Skip to content
Start free trialLog in

AI and MCP

Run your agency from Claude or ChatGPT.

SparkDesk has a first-party MCP server. Connect it to the assistant you already use, and ask it to log time, chase stale deals, draft invoices from hours and record payments, all inside your own permissions.

Start free trial Read the MCP reference

MCP and the REST API are free on every plan.

SparkDesk connectorSigned in as Maya Okafor, Northlight Studio

Draft an invoice for Halcyon Health from their unbilled hours this month.

  1. invoice_generate_from_hours

    account: "Halcyon Health", from: "2026-10-01", to: "2026-10-31"

    22.0 unbilled hours found. Draft INV-2026-0004 created.

I found 22.0 unbilled hours for Halcyon Health in October and created draft invoice INV-2026-0004 using the layout and terms from their last invoice. It is a draft, so nothing has been sent. Want me to add the stock photography licences as a line item before you review it?

Example conversation. Any MCP client works, including Claude and ChatGPT.

In plain language

What MCP is, and why it matters for a client business.

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is a standard way for AI assistants to use other software. Instead of copying data into a chat, the assistant calls tools that the software publishes: search records, start a timer, create an invoice.

Most tools that agencies run on publish nothing, or only cover contacts and deals. SparkDesk publishes the whole client record: the pipeline, the project, the hours, the invoices and the payments. That means your assistant can do real operational work, not just look things up.

As of October 2026, HoneyBook, Dubsado, Bonsai and Productive do not offer a first-party MCP server, and CRM-focused tools such as Attio cover CRM data only.

Setup

Connected in three steps.

  1. 1

    Copy your connector link

    In SparkDesk, open Settings > Integrations > API Keys > Connected apps. The MCP server URL for your workspace is shown there.

  2. 2

    Add it to your assistant

    In Claude, ChatGPT or any MCP client, add a custom connector and paste the link. You are sent to SparkDesk to sign in and approve. There is no API key to copy.

  3. 3

    Pick the workspace

    Choose which organization the connection works in. From then on, your assistant acts as you, with your role and permissions.

Manage or disconnect connections any time from Connected apps. Full details in the API & MCP Reference.

What you can ask

Real requests, mapped to real tools.

About 60 tools by default, across CRM, projects, timers, invoices, transactions, forms, Flows, custom objects, reports and admin settings. Client and project names below are illustrative.

Pipeline and clients

  • "Find every opportunity in Proposal stage with no activity in 14 days and list the owners."

    record_search

  • "Convert the lead from this morning's form into an account and contact."

    lead_convert

  • "What do we know about Harbor & Co? Open invoices, active projects, last emails."

    search_globalrecord_get

Time and projects

  • "Start a timer on the homepage copy task for the Fieldstone project."

    timer_start

  • "Stop my timer. The first draft just went to the client."

    timer_stop

  • "Create the onboarding tasks for the new retainer from our usual list."

    record_create

Invoices and money

  • "Draft an invoice for Fieldstone from their unbilled hours in September."

    invoice_generate_from_hours

  • "Invoice 1042 was paid by bank transfer today. Record it."

    invoice_record_payment

  • "Which transactions still need review, and are there likely duplicates?"

    transaction_needs_reviewtransaction_find_duplicates

Reports, Flows and admin

  • "Run the revenue by client report for last quarter and summarize the top five."

    report_run

  • "Clip the monthly retainer billing Flow to the Fieldstone account."

    flow_clip_create

  • "Add a required Industry picklist to accounts with these six values."

    customfield_createpicklist_set

Permissions

Your assistant can never do more than you can.

Runs as you
An OAuth connection uses your exact role and permissions, including record visibility.
Admin tools stay admin
Settings and key management tools return a permission error for everyone else.
Every request logged
Tool, person, record, status and duration, in the API & MCP Activity report.
Safe by design
Every tool is marked read-only, destructive or idempotent, and deleted records go to trash where they can be restored.

Orbit, built in

An assistant that asks before it acts.

Open Orbit from the header, or with Cmd/Ctrl+J, and it already knows the page you are on. It looks things up with the same tools as the MCP server, under your own permissions, and shows each step. When it wants to create, change or delete something it shows you a card first, and nothing changes until you approve.

Expand Orbit to full screen to pick up past conversations, and choose Fast for quick answers or Smart for multi-step work on Team and Business. Run it on SparkDesk's AI with a monthly allowance, or connect your own OpenAI, Anthropic or Google key from Solo up. Requests on your own key are not counted.

Need more platform AI? The Platform AI pack adds 1,000 requests/month for $25/month.

How AI allowances work
Animated illustration with sample data.What the animation shows:
  1. On the Harbor & Pine Coffee account, the Orbit button opens the Orbit panel with suggestions for this account.
  2. "Summarize this account" runs; Orbit looks up the account and its contacts, opportunities and projects, then answers with linked records.
  3. A follow-up task is asked for. Orbit shows the task as a change waiting for approval, and it is approved.
Platform AI allowance and bring your own key by plan
PlanPlatform AI requestsYour own AI keyMCP and API
Free25/monthNot includedIncluded
Solo200/monthFree, unlimitedIncluded
Team1,000/monthFree, unlimitedIncluded
Business5,000/monthFree, unlimitedIncluded

AI and MCP: questions

Something else? Ask us.

  • Does the MCP server cost extra?

    No. The MCP server and REST API are included on every plan, including Free. Requests from your assistant count against your normal plan limits, such as records and Flow runs, not a separate AI fee.

  • Can the assistant see things I cannot?

    No. An OAuth connection runs as you, with your exact role and permissions. Admin-only tools return a permission error for non-admins, and records hidden from you by visibility roles stay hidden.

  • Can I see what the assistant did?

    Yes. Every API and MCP request, including errors, is recorded with the tool, the person, the record and the result. Admins see the whole organization in the API & MCP Activity report; everyone else sees their own.

  • Which AI assistants work?

    Any client that supports MCP custom connectors, including Claude and ChatGPT. Clients that cannot sign in with OAuth can connect with a personal API key instead.

  • What is the difference between Orbit and the MCP server?

    Orbit is the assistant built into SparkDesk, opened from the header on any page. It uses the same tools as the MCP server and asks you to approve every change. The MCP server lets the assistant you already use, like Claude or ChatGPT, work with SparkDesk from outside the app. You can use both.

  • Is my data used to train AI models?

    Platform AI requests are sent to the AI providers listed on our subprocessors page to produce the answer. If you bring your own key, requests go to your provider under your own agreement with them.

Read more: Using Claude with your CRM through MCP, API and MCP, Permissions and security.

Give your assistant a job at your agency.

Start a 14-day free trial of any paid plan. No card needed, and you can drop to the Free plan at any time.

Start free trial See pricing