MCP Installation

Setup: JSON configuration file or via Settings UI

Claude Desktop via supergateway proxy.

Requirements

• Claude Desktop application installed (Download)
• Node.js 20+ (Download)

Use the supergateway or mcp-remote proxy to connect Claude Desktop to remote HTTP MCP servers.

Configuration File Location

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Option 1: Via settings UI (recommended)

1. Open Claude Desktop.

2. Click on your profile icon and then click Settings.

3. Click Developer and then Edit Config. This will open your file finder and select the configuration file—claude_desktop_config.json .

4. Open the file with a text or code editor.

5. Copy these lines and paste them into the configuration file.

   JSON

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "rebrandly": {
         "command": "npx",
         "args": [
           "-y",
           "supergateway",
           "--streamableHttp",
           "https://mcp.rebrandly.com/v1/mcp",
           "--header",
           "REBRANDLY_API_KEY:YOUR_API_KEY"
         ]
       }
     }
   }

6. Replace YOUR_API_KEY with the key you've created in Rebrandly. Note that there is no space before the key.

7. Save the file.

Option 2: Edit config file directly

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

(The folder names may vary based on your PC language.)

Add the same configuration shown above.

Alternative proxy: mcp-remote

If supergateway doesn't work, try mcp-remote:

`{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rebrandly": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://mcp.rebrandly.com/v1/mcp",
        "--header",
        "REBRANDLY_API_KEY: YOUR_API_KEY"
      ]
    }
  }
  }`

Note: mcp-remote may have connection stability issues. Use supergateway if you experience disconnections.

Restart Claude Desktop

After editing the configuration, completely quit and restart Claude Desktop for changes to take effect.

Troubleshooting

If the MCP server doesn't appear:

1. Check that Node.js is installed: node --version

2. Check the debug logs: cat ~/.mcp-auth/*_debug.log

3. Test mcp-remote manually:

   Bash

   npx mcp-remote https://mcp.rebrandly.com/v1/mcp --header "REBRANDLY_API_KEY: YOUR_API_KEY" --debug

4. Ensure Claude Desktop is completely restarted (quit from menu bar, not just close window)

Verification

After configuration and restart, verify the connection by asking Claude Desktop:

List my Rebrandly links

Setup: One-liner command

Gemini CLI provides excellent HTTP transport support with header configuration.

Requirements

• Gemini CLI installed (Installation Guide)
• Node.js 20+ (for npx commands)

Installation

gemini mcp add --scope user --transport http --header "REBRANDLY_API_KEY: YOUR_API_KEY" rebrandly https://mcp.rebrandly.com/v1/mcp

Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your actual Rebrandly API key.

Options

• --scope user: Makes the server available across all projects (recommended)
• --scope project: Makes the server available only for the current project
• --trust: Bypass tool confirmation prompts (use with caution)

Example with Trust

gemini mcp add --scope user --transport http --trust --header "REBRANDLY_API_KEY: YOUR_API_KEY" rebrandly https://mcp.rebrandly.com/v1/mcp

Management Commands

# List configured MCP servers
gemini mcp list

# Remove the server
gemini mcp remove rebrandly

Manual Configuration

Alternatively, you can add the configuration directly to ~/.gemini/settings.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rebrandly": {
      "httpUrl": "https://mcp.rebrandly.com/v1/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "REBRANDLY_API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Verification

After installation, verify the connection by running Gemini and asking:

List my Rebrandly links

Setup: JSON configuration file with stdio proxy

VS Code with GitHub Copilot supports MCP servers starting from VS Code 1.102+. Since Copilot attempts OAuth authentication for HTTP servers, we use mcp-remote as a stdio proxy.

Requirements

• VS Code 1.102 or later (Download)
• GitHub Copilot Chat extension installed and enabled (Marketplace)
• Node.js 20+ (Download) — required for mcp-remote proxy

Configuration File Location

• User-level: ~/.vscode/mcp.json
• Workspace-level: .vscode/mcp.json (in your project root)

Configuration (Recommended)
VS Code Copilot attempts OAuth authentication for direct HTTP connections. Use mcp-remote as a stdio proxy to handle header-based authentication:

{
  "servers": {
    "rebrandly": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://mcp.rebrandly.com/v1/mcp",
        "--header",
        "REBRANDLY_API_KEY: YOUR_API_KEY"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your actual Rebrandly API key.

Starting the Server

Open Command Palette (Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + P)

Run MCP: List Servers

Click Start next to the Rebrandly server

Using in Copilot Chat

Open Copilot Chat (click the icon in the title bar)

Select Agent from the popup menu

Use #tool_name to invoke specific tools

Troubleshooting If you see OAuth-related errors like "Error populating auth server metadata" or "User did not provide client details":

This means VS Code is trying to use OAuth instead of header authentication

Ensure you're using the stdio configuration with mcp-remote

Restart VS Code after configuration changes

Setup: JSON configuration file with stdio proxy

Amazon Q Developer supports MCP servers. Since Amazon Q attempts OAuth authentication for direct HTTP connections, we use supergateway as a stdio proxy to handle header-based authentication.

