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Zapier MCP connects your AI client to 9,000+ apps and 40,000+ actions so it can take real action, such as send messages, create tasks, and look up data, during a conversation with your preferred AI client. This tutorial walks you through creating an MCP server, connecting your client, and running your first tool call end to end. By the end, your AI will be able to search and act on your real app data in a conversation.

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Prerequisites

  • A Zapier account. Sign up for a free trial.
  • At least one app connected to your Zapier account (Gmail, Slack, Google Sheets, etc.).
  • An MCP-compatible AI client: Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, or another client that supports Streamable HTTP.

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Create and connect your server

1

Create your MCP server

  1. Go to mcp.zapier.com.
  2. Click + New MCP Server. A dialog will open.
  3. In the MCP Client dropdown, select your AI client. Select Other if your client is not listed.
  4. Enter a name for your server.
  5. Click Create MCP Server.
You will land on the Connect tab with setup instructions specific to your client.
2

Connect your client via OAuth

Follow the instructions on the Connect tab to add your MCP server to your AI client. If prompted, authenticate with your Zapier account via OAuth.Once authentication completes, Zapier auto-provisions your server. It reads the apps you have already connected in your Zapier account and pre-enables actions for them so your agent can start using them straight away.
Auto-provisioning uses your own Zapier app connections. Apps connected by other users in a shared account are not included.
For requirements and known limitations per client, check Connect your AI client.
3

Run the onboarding Skill

In your AI client, paste this prompt:
Get the zapier:onboarding Skill and follow its instructions.
Your agent will load the packaged onboarding Skill and walk you through what it can do with your connected apps. This is the fastest way to understand what is available for your specific setup.
4

Make your first tool call

Ask your agent to do something with one of your connected apps. For example:
  • “Find my last email from [name] and summarize it.”
  • “What rows are in my [spreadsheet name] spreadsheet?”
  • “What meetings do I have tomorrow?”
If an action is not yet enabled on your server, your agent will use discover_zapier_actions to find it and enable_zapier_action to add it. You do not need to configure anything manually.
Each successful tool call uses two tasks from your Zapier plan. Failed calls do not count toward your usage. Check Usage for details.

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What just happened

When you authenticated via OAuth, Zapier ran auto_provision_mcp automatically. It identified the apps you have connected in your Zapier account and pre-enabled actions for them on your server. Your AI client received the 14 static meta-tools. Your agent did not need a pre-built list of tools. It found, enabled, and ran the right action based on your natural language request. Every tool call runs through your existing Zapier app connections, which means actions are logged in the History tab and backed by Zapier’s full library of 9,000+ apps.

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Next steps

How tools work

Learn how dynamic tool discovery works and what all 14 meta-tools do.

Skills

Create reusable workflow instructions your agent can load and follow.

Connect your AI client

Client-specific setup guides for Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, and more.