Official Brilliant Directories MCP Server — Setup Guide

npm version license MCP

Universal AI integration for your BD site. Give any AI agent full access to your Brilliant Directories site with one API key.

Manage members, posts (single-image and multi-image), leads, reviews, top and sub categories, email templates, pages (homepage, landing pages), 301 redirects, smart lists, widgets, menus, forms, tags, membership plans, and more — across every resource BD exposes via its REST API.

This guide walks you through connecting your AI of choice (Claude, Cursor, etc.) to your BD site. Pick your AI app below, paste two things, restart. Most setups take under 5 minutes.

⚠️ REQUIREMENTS — Before you start

  1. Your BD site URL. Use the full canonical URL exactly as it loads in a browser — include https:// (or http:// if your site has no SSL), include www. if your site uses it, no trailing slash.

    • ✅ https://www.mysite.com (most BD sites)
    • ✅ https://mysite.com (only if your site has no www.)
    • ✅ http://mysite.com (HTTP-only sites — protocol respected)
    • ❌ mysite.com (missing protocol)
    • ❌ https://mysite.com/ (trailing slash)
    • ❌ https://mysite.com if the site actually serves at www.mysite.com — use the form your site canonically responds at

  2. Your BD API key.

    BD Admin → Developer Hub → Generate API Key → copy it.

    Full walkthrough: How to Create an API Key.

  3. Node.js — only for the Advanced path (see below). Not needed for the Easy path. If you need it, one-time install from nodejs.org (click Get Node.js® to download, then click Windows Installer (.msi) — Mac: macOS Installer — double-click the downloaded file to install, Next through the prompts).

🚨 API PERMISSIONS — DO NOT SKIP THIS

New BD API keys ship locked down — only member read/write is enabled by default.

Every other resource (web pages, forms, menus, tags, email templates, reviews, leads, categories, post types, widgets, etc.) lives behind an "Advanced Endpoints" toggle and returns 403 API Key does not have permission to access this endpoint until you flip it on.

This catches almost every first-time user. If your AI can list members but can't create a page or update a form, stop debugging — it's this.

Turn on Advanced Endpoints:

  1. BD Admin → Developer Hub
  2. Find your API key in the list → Actions dropdown → Permissions
  3. Click the Advanced Endpoints tab
  4. Toggle everything ON (or cherry-pick only the resources you'll use — but ALL ON is the fastest way to stop tripping over this)
  5. Click Save Permissions

The change is immediate — no key rotation, no AI restart needed. Re-run the failed request and it'll succeed.

Want to stop the AI from deleting anything? Uncheck every delete action under Advanced Endpoints. The AI will still be able to read, create, and update — but any delete* tool call will return 403 instead of wiping data. Good baseline for production sites where the AI shouldn't be trusted with destructive operations.

Why BD locks it down by default: least-privilege. A leaked key with baseline-only permissions can only read/write members on your site, not rewrite your whole directory. Once you've decided which endpoints your agent actually needs, you can pare the permissions back down to just those.

Table of Contents

Setup by Platform

Each platform has two options:

  • 🚀 Easy config block — points at our hosted MCP at https://brilliantmcp.com. No Node.js, no install, no terminal. Starts working the moment you save and restart your AI app.

  • 🛠️ Advanced config block — spawns the MCP as a npx child process on your machine. Use when you want the MCP on your own hardware.

    Needs Node.js installed first — get it from nodejs.org (click Get Node.js® to download, then click Windows Installer (.msi) — Mac: macOS Installer — and DOUBLE-CLICK the downloaded file to install it).

Both give the full BD tool surface, same instructions, same lean shapers, same safety guards.

🚀 Easy config block (recommended — 30-second install)

In your AI client's MCP config (Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, Codex, n8n, etc.), add this entry:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "brilliant-directories": {
      "url": "https://brilliantmcp.com",
      "headers": {
        "X-Api-Key": "ENTER_API_KEY",
        "X-BD-Site-URL": "https://www.your-site.com"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace ENTER_API_KEY with your BD API key and https://www.your-site.com with your BD site URL (full canonical form — https://, exact host, no trailing slash, see Requirements).

