Universally

npx add-mcp 'https://mcp.universally.com/platform'

Universally Documentation

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Add https://mcp.universally.com/platform to your AI assistant as a connector, sign in to Universally, and pick a workspace. The assistant can then answer questions about your sites and, if you allow it, change translations, languages and glossary rules for you. It works with any assistant that supports remote MCP servers, including Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and VS Code.

What it is

Universally runs an MCP server, the standard way AI assistants connect to outside services. The server URL is:

https://mcp.universally.com/platform

Each connection is tied to one workspace. To work with a second workspace, add a second connection.

Before you start

• A Universally account that is a member of the workspace you want to connect.
• If the workspace requires two-factor authentication, you need it set up on your account, because the sign-in uses your normal dashboard login.

Sign in

The first time the assistant uses Universally, it opens a Universally page in your browser:

1. Sign in to the dashboard if you are not signed in already.
2. Pick the workspace this connection should use. Your role in each workspace is shown next to its name.
3. Leave Allow changes unticked for a read-only connection, or tick it so the assistant can also make changes.
4. Click Allow.

Deny closes the page without connecting.

Add the connector to your assistant

Claude (claude.ai and Claude Desktop)

1. Open Settings, then Connectors.
2. Choose Add custom connector.
3. Paste https://mcp.universally.com/platform as the URL and save.
4. Click Connect and sign in as described above.

Claude Code

Run:

claude mcp add --transport http universally https://mcp.universally.com/platform

Then run /mcp in Claude Code, pick universally, and choose Authenticate.

ChatGPT

ChatGPT accepts custom connectors in developer mode.

1. Turn on developer mode in ChatGPT's settings.
2. Create a connector with https://mcp.universally.com/platform as its URL and OAuth as its authentication.
3. Sign in as described above.

Cursor

Add this to .cursor/mcp.json in your project, or to the global Cursor MCP settings:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "universally": { "url": "https://mcp.universally.com/platform" }
  }
}

VS Code

Add this to .vscode/mcp.json. VS Code uses servers where Cursor uses mcpServers:

{
  "servers": {
    "universally": { "url": "https://mcp.universally.com/platform" }
  }
}

Other assistants

Any assistant that supports remote MCP servers over HTTP with OAuth sign-in can connect with the same URL.

What the assistant can do

These are the tools the assistant gets:

Area	What the assistant can do
Workspace	Read the workspace name and settings. Read the plan, its limits and how much of each is used.
Sites	List sites, read one site, create a site, and read the install steps for a site.
Languages	List a site's languages, add a language, and switch a language on or off.
Translations	Search strings, read a string with all its translations, edit a translation, approve or unapprove a translation, and machine-translate a string.
Glossary	List glossary rules, and create or edit a rule.
Analytics	Read a site's requests, translation activity and most requested URLs for the last 24 hours.

A few things to know about what changes do:

• Machine-translating a string replaces its current translation, including one a person wrote, and the translated words count toward your plan's prepaid word limit.
• Editing a translation puts the new text live as soon as cached pages refresh.
• Switching a language off stops serving it to visitors. Its translations are kept, and switching it back on restores it.
• Creating a site counts toward your plan's site limit. The site translates only after you install it, and the assistant gives you the install steps for its platform.
• The install steps include the script line only when you are an owner or admin. Editors, members and API key connections get the same steps with a link to the dashboard page that shows the line.

What the assistant cannot do

• Delete anything. There is no tool to delete a site, language, translation or glossary rule. Do that in the dashboard.
• Go past your role. The assistant acts as you, and every call is checked against your current role in the workspace. A member can only read. An editor can edit translations, add and switch languages, and create and edit glossary rules, but cannot approve translations or create sites. Owners and admins can use every tool. See Roles and permissions.
• Make changes on a read-only connection. Without Allow changes, every tool that changes something is refused, whatever your role.
• See secret keys. Private API keys never reach the assistant. When a WordPress or Astro setup needs one, the assistant points you to the dashboard page that shows it.
• Reach other workspaces. A connection only sees the workspace you picked when you signed in.

Connect with an API key instead

Tools that do not support OAuth sign-in, and scripts, can send a workspace API key instead. Create a key on the workspace's API Keys tab with the permissions for the tools you plan to use (see Find your API key), then send it in the X-API-Key header.

For Claude Code:

claude mcp add --transport http universally https://mcp.universally.com/platform --header "X-API-Key: pak_..."

For Cursor:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "universally": {
      "url": "https://mcp.universally.com/platform",
      "headers": { "X-API-Key": "pak_..." }
    }
  }
}

The key's permissions decide which tools work:

Tool area	Key permissions needed
Workspace and usage	View workspace
List and read sites, install steps, analytics	View sites
Create a site	Create sites
List languages	View languages
Add a language, switch a language on or off	Add languages
Search and read strings	View translations
Edit or machine-translate a translation	Edit translations
Approve or unapprove a translation	Approve translations
List glossary rules	View glossary
Create a glossary rule	Create glossary rules
Edit a glossary rule	Edit glossary rules

Workspace keys expire after the period you chose when you created them, so the connection stops working on that date until you swap in a new key. Anyone with the key has its access, so treat it like a password.

Disconnect

• OAuth connection. Remove the Universally connector in your assistant. The connection also ends on its own if you leave the workspace or your account is disabled, and after 30 days without use.
• API key. Revoke the key on the workspace's API Keys tab. Every assistant using it stops working at once.

If it does not work

• The assistant says it is no longer signed in. Reconnect Universally in the assistant and sign in again.
• A change is refused. Either the connection was made without Allow changes, or your role does not allow it. Reconnect with Allow changes ticked, or ask an owner or admin.
• A call is refused because the workspace requires two-factor authentication. Set up two-factor authentication on your account in the dashboard, then try again.
• The sign-in page says to set a new password first. Your account has a password reset pending. Set the new password in the dashboard, then connect again.
• The sign-in page says there is no workspace to connect. Your account is not a member of any workspace yet. Accept an invitation or create a workspace in the dashboard first.

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