Zip1
officialA free URL shortener
What can you do with Zip1 MCP?
- Shorten URLs — Ask your assistant to create a short link from any valid URL using
create_short_url. - Custom aliases & passwords — Request a branded short link with a custom alias and optional password protection via
create_short_url. - Check URL validity — Ask whether a URL can be shortened before creating a link, using the
validate_urltool. - Retrieve link analytics — Get click counts, unique visitors, and top countries for any short code with
get_url_stats. - Generate short codes — Ask for a random short code suggestion to use as a custom alias.
Documentation
🤖 AI Integration (MCP)
Use zip1.io directly from AI assistants like Claude through the Model Context Protocol (MCP). Shorten URLs, retrieve analytics, and manage links using natural language commands.
🤖
AI-Powered URL Management
Talk to your URL shortener like you talk to an AI
- ✨ Natural language interface - no API syntax needed
- ⚡ Instant URL shortening from your AI assistant
- 📊 Get analytics on-demand with simple prompts
- 🔒 Create password-protected links conversationally
⚡ Quick Setup
For Claude Code (Recommended)
Claude Code supports HTTP MCP servers directly via CLI. Simply run:
claude mcp add --transport http zip1 https://zip1.io/mcp
Verify installation:
claude mcp list
✅ That's it! You can now use zip1.io directly from Claude Code.
For Claude Desktop
⚠️ Requires Proxy: Claude Desktop only supports stdio-based MCP servers, not HTTP servers. You'll need a local proxy to bridge the connection.
Option 1: Using mcp-client-cli (Recommended)
Install the MCP client CLI tool to bridge stdio to HTTP:
npm install -g @modelcontextprotocol/client-cli
Then edit your Claude Desktop config file:
- macOS:
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json - Windows:
%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
Add this configuration:
{
"mcpServers": {
"zip1": {
"command": "mcp-client",
"args": ["https://zip1.io/mcp"]
}
}
}
Restart Claude Desktop and the zip1.io tools will be available.
Option 2: Custom Node.js Proxy
For advanced users, create a custom stdio-to-HTTP bridge script:
#!/usr/bin/env node
const https = require('https');
const readline = require('readline');
const MCP_URL = 'https://zip1.io/mcp';
const rl = readline.createInterface({
input: process.stdin,
output: process.stdout,
terminal: false
});
rl.on('line', (line) => {
const request = JSON.parse(line);
const options = {
method: 'POST',
headers: {
'Content-Type': 'application/json',
}
};
const req = https.request(MCP_URL, options, (res) => {
let data = '';
res.on('data', (chunk) => data += chunk);
res.on('end', () => {
console.log(data);
});
});
req.on('error', (error) => {
console.error(JSON.stringify({
jsonrpc: '2.0',
id: request.id,
error: { code: -32000, message: error.message }
}));
});
req.write(JSON.stringify(request));
req.end();
});
Make it executable and add to your Claude Desktop config:
chmod +x zip1-mcp-proxy.js
{
"mcpServers": {
"zip1": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/path/to/zip1-mcp-proxy.js"]
}
}
}
⚙️ Server Configuration
The zip1.io MCP server is available as an HTTP endpoint that any MCP-compatible client can connect to.