⚠️ Claude Desktop doesn't accept the Easy block — use the Advanced block in the Claude Desktop section.

Save, then fully quit and reopen the AI app. Saving alone is not enough — every AI client loads MCP servers only at fresh launch, not on hot-reload. Done. Working? Skip to "What you can ask the AI".

Need a client-specific walkthrough? Jump to your platform's section below.

🛠️ Advanced config block (requires Node.js install)

⚠️ STEP 1 — Install Node.js FIRST (the Advanced path runs an npx command on your machine):

  • Go to nodejs.org → click Get Node.js®
  • Download: Windows Installer (.msi) or macOS Installer
  • Double-click the file → click Next through every prompt to fully install Node.js

Skip this and you'll see "no MCP servers" with spawn npx ENOENT in the log.

Why --prefer-online + @latest? Forces npm to revalidate against the registry on every launch so you always pull the newest version. Prevents the ETARGET No matching version found error that hits when your local npm cache is stale.

STEP 2 — Paste this config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "brilliant-directories": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "--prefer-online",
        "brilliant-directories-mcp@latest",
        "--api-key", "ENTER_API_KEY",
        "--url", "https://www.your-site.com"
      ]
    }
  }
}

STEP 3 — Fully quit the AI app, then reopen. Closing the window is NOT enough — the AI loads MCP servers only at a true relaunch:

  • Windows: right-click the app's icon in the system tray (bottom-right, may be hidden under ^) → Quit, then reopen
  • Mac: Cmd+Q or menu bar → <App> → Quit <App>, then reopen

Claude Desktop

⚠️ Claude Desktop requires Node.js + the Advanced (npm) config. It doesn't accept the Easy url-shaped block — only stdio (command + args).

⚠️ Windows users: install Claude Desktop from claude.ai/download, NOT the Microsoft Store (the Store version sandboxes the config file).

Banner saying "Tool result could not be submitted… connection interrupted"? Cosmetic UI bug across every MCP connector (anthropics/claude-code #51874) — your tools still work. Safe to ignore.

⚠️ STEP 1 — Install Node.js FIRST (before pasting the config below):

  • Go to nodejs.org → click Get Node.js®
  • Download: Windows Installer (.msi) or macOS Installer
  • Double-click the file → click Next through every prompt to fully install Node.js

Skip this and you'll see "no MCP servers" with spawn npx ENOENT in the log.

Steps (no terminal):

  1. Open Claude Desktop.

  2. Menu bar → Settings.

    Developer tab → Edit Config.

    This opens claude_desktop_config.json in TextEdit (Mac) or Notepad (Windows).

  3. Pick your scenario:

Scenario A — file is empty {} or has no mcpServers entry

Select all (Cmd+A / Ctrl+A) and delete. Paste this:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "brilliant-directories": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "--prefer-online",
        "brilliant-directories-mcp@latest",
        "--api-key", "ENTER_API_KEY",
        "--url", "https://www.your-site.com"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Replace ENTER_API_KEY with your BD API key and https://www.your-site.com with your BD site URL. Save, then fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop. Saving alone is not enough — Claude loads MCP servers only at fresh launch.

Scenario B — file already has content (preferences, Google connectors, other MCP servers)

Merge — don't overwrite. Two rules:

  • Comma between top-level entries.
  • Final } at the bottom stays one brace.

Before:

{
  "preferences": {
    "menuBarEnabled": false,
    "legacyQuickEntryEnabled": false
  }
}

After:

{
  "preferences": {
    "menuBarEnabled": false,
    "legacyQuickEntryEnabled": false
  },
  "mcpServers": {
    "brilliant-directories": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "--prefer-online",
        "brilliant-directories-mcp@latest",
        "--api-key", "ENTER_API_KEY",
        "--url", "https://www.your-site.com"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Two changes: , added after the preferences closing }, and the mcpServers block added before the final }. Replace ENTER_API_KEY with your BD API key and https://www.your-site.com with your BD site URL. Save, then fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop.

Paste your final file into jsonlint.com before restarting to ensure correct formatting.

Missing commas silently break the MCP — a validator flags them instantly.

