Connect the MCP

The BlackOps MCP server is how your AI client reads and writes your content. Connecting it is the one step that turns BlackOps on. Pick your client below and follow the steps.

Fastest path: let the agent set it up

If you use Claude Code, one command installs the connector and walks you through your first publish. No config files, no token to copy.

npx blackops-onboard

The agent drafts your first post with you, then creates your account and site. At the end it hands you a link to add a payment method, which is what starts your trial. Nothing is charged that day, you get an email before the first charge, and you can cancel from inside the product at any point before then. See Your Trial and Billing for the details.

Prefer to wire it up by hand? Use the per-client steps below.

What you need

Server URL

Paste this wherever your client asks for an MCP server URL.

https://mcp.blackopscenter.com/mcp

Authentication

Two ways to authenticate, depending on your client:

• Sign in (OAuth). Clients that support remote MCP (Claude Desktop, Claude on the web) open a browser to sign in at blackopscenter.com. Nothing to copy.
• Bearer token. Other clients use a token in an Authorization header. Generate one under Admin → Settings.

Connect your client

Claude Desktop

1. Open Claude Desktop and go to Settings, then Developer, then Edit Config.
2. Add the "blackops" server to the mcpServers block (below), using a token from Admin → Settings.
3. Save the file and fully restart Claude Desktop.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "blackops": {
      "type": "url",
      "url": "https://mcp.blackopscenter.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_BLACKOPS_TOKEN"
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude (web)

1. In Claude on the web, open Settings, then Connectors.
2. Choose "Add custom connector".
3. Paste the server URL: https://mcp.blackopscenter.com/mcp
4. When prompted, sign in at blackopscenter.com to authorize. No token to copy.

Claude on the web uses OAuth, so you sign in instead of pasting a token.

Claude Code

1. Generate a token under Admin → Settings.
2. Run the command below in your terminal. It registers the BlackOps server over HTTP transport.
3. Start (or restart) Claude Code. The blackops tools are now available.

claude mcp add --transport http blackops https://mcp.blackopscenter.com/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_BLACKOPS_TOKEN"

Cursor

1. Open Cursor Settings, then MCP, then "Add new MCP server".
2. Or edit ~/.cursor/mcp.json directly with the config below, using a token from Admin → Settings.
3. Reload Cursor so it picks up the new server.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "blackops": {
      "url": "https://mcp.blackopscenter.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_BLACKOPS_TOKEN"
      }
    }
  }
}

Any MCP client

1. BlackOps speaks the standard MCP protocol over streamable HTTP, so any MCP-compatible client works.
2. Point your client at the server URL: https://mcp.blackopscenter.com/mcp
3. Authenticate with a bearer token in the Authorization header, or via OAuth if your client supports it. Generate a token under Admin → Settings.

Authorization: Bearer YOUR_BLACKOPS_TOKEN

Verify it worked

Ask your AI client this, in plain language:

List my BlackOps sites.

If it lists your site (or sites), the connection is live and you can start publishing. If it cannot, double-check the URL and that your token is from Admin → Settings and has not expired.

Tool surfaces

New connections see a compact default tool set (identity, posts, notes, X, media) rather than the full ~150-tool catalog — that keeps the connector inside chat clients' tool budgets. Everything else is still one lookup away: your assistant calls describe_tools to find a capability and use_tool to run it, automatically. To pin the full catalog instead, append ?surface=full to the server URL. Details in Tool surfaces.

Interactive cards (MCP Apps)

Some tools return more than text. In hosts that support the MCP Apps extension (claude.ai and Claude Desktop on paid plans), post_posts_by_id_hero renders an interactive review card: the generated hero appears inline with an Accept button and a Regenerate box ("what would you like to change?") that edits the image in place. Generate candidates without touching the post by asking for a hero "for review" — the assistant passes commit: false and the card applies the image only when you accept. Hosts without Apps support fall back to the normal inline image + URL. More cards (transcription progress, video renders) are on the roadmap.

Troubleshooting

The client connects but no tools show up

Fully quit and reopen the client. Most clients only read MCP config on startup.

I only see ~20 tools / tools I used before are missing

That's the default tool surface, not a failure — the rest of the catalog is reachable through the describe_tools and use_tool gateway, and your assistant knows to use it. If a long-running or previously-connected session reports "Tool not found" for tools it used before, its cached tool list predates the current surface: reconnect the server (or start a fresh conversation) so the client pulls the current list. See Tool surfaces.

401 or "unauthorized"

Your token is missing, wrong, or expired. Generate a fresh one under Admin → Settings and confirm the header reads Authorization: Bearer ....

The client asks for a command instead of a URL

That client expects a local (stdio) server. Use npx blackops-onboard for the guided local setup instead.