@channel.io/open-api-mcp

Channel Talk API as an MCP server. Gives your LLM IDE assistant (~85 tools) direct access to Channel Talk — manage conversations, contacts, bots, and more — without leaving your editor.

What this is (and isn't)

This is a local process. When you add this server to Claude Desktop, Cursor, or VS Code, npx downloads and runs the package on your own machine. Your API keys never leave your computer. No data is routed through our servers beyond the normal Channel Talk API calls you authorize.

• Keys are stored in your local config file, not uploaded anywhere
• The MCP server process runs locally and exits when your editor closes
• All API calls go directly from your machine to api.channel.io

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18 or later
• A Channel Talk account with API access
• Your Access Key and Access Secret from the Channel Dashboard

Getting your API keys

1. Open the Channel Dashboard
2. Go to Settings → Developers → API Keys
3. Copy your Access Key and Access Secret

Installation

Pick your editor below. Copy the config block, paste it into the right file, and replace the placeholder values with your real keys.

Heads up — VS Code uses a different config key. Claude Desktop and Cursor use "mcpServers". VS Code uses "servers" and also requires "type": "stdio". This is the most common install mistake.

Version policy: Use @latest. We publish latest only from the production branch after release QA. Internal pre-release builds are not published to public npm.

Claude Desktop

Config file: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "channel-talk": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@channel.io/open-api-mcp@latest"],
      "env": {
        "CHANNEL_ACCESS_KEY": "your-access-key",
        "CHANNEL_ACCESS_SECRET": "your-access-secret"
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop after saving.

Cursor

Config file: ~/.cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "channel-talk": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@channel.io/open-api-mcp@latest"],
      "env": {
        "CHANNEL_ACCESS_KEY": "your-access-key",
        "CHANNEL_ACCESS_SECRET": "your-access-secret"
      }
    }
  }
}

Reload Cursor after saving.

VS Code

Different key! VS Code uses "servers" (not "mcpServers") and requires "type": "stdio".

Option A — workspace config (.vscode/mcp.json, checked into your repo):

{
  "servers": {
    "channel-talk": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@channel.io/open-api-mcp@latest"],
      "env": {
        "CHANNEL_ACCESS_KEY": "your-access-key",
        "CHANNEL_ACCESS_SECRET": "your-access-secret"
      }
    }
  }
}

Option B — user settings (settings.json under the mcp.servers key):

{
  "mcp": {
    "servers": {
      "channel-talk": {
        "type": "stdio",
        "command": "npx",
        "args": ["-y", "@channel.io/open-api-mcp@latest"],
        "env": {
          "CHANNEL_ACCESS_KEY": "your-access-key",
          "CHANNEL_ACCESS_SECRET": "your-access-secret"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Reload the VS Code window after saving.

Environment variables

| Variable | Required | Default | Description | |---|---|---|---| | CHANNEL_ACCESS_KEY | Yes | — | Your Channel Talk access key | | CHANNEL_ACCESS_SECRET | Yes | — | Your Channel Talk access secret | | CHANNEL_API_BASE_URL | No | https://api.channel.io | Override the API base URL. Only use a trusted Channel-compatible endpoint. | | CHANNEL_VERSION | No | 2026-06-01 | Channel API version header sent with every request |

Staying up to date

The examples above intentionally use @latest. Production releases advance the npm latest tag after the MCP package passes release QA, so your editor picks up the current supported server after restart.

For an emergency rollback, temporarily replace @latest with a known-good version from the npm package page:

"args": ["-y", "@channel.io/[email protected]"]

First run and caching

npx downloads the package on first run and caches it locally. Subsequent starts are fast, and @latest is resolved again when the editor starts a new MCP server process.

If you see a slow startup or want to force a fresh download, clear the npx cache:

npx clear-npx-cache

Troubleshooting

Tools don't appear in my editor

• Confirm the config file is valid JSON (no trailing commas)
• Check you're using the right key for your editor ("mcpServers" vs "servers")
• VS Code: make sure "type": "stdio" is present
• Restart/reload your editor after any config change

Authentication errors

• Double-check your Access Key and Secret in the Channel Dashboard
• Make sure there are no extra spaces or quotes around the values

npx not found

• Ensure Node.js 18+ is installed and node/npx are on your PATH
• On macOS, if you installed Node via nvm, your editor may not inherit the shell PATH — set the full path to npx in "command" instead

License

MIT — see LICENSE.