  1. Fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop. Start a new chat.

    "Fully quit" means more than closing the window — Claude loads MCP servers only at a true relaunch:

    • Windows: right-click the Claude icon in the system tray (bottom-right, may be hidden under ^) → Quit, then reopen
    • Mac: Cmd+Q or menu bar → Claude → Quit Claude, then reopen

  2. Verify the BD MCP loaded. The exact UI varies by Claude Desktop version:

    • In any chat, ask "what tools do you have?" — you should see brilliant-directories tools listed.
    • OR check Settings → Developer → MCP servers — brilliant-directories should show as connected (no error status).
    • Older builds also show a 🔨 hammer icon with a tool count near the chat input — click it to see the tools.

Not connected? Check Settings → Developer → MCP servers for the error. Common causes:

  • JSON typo — paste your file into jsonlint.com
  • Wrong API key, or URL missing https:// / has trailing slash
  • Node.js not installed (Claude Desktop spawns npx)
  • Saw "not valid MCP server configurations"? You pasted a url-shaped block — Claude Desktop only accepts the stdio (command + args) shape shown above.

Direct config file path (if you skip Settings):

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

Claude Code

Claude Code has no MCP GUI — install via terminal. Works in Terminal.app (Mac), PowerShell (Windows), or Cursor / VS Code's built-in terminal (open with Ctrl+` / Cmd+` or View → Terminal).

Prerequisites — one-time install:

  1. Node.js — from nodejs.org (click Get Node.js® → Windows Installer (.msi) or macOS Installer → double-click to install, click Next through the prompts).

  2. The claude CLI — in any terminal, run:

    npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

    Close and reopen the terminal. Verify with claude --version.

Three options below — pick whichever fits.

⚡ Plugin (one-line install, recommended if your Claude Code supports it)

Inside an active claude session, run these two slash commands:

/plugin marketplace add brilliantdirectories/brilliant-directories-mcp
/plugin install brilliant-directories@brilliant-directories-mcp

Claude Code fetches the plugin manifest, registers the BD MCP server, and tools become available immediately. You'll be prompted for BD_API_KEY and BD_SITE_URL on first use, or set them as environment variables before launching claude. (The Easy and Advanced paths below take credentials inline in the claude mcp add command instead — different paths, same end result.)

Don't see /plugin commands? Plugin support requires a recent build. Run npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code@latest and restart the terminal. If still missing, use the Easy or Advanced path below.

🚀 Easy (hosted Worker — no local BD MCP subprocess)

claude mcp add brilliant-directories --transport http https://brilliantmcp.com \
  --header "X-Api-Key: ENTER_API_KEY" \
  --header "X-BD-Site-URL: https://www.your-site.com"

Replace ENTER_API_KEY with your BD API key and https://www.your-site.com with your BD site URL. Verify with claude mcp list — brilliant-directories should show ✓ Connected. Close and reopen Claude Code.

🛠️ Advanced (BD MCP runs locally via npx)

claude mcp add brilliant-directories -- npx -y --prefer-online brilliant-directories-mcp@latest --api-key ENTER_API_KEY --url https://www.your-site.com

Same shape, but runs the MCP server as an npx child process on your machine. Replace the placeholders. Verify with claude mcp list. Close and reopen Claude Code. The -y flag auto-accepts the first-time npx install prompt so the spawn doesn't hang.

Credentials live inside the claude mcp add command. They're written into your user-level Claude config file and passed to BD automatically on every tool call. To rotate: claude mcp remove brilliant-directories, then re-run claude mcp add with new values.

Claude extension inside Cursor

If you chat with Claude inside Cursor (the Anthropic "Claude" extension installed from the Cursor extension marketplace), that extension has its OWN MCP config — separate from Cursor's native agent. Installing in one doesn't install in the other.

Note: the Claude extension and the Claude Code CLI both read the SAME file — ~/.claude.json (Windows: C:\Users\<you>\.claude.json). If you've already set up Claude Code per the section above, the BD MCP is already loaded for the Claude extension too. This section covers customers who only use the Claude extension and don't have the CLI installed.

Two different MCP configs. Two different places the tools show up.