Requirements

• Amazon Q Developer CLI (Installation Guide) OR
• Amazon Q Developer IDE extension for VS Code or JetBrains (VS Code)
• Node.js 20+ (Download) - required for supergateway proxy

Configuration File Locations

• Global: ~/.aws/amazonq/mcp.json
• Workspace: .amazonq/mcp.json

Configuration (Recommended)

Amazon Q attempts OAuth authentication for direct HTTP connections. Use supergateway as a stdio proxy to handle header-based authentication:

Create or edit ~/.aws/amazonq/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rebrandly": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "supergateway",
        "--streamableHttp",
        "https://mcp.rebrandly.com/v1/mcp",
        "--header",
        "REBRANDLY_API_KEY:YOUR_API_KEY"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your actual Rebrandly API key.

Verification

In Amazon Q CLI:

q chat "What Rebrandly tools do you have access to?"

Troubleshooting

If you see OAuth-related errors like "Server requires OAuth" or "OAuth client registration failed":

• This means Amazon Q is trying to use OAuth instead of header authentication
• Ensure you're using the stdio configuration with supergateway (not direct HTTP)
• Restart Amazon Q after configuration changes
  • Verify Node.js is installed: node --version

Setup: One-liner command

Claude Code supports HTTP transport natively, making setup extremely simple.

Requirements

• Claude Code CLI installed (Installation Guide)

Installation at Global level

claude mcp add --transport http -s user rebrandly https://mcp.rebrandly.com/v1/mcp --header "REBRANDLY_API_KEY: YOUR_API_KEY"

Installation at folder level

claude mcp add --transport http rebrandly https://mcp.rebrandly.com/v1/mcp --header "REBRANDLY_API_KEY: YOUR_API_KEY"

Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your actual Rebrandly API key.

Verification

Start Claude Code by entering claude into your terminal, then ask Claude Code to list your links:

List my Rebrandly links

Management Commands

# List configured MCP servers
claude mcp list

# Remove the server
claude mcp remove rebrandly

# Update your API key
claude mcp remove rebrandly && claude mcp add --transport http rebrandly https://mcp.rebrandly.com/v1/mcp --header "REBRANDLY_API_KEY: NEW_API_KEY"

Setup: Via Settings UI (recommended) or JSON configuration file

Cursor supports MCP servers through its settings UI and configuration files.

Requirements

• Cursor IDE installed (Download)

Option 1: Via Cursor Settings UI (Recommended)

The easiest way to configure the Rebrandly MCP server:

1. Open Cursor

2. Go to Settings (Cmd/Ctrl + ,)

3. Navigate to Tools & MCP section

4. Click New MCP Server

5. Cursor will open the mcp.json file - paste the following configuration:

   JSON

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "rebrandly": {
         "url": "https://mcp.rebrandly.com/v1/mcp",
         "headers": {
           "REBRANDLY_API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY"
         }
       }
     }
   }

Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your actual Rebrandly API key.

Option 2: Edit JSON Configuration File Directly

Alternatively, create or edit ~/.cursor/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rebrandly": {
      "url": "https://mcp.rebrandly.com/v1/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "REBRANDLY_API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your actual Rebrandly API key.

Verification

Open Cursor's AI chat and ask:

What Rebrandly tools are available?

For other MCP-compatible tools not listed above, use this generic configuration pattern:

HTTP Transport

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rebrandly": {
      "transport": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.rebrandly.com/v1/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "REBRANDLY_API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Environment Variables

Many tools support environment variable substitution:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rebrandly": {
      "url": "https://mcp.rebrandly.com/v1/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "REBRANDLY_API_KEY": "${REBRANDLY_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Then set the environment variable:

export REBRANDLY_API_KEY="your-api-key"

Troubleshooting

Before integrating with your AI agent, or if you're experiencing issues, use these steps to diagnose problems.

Step 1: Test the Endpoint (No API Key Required)

First, verify the MCP server is reachable by listing available tools. This request does not require authentication:

curl -X POST https://mcp.rebrandly.com/v1/mcp \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "tools/list", "id": 1}'

Expected Successful Response

A successful response will return a JSON object containing available tools:

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "id": 1,
  "result": {
    "tools": [
      {
        "name": "rebrandly_create_link",
        "description": "Create a new branded short link..."
      },
      {
        "name": "rebrandly_list_links",
        "description": "List branded short links..."
      }
    ]
  }
}

Step 2: Test Your API Key

Once you've confirmed the endpoint is reachable, test your API key by calling a method that requires authentication:

curl -X POST https://mcp.rebrandly.com/v1/mcp \
  -H "REBRANDLY_API_KEY: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "tools/call", "params": {"name": "rebrandly_list_links", "arguments": {}}, "id": 2}'

Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your actual Rebrandly API key.

Common Error Responses

401 Unauthorized - Invalid or missing API key:

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "id": 2,
  "error": {
    "code": -32001,
    "message": "Unauthorized"
  }
}

Solution: Verify your API key is correct in the Rebrandly Dashboard.

Step 3: Test in Your Agent

Once both tests pass, configure your AI agent using the instructions above. Then verify by asking:

What Rebrandly tools are available?

or

List my Rebrandly links

Your agent should respond with a list of available tools or your existing links.