Model Context Protocol (MCP)

What is the Model Context Protocol?

The Model Context Protocol, typically abbreviated as MCP, is an open protocol developed by Anthropic (the company behind Claude). It defines a common way for AI assistants to communicate with external systems: reading data, calling functions, and performing actions.

In practice, MCP acts as a connector between the AI and a service. When Shoporama exposes an MCP server, AI clients like Claude can connect to it and use the tools that Shoporama makes available—and to which the shop owner has granted access. This ranges from creating products to pulling statistics.

Why is MCP relevant for online stores?

Before MCP, each AI client had to build its own integration for each service. This meant either limited functionality or expensive custom development. With MCP, the integration is defined in one place, and all MCP-compatible AIs can use it.

For an online store owner, this means you don’t have to write any code or maintain an integration. You simply connect an AI client to your store, and then the AI can help you with day-to-day operations: creating products, running campaigns, editing the homepage, retrieving sales figures, and much more.

Which AI clients does MCP support?

• Claude (Anthropic): full support in Claude Desktop, claude.ai, and the mobile app
• Cursor: a popular AI code editor
• Cline, Goose, Cowork: other MCP-compatible clients
• ChatGPT (OpenAI): partial support via Custom Connectors

MCP in Shoporama

Shoporama has its own built-in MCP server. It exposes over 200 tools to the AI, ranging from ` product_create ` and `order_list ` to `stats_sales ` and ` page_builder_create_page`. The server also has five pre-built prompts, such as Weekly Report and Purchasing Suggestions, which the client can display as shortcuts. Access is secured with OAuth 2.0 + PKCE, and every action is logged in an audit log.

Shoporama’s MCP server is approved and included in Claude’s connector library. If you use Claude, you can connect by finding Shoporama in the library and clicking “Connect,” without having to copy an address. Step-by-step setup instructions are available in “Manage Your Store with AI,” and “Web Store with Claude” shows you what you can use the connection for.

Security

MCP connections in Shoporama use the same security standard as banks and major cloud services:

• OAuth 2.0 with PKCE, so no API keys are stored in plain text
• The AI client can never do more than the user connecting it, and the shop owner determines for each area whether it can read and edit, read only, or have no access at all
• With Extra Security enabled, changes with side effects—such as emails to customers, payments, and permanent deletions—require the shop owner’s approval
• Access can be revoked at any time
• An audit log with a 90-day history, where selected changes can be undone