1. Claude extension (inside Cursor or Claude Code CLI)

  • Config file (Windows): C:\Users\<you>\.claude.json
  • Config file (Mac / Linux): ~/.claude.json
  • Tools appear: when you chat with Claude — ask "what tools do you have" or type /mcp

2. Cursor's native agent

  • Config file (Windows): C:\Users\<you>\.cursor\mcp.json
  • Config file (Mac / Linux): ~/.cursor/mcp.json
  • Tools appear: Cursor Settings → Tools & MCP

Easiest setup — edit the JSON file in Notepad (NO terminal, NO claude CLI needed):

⚠️ STEP 1 — Install Node.js FIRST (before editing the config below):

  • Go to nodejs.org → click Get Node.js®
  • Download: Windows Installer (.msi) or macOS Installer
  • Double-click the file → click Next through every prompt to fully install Node.js

Skip this and you'll see "no MCP servers" with spawn npx ENOENT in the log.

  1. Open the file. Paste the path into File Explorer's address bar (Windows) or Finder's Go → Go to Folder (Mac). If it doesn't exist yet, create a new empty text file at that path named exactly .claude.json.

  2. Paste this inside. If the file already has content with an mcpServers key, merge the "brilliant-directories": {...} entry into the existing mcpServers object — don't overwrite other entries.

    {
  "mcpServers": {
    "brilliant-directories": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "--prefer-online",
        "brilliant-directories-mcp@latest",
        "--api-key", "ENTER_API_KEY",
        "--url", "https://www.your-site.com"
      ]
    }
  }
}

  3. Replace ENTER_API_KEY with your BD API key and https://www.your-site.com with your BD site URL (include https://, no trailing slash).

  4. Save the file, then fully quit and reopen Cursor so the Claude extension picks up the new config. Saving alone is not enough.

  5. Chat with Claude and ask "what tools do you have?" — you should see brilliant-directories tools listed.

Cursor's Tools & MCP panel will stay empty — that's expected. Claude's extension reads ~/.claude.json; Cursor's panel only reflects ~/.cursor/mcp.json. If you want BD tools in BOTH surfaces, also do the Cursor section install.

Alternative — if you have the claude CLI installed (most users don't — skip if you don't know what it is): run this in any terminal:

claude mcp add brilliant-directories -- npx -y --prefer-online brilliant-directories-mcp@latest --api-key ENTER_API_KEY --url https://www.your-site.com

The CLI writes the same JSON to ~/.claude.json for you — same end result as editing by hand.

OpenAI (Codex Desktop)

OpenAI surface Supported?
Codex Desktop (the desktop app) ✅ Yes — full MCP, both transports
ChatGPT web / desktop / mobile ❌ No — no MCP connector support in consumer ChatGPT

For BD automation in the OpenAI ecosystem, use Codex Desktop. ChatGPT itself can't speak MCP yet; for GUI alternatives if you don't want Codex, use Claude Desktop / Cursor / Windsurf / Cline.

Codex Desktop setup

1. Download Codex Desktop from chatgpt.com/codex/get-started and install it.

2. Open Codex Desktop → File → Settings → MCP Servers → + Add Server.

A "Connect to a custom MCP" form opens with two tabs: STDIO (Advanced — runs locally, needs Node.js) and Streamable HTTP (Easy — hosted Worker, no Node.js). Either works — pick one.

🚀 Easy (Streamable HTTP — recommended, no Node.js install required):

Click the Streamable HTTP tab. Fill the form top-to-bottom:

Field (as shown in Codex) Value
Name Brilliant Directories (or any label)
URL https://brilliantmcp.com
Bearer token env var leave empty — don't touch
Headers — Key X-Api-Key
Headers — Value your BD API key
Click + Add header to add the second row
Headers — Key (row 2) X-BD-Site-URL
Headers — Value (row 2) https://www.your-site.com
Headers from environment variables leave empty — don't touch

Click Save, then fully quit and reopen Codex. Saving alone is not enough — Codex loads MCP servers only at fresh launch.

