zapier MCP "Connect" tab. | |
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| In Zapier MCP, go to your Cursor server's "Connect" tab. Copy the provided JSON configuration. | |
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| In Cursor, navigate to your MCP settings (often `Shift + Cmd + J` or similar shortcut) and paste this JSON into your `mcp.json` file. Enable the Zapier Cursor integration. | |
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| Now, your Cursor AI assistant has access to the Zapier actions you've configured. For this example, we've enabled Jira actions like "Add Comment to Issue," "Update Issue," and "Find Issue." | |
| **Jira Management Use Case: Find and Comment on Issues** | |
| Instead of switching tabs to Jira, you can instruct Cursor to manage your tickets directly. | |
| Let's assume you're in a code file and want to find a related Jira issue. In Cursor's chat, type: "Find the issue dealing with the zapier integration." | |
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| Cursor calls the `jira_software_cloud_find_issue` action, using Zapier MCP to query Jira for the relevant ticket. | |
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| Once the issue is found, you can continue the conversation and have Cursor perform actions on it. For instance, to add a comment about your recent code changes, you can prompt: "Can you help me add a comment to that issue about the code I've written?" | |
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| Cursor will use the `jira_software_cloud_add_comment_to_issue` action to post your comment directly to the Jira ticket. You can verify this change instantly by checking the Jira board. | |
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| This integration allows developers to maintain their flow, reducing context-switching and improving overall efficiency when managing tasks and updates in Jira. | |
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| ### Conclusion | |
| Zapier MCP bridges the gap between your AI assistants and the thousands of applications you rely on. As demonstrated with Claude for meeting preparation and Cursor for Jira management, the possibilities are vast. By centralizing app access through a secure and configurable server, Zapier MCP empowers your LLMs to automate research, communication, and project management tasks, freeing you to focus on higher-value work. | |
| We hope this tutorial provides a clear understanding of Zapier MCP's potential. We're excited to see what amazing workflows you'll create! |