Linkly Link Shortener

Linkly MCP Server

The Linkly MCP Server lets you connect AI assistants to your Linkly account using the Model Context Protocol. Once connected, you can create and manage short links through natural conversation.

What is MCP?

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that allows AI assistants to securely connect to external tools and data sources. Instead of copying and pasting between apps, you can ask your AI assistant to perform actions directly.

Supported AI assistants

The Linkly MCP Server works with:

• Claude Desktop
• ChatGPT Desktop
• Other MCP-compatible clients (Cursor, Windsurf, etc.)

MCP server or the Linkly CLI?

If your AI assistant is a coding agent that can run shell commands — such as Claude Code or Cursor — the Linkly CLI is often a better fit than the MCP server. Coding agents are already comfortable driving command-line tools, and the CLI gives them --json output on every command plus a linkly schema command that prints the full command tree, so the agent can discover everything it can do. The MCP server remains the better choice for assistants that cannot run shell commands, such as Claude Desktop and ChatGPT Desktop.

What you can do

Once connected, you can ask your AI assistant to:

• Create short links - "Create a short link for https://example.com"
• Track performance - "How many clicks did my links get this week?"
• Manage links - "Update the link called 'promo' with a new destination"
• View analytics - "Show me clicks by country for the last 30 days"
• Search links - "Find all links related to the product launch"
• Manage domains - "List my custom domains"
• Set up webhooks - "Subscribe https://my-site.com/webhook to receive click events"

Getting started

The hosted Linkly MCP Server lives at https://mcp.linklyhq.com. There is nothing to install and no API key to copy — the server uses OAuth, so the first time your AI assistant connects, a browser window opens asking you to sign in to Linkly and approve access. After that, your assistant stays connected.

https://mcp.linklyhq.com

Configuration

Claude desktop

In Claude Desktop, go to Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector. Enter a name (Linkly) and the remote MCP server URL:

Click **Add**, then **Connect** on the Linkly connector. A browser tab opens for you to sign in and approve access. Claude Desktop then stays connected — no config file or extra tooling needed.

### Claude code (CLI)

Claude Code supports remote MCP servers natively. Add Linkly with one command:

claude mcp add --transport http linkly https://mcp.linklyhq.com

Then run `/mcp` inside Claude Code, pick **linkly**, and authorize in the browser when prompted.

### ChatGPT desktop

Open your ChatGPT config file:

* **macOS:** `~/Library/Application Support/ChatGPT/mcp_servers.json`
* **Windows:** `%APPDATA%\ChatGPT\mcp_servers.json`

Add the Linkly MCP server:

{ "servers": { "linkly": { "type": "url", "url": "https://mcp.linklyhq.com" } } }

## Available tools

| Tool               | Description                                                        |
| ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| create\_link       | Create a new short link with optional UTM params, pixels, and more |
| update\_link       | Update an existing link's settings                                 |
| delete\_link       | Delete a link                                                      |
| get\_link          | Get details of a specific link                                     |
| list\_links        | List all links in your workspace                                   |
| search\_links      | Search links by name, URL, or note                                 |
| get\_clicks        | Get recent click data                                              |
| get\_analytics     | Get time-series click data for charts                              |
| get\_analytics\_by | Get clicks grouped by country, browser, platform, etc.             |
| list\_domains      | List your custom domains                                           |
| list\_webhooks     | List workspace webhook subscriptions                               |
| subscribe\_webhook | Subscribe a URL to receive click events                            |

## Link creation options

When creating links, you can specify:

* **Basic:** `url`, `name`, `note`, `domain`, `slug`, `enabled`
* **UTM Parameters:** `utm_source`, `utm_medium`, `utm_campaign`, `utm_term`, `utm_content`
* **Open Graph:** `og_title`, `og_description`, `og_image`
* **Tracking:** `fb_pixel_id`, `ga4_tag_id`, `gtm_id`
* **Advanced:** `cloaking`, `forward_params`, `block_bots`, `hide_referrer`
* **Expiry:** `expiry_datetime`, `expiry_destination`

## Troubleshooting

### "Could not connect to MCP server"

* Confirm `https://mcp.linklyhq.com` is reachable from your machine
* In Claude Code, run `/mcp` and pick **linkly** to re-trigger the OAuth flow

### "Authentication failed", "invalid\_client", or browser keeps asking to sign in

These mean your client is holding a stale connection registration. Clear the cached credentials and re-authorize. In Claude Code, run `/mcp` → **linkly** → reconnect. In Claude Desktop, remove the Linkly connector under **Settings → Connectors** and add it back, then sign in again.

### Tools not appearing

* Restart your AI assistant after saving the configuration
* Check that the JSON syntax in your config file is valid
* Verify the MCP server is running (check for the tools icon in your assistant)

## Related resources

* Claude Desktop Integration
* ChatGPT Integration
* Linkly API Documentation
* Linkly CLI
* Webhooks
* Model Context Protocol

### Try Linkly's free URL shortener

Get 100 short links and 500 monthly clicks free. No credit card.

Get your link for free

500 tracked clicks/monthCustom domainsNo credit card required

## MCP server FAQs

### Do I need to install anything to use the MCP server?

No. The hosted server at https://mcp.linklyhq.com uses OAuth — you sign in once in the browser and your AI assistant stays connected. There is no software to install on your machine beyond your AI assistant itself.

### Do I need an API key?

No. The MCP server uses OAuth — you sign in to Linkly through your browser the first time your AI assistant connects, and there is no API key to copy or paste anywhere.

### Which AI assistants support MCP?

Claude Desktop, Claude Code (CLI), and ChatGPT Desktop all support MCP. Other tools like Cursor and Windsurf also have MCP support.

### Is my account secure?

Yes. The hosted server uses OAuth 2.1 with PKCE — your Linkly password is only ever entered on app.linklyhq.com, and your AI assistant only ever sees an access token scoped to your workspace. The AI model itself never sees your credentials.

### Can I use MCP with the web versions of Claude or ChatGPT?

No, MCP requires the desktop applications or the Claude Code CLI. The web versions do not support MCP connections.

### How do I update the MCP server?

There is nothing to update — we deploy improvements to the hosted server continuously and every connected client gets them automatically.

Plan availability

Available on Pro and above

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