🛠️ Advanced (STDIO — runs on your machine, needs Node.js):

⚠️ STEP 1 — Install Node.js FIRST (before pasting the config below):

  • Go to nodejs.org → click Get Node.js®
  • Download: Windows Installer (.msi) or macOS Installer
  • Double-click the file → click Next through every prompt to fully install Node.js

Skip this and you'll see "no MCP servers" with spawn npx ENOENT in the log.

Click the STDIO tab. Fill the form top-to-bottom:

Field (as shown in Codex) Value
Name Brilliant Directories (or any label)
Command to launch npx
Arguments — Row 1 -y
Click + Add argument between each row below
Arguments — Row 2 brilliant-directories-mcp@latest
Arguments — Row 3 --api-key
Arguments — Row 4 your BD API key
Arguments — Row 5 --url
Arguments — Row 6 https://www.your-site.com
Environment variables leave empty — don't touch
Environment variable passthrough leave empty — don't touch
Working directory leave empty — don't touch

Click Save, then fully quit and reopen Codex. Saving alone is not enough — Codex loads MCP servers only at fresh launch.

"Fully quit" means more than closing the window — Codex loads MCP servers only at a true relaunch:

  • Windows: right-click the Codex icon in the system tray (bottom-right, may be hidden under ^) → Quit, then reopen
  • Mac: Cmd+Q or menu bar → Codex → Quit Codex, then reopen

4. Test the connection: in a new Codex chat, ask "list my first 5 members on my BD site". Tools invoke, data comes back.

Pro tip — multi-site management: repeat this setup with a different Name + credentials per BD site (e.g. brilliant-directories-main / brilliant-directories-staging). Then tell Codex "on brilliant-directories-main, list the top categories" or "copy these email templates from -main to -staging". Useful for agencies and multi-brand operators.

Windsurf

Windsurf's AI pane is called Cascade. MCP servers plug into Cascade.

⚠️ Windsurf uses serverUrl (not url) for remote MCP servers. The Easy config block below reflects that.

  1. Open Windsurf.
  2. Open settings: click Windsurf - Settings at the bottom-right of the window, OR Command Palette (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+P) → type Open Windsurf Settings.
  3. In settings, find the Cascade section → Model Context Protocol (MCP) → enable it.
  4. In the Cascade panel on the right of your window, click the MCPs icon (top-right of the panel) → Configure. This opens the MCP config file.
  5. Paste one of these (Easy is recommended):

🚀 Easy (recommended — no Node.js install required):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "brilliant-directories": {
      "serverUrl": "https://brilliantmcp.com",
      "headers": {
        "X-Api-Key": "ENTER_API_KEY",
        "X-BD-Site-URL": "https://www.your-site.com"
      }
    }
  }
}

🛠️ Advanced (runs on your machine, needs Node.js):

⚠️ STEP 1 — Install Node.js FIRST (before pasting the config below):

  • Go to nodejs.org → click Get Node.js®
  • Download: Windows Installer (.msi) or macOS Installer
  • Double-click the file → click Next through every prompt to fully install Node.js

Skip this and you'll see "no MCP servers" with spawn npx ENOENT in the log.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "brilliant-directories": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "--prefer-online",
        "brilliant-directories-mcp@latest",
        "--api-key", "ENTER_API_KEY",
        "--url", "https://www.your-site.com"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Replace ENTER_API_KEY with your BD API key and https://www.your-site.com with your BD site URL. Save, then fully quit and reopen Windsurf. Saving alone is not enough — Windsurf loads MCP servers only at fresh launch.

"Fully quit" means more than closing the window — Windsurf loads MCP servers only at a true relaunch:

  • Windows: right-click the Windsurf icon in the system tray (bottom-right, may be hidden under ^) → Quit, then reopen
  • Mac: Cmd+Q or menu bar → Windsurf → Quit Windsurf, then reopen

Cline (VS Code extension)

  1. Open VS Code with the Cline extension installed.
  2. Click the Cline icon in the VS Code sidebar to open the Cline panel.
  3. In Cline's top nav, click the MCP Servers icon.
  4. Click Configure MCP Servers — opens the Cline MCP config file in VS Code.
  5. Paste one of these (Easy is recommended):

