Quick start for MCP

Requirements

• Rebrandly account - Sign up at www.rebrandly.com
• AI assistant - Like Claude Desktop, Gemini CLI, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, and Amazon Q
• API key - Generate from your Rebrandly dashboard

Some AI assistants require paid plans to install MCP servers. Check your assistant's documentation for details.

Installation overview

When you install an MCP, you're providing your AI assistant with instructions about how to connect to the server. The installation process varies by AI assistant. Most follow these steps:

1. Get your Rebrandly API key

   • Log into Rebrandly
   • Click the Profile icon and select API
   • Click "New API Key" and add a note like "MCP API"

2. Configure your AI assistant

   • Add the Rebrandly MCP to your assistant's configuration
   • Provide your API key
   • Restart your assistant

3. Test it

   • Ask your AI to create a test link
   • Verify it appears in your Rebrandly dashboard

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Claude Desktop MCP installation

This is the simplest method to install the MCP server on Claude Desktop. For other options, see our full installation guide.

Requirements

In addition to having the desktop application, you'll also need Node.js version 20 or later. This is needed to run the tools that connect Claude Desktop to MCP servers.

• Claude Desktop application installed (Download)
• Node.js 20+ (Download)
• Rebrandly API key - See How do I create an API key?

Installing the MCP server

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.

8. Close Claude Desktop and reopen it.

Now you're ready to use Claude Desktop to work with your Rebrandly links.

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Usage examples

Create a branded link

"Create a short link for https://myblog.com/new-post with the slashtag 'blog-dec'"

Get link analytics

"Show me click statistics for my link go.me/summer2026"

Move links between workspaces

"Move all links tagged 'old-campaign' from my Personal workspace to Archive workspace"

Bulk operations

"Create 5 short links for these URLs: [list of URLs]. Tag them all with 'newsletter' and use my mycompany.com domain."

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Available Tools

The Rebrandly MCP includes comprehensive tools for managing your account:

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Security & Permissions

• API keys are stored locally in your AI assistant's configuration.
• Account permissions apply - you can only access what your Rebrandly user permissions allow.
• Plan limits still apply to link creation and other operations.
• Best practice: Use a dedicated API key for your MCP and don't share it or use it for other purposes. You can always create more keys.

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Troubleshooting

Common issues

"API key not found"

• Verify your API key is correctly set in your assistant's configuration
• Check for extra spaces or quotes in the key

"Permission denied"

• Confirm your user account has the necessary permissions
• Check that your Rebrandly plan includes the feature you're trying to use

"MCP server not responding"

• Restart your AI assistant
• Verify the MCP server is properly installed

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Support

Use our chatbot in the lower right of this page to ask questions, note documentation issues, or contact us.

For API questions, see our API documentation.