Server Details
| Configuration Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Server URL | https://zip1.io/mcp |
| Transport | HTTP (Streamable) |
| Protocol Version | MCP 2024-11-05 |
| Message Format | JSON-RPC 2.0 |
| Authentication | None (rate-limited) |
| Rate Limit | 30 requests/minute per IP |
| Available Tools | 4 (create_short_url, get_url_stats, validate_url, generate_short_code) |
Using with Other MCP Clients
Any MCP-compatible client that supports HTTP transport can connect to zip1.io. Here are some examples:
Direct HTTP Requests (curl)
curl -X POST https://zip1.io/mcp \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"jsonrpc": "2.0",
"id": 1,
"method": "tools/list",
"params": {}
}'
curl -X POST https://zip1.io/mcp \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"jsonrpc": "2.0",
"id": 2,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "create_short_url",
"arguments": {
"url": "https://example.com",
"alias": "my-link"
}
}
}'
Python Client Example
import requests
MCP_URL = "https://zip1.io/mcp"
def call_mcp_tool(tool_name, arguments):
payload = {
"jsonrpc": "2.0",
"id": 1,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": tool_name,
"arguments": arguments
}
}
response = requests.post(MCP_URL, json=payload)
return response.json()
# Example usage
result = call_mcp_tool("create_short_url", {
"url": "https://github.com/anthropics/claude-mcp",
"alias": "mcp-docs"
})
print(result)
Self-Hosted Configuration
If you're running your own instance of zip1.io, configure clients to point to your instance:
claude mcp add --transport http zip1 https://your-domain.com/mcp
{
"mcpServers": {
"zip1-local": {
"command": "mcp-client",
"args": ["http://localhost:8000/mcp"]
}
}
}
💬 Example Conversations
Here are some natural language prompts you can use with Claude:
Creating Short URLs
"Shorten https://github.com/anthropics/claude-mcp for me"
Claude's Response:
✅ Short URL created: https://zip1.io/\[code\]
🔤 Generated code: [code]
🔗 Original URL: https://github.com/anthropics/claude-mcp
📊 View stats: https://zip1.io/stats/\[code\]
Custom Aliases & Passwords
"Create a short URL for https://docs.myapp.com with alias 'docs' and password 'team2024@'"
Claude's Response:
✅ Short URL created: https://zip1.io/docs
📝 Custom alias: docs
🔒 Password protected: Yes
🔗 Original URL: https://docs.myapp.com
Getting Analytics
"Show me the stats for short code 'docs'"
Claude's Response:
📊 Statistics for: https://zip1.io/docs
👆 Total clicks: 127
👤 Unique clicks: 89
🔒 Password protected: Yes
📅 Created: 2024-01-15T10:30:00
🌍 Top countries:
1. United States: 54 clicks
2. United Kingdom: 23 clicks
3. Canada: 18 clicks
URL Validation
"Can I shorten ftp://myserver.com/file.zip?"
Claude's Response:
❌ URL is invalid: Must include http:// or https:// protocol and a valid domain
🛠️ Available Tools
The zip1.io MCP server provides four tools that Claude can use:
| Tool | Description | Example Usage |
|---|---|---|
create_short_url | Create shortened URLs with optional custom aliases, passwords, and max clicks | "Shorten this URL with alias 'mylink'" |
get_url_stats | Retrieve detailed analytics including clicks, countries, and timestamps | "Get stats for short code 'abc123'" |
validate_url | Check if a URL is valid and can be shortened | "Can I shorten example.com?" |
generate_short_code | Generate a random short code suggestion | "Generate a random short code" |
description on create_short_url is an optional private note for your own integration, up to 100 characters. It is not shown on the link's public pages. Keep it free of personal data you wouldn't want stored. The create response returns it.
🔧 Technical Details
MCP Endpoint
GET /mcp
Returns server information, available tools, and configuration details.
Protocol Information
- Protocol Version: MCP 2024-11-05
- Transport: Streamable HTTP
- Message Format: JSON-RPC 2.0
- Rate Limit: 30 requests per minute per IP
Security
- All communication uses HTTPS encryption
- Passwords are hashed with bcrypt before storage
- Rate limiting prevents abuse
- Same security infrastructure as the REST API
💡 Use Cases
📝 Content Creation
Generate short URLs while writing blog posts, documentation, or social media content without leaving your AI assistant.
📊 Quick Analytics
Ask for link performance during conversations. "How many clicks did my campaign link get?"
🔐 Secure Sharing
Create password-protected links on-the-fly when sharing sensitive information in team chats.
🎯 Campaign Management
Create custom-aliased URLs for marketing campaigns with natural language commands.
🔍 Troubleshooting
Rate limiting errors?
- The MCP endpoint has a limit of 30 requests per minute
- Wait a minute and try again
Tools not appearing in Claude Code?
- Ensure the MCP server URL is accessible
- Try visiting https://zip1.io/mcp in your browser
- Verify your MCP configuration with
claude mcp list
📚 Resources & Documentation
- Official MCP Documentation - Learn more about the Model Context Protocol
- MCP Python SDK - Build your own MCP servers
- REST API Documentation - Traditional API access
Ready to Get Started?
Add zip1.io to Claude Code now and start shortening URLs with AI
claude mcp add --transport http zip1 https://zip1.io/mcp