🚀 Easy (recommended — no Node.js install required):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "brilliant-directories": {
      "url": "https://brilliantmcp.com",
      "headers": {
        "X-Api-Key": "ENTER_API_KEY",
        "X-BD-Site-URL": "https://www.your-site.com"
      }
    }
  }
}

🛠️ Advanced (runs on your machine, needs Node.js):

⚠️ STEP 1 — Install Node.js FIRST (before pasting the config below):

  • Go to nodejs.org → click Get Node.js®
  • Download: Windows Installer (.msi) or macOS Installer
  • Double-click the file → click Next through every prompt to fully install Node.js

Skip this and you'll see "no MCP servers" with spawn npx ENOENT in the log.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "brilliant-directories": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "--prefer-online",
        "brilliant-directories-mcp@latest",
        "--api-key", "ENTER_API_KEY",
        "--url", "https://www.your-site.com"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Replace ENTER_API_KEY with your BD API key and https://www.your-site.com with your BD site URL. Save, then fully quit and reopen VS Code. Saving alone is not enough — Cline loads MCP servers only at fresh launch, not on panel reload or toggle.

  1. Back in the MCP Servers panel, confirm brilliant-directories appears — toggle it on if not already.

    "Fully quit" means more than closing the window — Cline loads MCP servers only at a true VS Code relaunch:

    • Windows: right-click the VS Code icon in the system tray (bottom-right, may be hidden under ^) → Quit, then reopen
    • Mac: Cmd+Q or menu bar → Code → Quit Visual Studio Code, then reopen

Cursor

Fastest path (no install, 30 seconds): open Cursor Settings → MCP (or Model Context Protocol) → Add new MCP server → paste the Easy config block with your API key + site URL. Fully quit + reopen. Tools appear in the chat.

Or edit ~/.cursor/mcp.json directly and paste the block. Either way works.

Prefer the local install? Keep reading — the Cursor Directory installer below sets up the Advanced path (runs as an npx child process).

Cursor Directory one-click install for the Advanced path (no terminal, no file editing):

⚠️ STEP 1 — Install Node.js FIRST (the Cursor Directory installer wires up an npx child process):

  • Go to nodejs.org → click Get Node.js®
  • Download: Windows Installer (.msi) or macOS Installer
  • Double-click the file → click Next through every prompt to fully install Node.js

Skip this and Cursor will show "no MCP servers" with spawn npx ENOENT in the log.

  1. Open → cursor.directory/plugins/brilliant-directories

  2. Click Install / Add to Cursor → allow browser to open Cursor.

  3. Cursor shows an "Install MCP Server?" prompt with most fields pre-filled. Two things you need to change:

    Rename the Name field (don't leave it as server — too generic):

    • brilliant-directories-60031 — site-ID-based (recommended pattern)
    • brilliant-directories-mysite — site-name-based
    • brilliant-directories-main / brilliant-directories-staging / brilliant-directories-client-acme — nickname
    • Why: Cursor lists every MCP by this Name; if you later add a second BD site, you'll need to tell them apart.

    Fill Environment Variables — RIGHT side only:

    Left (do NOT touch) Right (paste your values)
    BD_API_KEY your BD API key
    BD_SITE_URL https://www.your-site.com — include https://, no trailing slash
    • API key → BD Admin → Developer Hub → Generate API Key (BD shows it once; if lost, generate a new one).
    • Advanced endpoint permissions must be enabled on the key or most writes 403. See Before you start.

  4. Click Install.

  5. Fully quit and reopen Cursor.

    "Fully quit" means more than closing the window — Cursor loads MCP servers only at a true relaunch:

    • Windows: right-click the Cursor icon in the system tray (bottom-right, may be hidden under ^) → Quit, then reopen
    • Mac: Cmd+Q or menu bar → Cursor → Quit Cursor, then reopen

  6. Tools appear in Settings → Tools & MCP.

Pro tip — multi-site management: install the BD MCP multiple times with different API keys + URLs, each with a unique Name (e.g. brilliant-directories-60031, brilliant-directories-marketing). Then tell Cursor "on brilliant-directories-60031, list the top categories" or "compare member counts between the two sites". Same pattern works in Claude Desktop and Claude Code. Useful for agencies and multi-brand operators.

Alternative A — Cursor Settings GUI (manual, no terminal)

  1. Open Cursor.
  2. Open settings:
    • Mac: menu bar → Cursor → Settings → Cursor Settings
    • Windows / Linux: File → Preferences → Cursor Settings
    • Or: Command Palette (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+P) → type Open MCP Settings
  3. In the sidebar, click Tools & MCP.
  4. Click New MCP Server.
  5. Paste the config block. Replace ENTER_API_KEY with your BD API key and https://www.your-site.com with your BD site URL.
  6. Click Save, then fully quit and reopen Cursor. Saving alone is not enough — Cursor loads MCP servers only at fresh launch.

Alternative B — Edit the config file directly

Use this if the GUI doesn't show "Tools & MCP" or the "New MCP Server" button silently fails. Same result as the GUI method.

Cursor reads from mcp.json in a hidden .cursor folder in your home directory.

Mac / Linux

  1. Open Finder (Mac) or your file manager (Linux).
  2. Cmd+Shift+G (Mac) or Ctrl+L (Linux) to open a "Go to Folder" input.
  3. Type ~/.cursor → Enter.
    • If "Folder doesn't exist": navigate to ~/ and create a new folder named exactly .cursor (leading dot). Retry.
  4. Inside .cursor, open mcp.json in TextEdit / any text editor. If missing: create it. TextEdit users: File → New → Format menu → Make Plain Text first, then save as mcp.json (not mcp.json.txt).
  5. Paste the config block. Replace ENTER_API_KEY with your BD API key and https://www.your-site.com with your BD site URL. Save, then fully quit and reopen Cursor.

Windows

  1. Windows key → type File Explorer → Enter.
  2. Click the address bar at the top. Type %USERPROFILE%\.cursor → Enter.
    • If "Windows can't find": go to %USERPROFILE%, right-click → New → Folder → name it exactly .cursor (leading dot). Retry.
  3. Inside .cursor, open mcp.json in Notepad. If missing: right-click empty area → New → Text Document → rename to mcp.json (click Yes to the extension warning).
    • Can't see .txt / .json extensions? File Explorer → View menu → check File name extensions.
  4. Paste the config block. Replace ENTER_API_KEY with your BD API key and https://www.your-site.com with your BD site URL. Save, then fully quit and reopen Cursor.

n8n

✅ MCP Client Tool works — use the SSE transport + our dedicated URL.

n8n's built-in MCP Client Tool node connects to our server and loads every BD tool. Configure like this:

Field Value
Server Transport Server Sent Events (Deprecated)
MCP Endpoint URL https://brilliantmcp.com/sse
Authentication Multiple Headers Auth
Header 1 Name: X-Api-Key · Value: your 32-char hex BD API key
Header 2 Name: X-BD-Site-URL · Value: https://www.your-site.com

Save the node. Click the Tool dropdown — should populate with every BD tool. Pick any tool, click Execute.

Why "SSE (Deprecated)" and not "HTTP Streamable"?

  • The MCP spec deprecated SSE in favor of HTTP Streamable
  • n8n's SSE client works today against our server
  • n8n's HTTP Streamable client has known upstream bugs we filed
  • Our server supports BOTH transports — when n8n fixes their HTTP Streamable client, you can switch to https://brilliantmcp.com (no /sse path) with Transport = HTTP Streamable. No server changes needed.

Why https://brilliantmcp.com/sse? The main brilliantdirectories.com domain has zone-level security rules (bot challenges, geo blocks) that protect our marketing site but silently blocked n8n's SSE handshake. brilliantmcp.com is a dedicated zone with no inherited security posture — n8n connects cleanly. It's the single canonical URL for the hosted MCP endpoint.

Don't want MCP? Alternative paths for n8n:

✅ HTTP Request node + OpenAPI import — n8n has native OpenAPI support. Import this spec URL as a custom API:

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/brilliantdirectories/brilliant-directories-mcp/main/mcp/openapi/bd-api.json

n8n generates a node for every BD operation automatically. Prompts for your BD site URL and API key on import. Every BD operation available, zero MCP protocol involved.

✅ Plain HTTP Request node — point a single HTTP Request node at https://www.your-site.com/api/v2/user/get with header X-Api-Key: ENTER_API_KEY. Chain multiple nodes for workflows touching several BD endpoints. Simplest possible setup.

Want to verify the server is healthy yourself? Install the official MCP Inspector (npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector) and point it at https://brilliantmcp.com/sse. Inspector is the reference implementation of MCP's client spec.

Make.com

Make.com ships an MCP Client app (currently Open Beta) that connects to remote MCP servers — see Make's MCP Client docs. To connect it to our Worker:

  1. Add the MCP Client module to your scenario, click Create a connection.
  2. Click + New MCP Server (we're not yet on Make's verified-servers list).
  3. URL: https://brilliantmcp.com
  4. API Key / Access token: your 32-char BD API key.
  5. Save, then refresh the scenario so Make picks up the new connection.

⚠️ Known limitation as of Make's beta release: the MCP Client UI exposes a single token field. Our Worker requires two custom headers (X-Api-Key AND X-BD-Site-URL). If Make sends only the API key, the Worker will reject with Missing X-BD-Site-URL header. Test the connection before building production scenarios — if it fails, fall back to the HTTP path below.

Fallback path (works today, every BD operation): use Make's standard HTTP module against https://www.your-site.com/api/v2/* with these headers:

X-Api-Key: <your 32-char BD API key>
X-BD-Site-URL: https://www.your-site.com

This hits BD's REST API directly. Skips MCP entirely; every endpoint reachable.

You can also build a custom Make app from our OpenAPI spec for a more polished UX.

Zapier

The "MCP Client by Zapier" app only supports OAuth / Bearer Token — no custom-headers field, so it cannot authenticate against our Worker (same single-token limitation as Make).

Use one of these paths instead:

  • BD's existing Zapier app (if it covers what you need) — same underlying API, same API key.
  • Webhooks by Zapier against https://www.your-site.com/api/v2/*, with Custom Headers X-Api-Key: <your key> and X-BD-Site-URL: https://www.your-site.com. This hits BD's REST API directly and skips MCP entirely — every BD operation reachable.

Abacus.AI (ChatLLM Agent)

Abacus AI Agent supports MCP servers — both stdio (npm) and remote (URL) — via its Configure MCP page (Agent Settings → MCP Server Config). See Abacus's MCP docs.

✅ Recommended (stdio / npm — passes both credentials reliably): paste this into the MCP Server Config JSON. It runs the package in Abacus's hosted environment and passes your API key + site URL as args, so no custom-headers support is needed.

{
  "brilliant-directories": {
    "command": "npx",
    "args": [
      "-y",
      "--prefer-online",
      "brilliant-directories-mcp@latest",
      "--api-key", "ENTER_API_KEY",
      "--url", "https://www.your-site.com"
    ]
  }
}

Replace ENTER_API_KEY with your BD API key and https://www.your-site.com with your BD site URL. Abacus will query the server and list every BD tool.

🚀 Remote URL (only if your Abacus MCP config accepts custom headers): our Worker needs two headers (X-Api-Key AND X-BD-Site-URL). Abacus's documented remote-server example shows only a url field — if your config also accepts a headers/env block, use:

{
  "brilliant-directories": {
    "url": "https://brilliantmcp.com",
    "headers": {
      "X-Api-Key": "ENTER_API_KEY",
      "X-BD-Site-URL": "https://www.your-site.com"
    }
  }
}

If Abacus sends only a single token (no second header), the Worker rejects with Missing X-BD-Site-URL header — use the stdio config above instead.

Paste only the server-config JSON, not a { "mcpServers": { ... } } wrapper — Abacus expects the inner object. Abacus allows up to 5 servers / 50 active tools; the BD server alone exposes more than 50, so keep other servers light or scope which tools you enable.

curl / Any HTTP Client

Paste these in a terminal (Mac: Terminal.app · Windows: PowerShell). Replace ENTER_API_KEY with your BD API key and https://www.your-site.com with your BD site URL.

Why these examples only need X-Api-Key (and not X-BD-Site-URL): these c