Connect an AI Client

Register the hosted 9squid MCP server with your AI client. Each registration is scoped to a role (originator or investor). You can register both at the same time under different names.

Connection details

Every client needs the same three things:

Setting	Value
URL	`https://mcp-stg.9squid.com/mcp?role=originator` or `https://mcp-stg.9squid.com/mcp?role=investor`
Transport	Streamable HTTP
Auth header	`Authorization: Bearer <your-api-key>`

You can also send the role as an x-9squid-role: originator | investor header. If both are present, the role query parameter wins. A missing or unrecognized role exposes zero tools. Your Clerk API key is sent as a bearer token on every request and forwarded by the MCP server to the Platform API for validation. The key is never stored on the MCP server.

Config files in this guide contain your API key. Do not commit files with real keys. Where a client supports environment variables or secret prompts, use them.

Claude Code

Register via CLI

Replace <your-api-key> with your 9squid API key.

claude mcp add --transport http 9squid-originator \
  "https://mcp-stg.9squid.com/mcp?role=originator" \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer <your-api-key>" \
  --header "x-9squid-role: originator"

claude mcp add --transport http 9squid-investor \
  "https://mcp-stg.9squid.com/mcp?role=investor" \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer <your-api-key>" \
  --header "x-9squid-role: investor"

Add --scope user to make the server available in all projects, or --scope project to write it to the project’s .mcp.json.

Register via project config file

Create or edit .mcp.json in your project root. Claude Code expands ${NINE_SQUID_API_KEY} from your environment, so the key stays out of source control.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "9squid-originator": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp-stg.9squid.com/mcp?role=originator",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${NINE_SQUID_API_KEY}",
        "x-9squid-role": "originator"
      }
    },
    "9squid-investor": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp-stg.9squid.com/mcp?role=investor",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${NINE_SQUID_API_KEY}",
        "x-9squid-role": "investor"
      }
    }
  }
}

Verify the connection

claude mcp list

Inside a Claude Code session, run /mcp. You should see 9squid-originator and/or 9squid-investor listed as connected.

Remove a registration

claude mcp remove 9squid-originator
claude mcp remove 9squid-investor

Claude Desktop

Claude Desktop’s config file launches local (stdio) servers, so use the mcp-remote bridge to reach the hosted server. This requires Node.js 18 or later. Open your Claude Desktop config file (Settings → Developer → Edit Config):

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Add the 9squid servers under mcpServers:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "9squid-originator": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://mcp-stg.9squid.com/mcp?role=originator",
        "--header",
        "Authorization:${AUTH_HEADER}"
      ],
      "env": {
        "AUTH_HEADER": "Bearer <your-api-key>"
      }
    },
    "9squid-investor": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://mcp-stg.9squid.com/mcp?role=investor",
        "--header",
        "Authorization:${AUTH_HEADER}"
      ],
      "env": {
        "AUTH_HEADER": "Bearer <your-api-key>"
      }
    }
  }
}

The header value is passed through env because some platforms mangle spaces inside args. Keep Authorization:${AUTH_HEADER} exactly as written, with no space after the colon.

Save the file and fully quit and restart Claude Desktop. The 9squid tools appear under the tools (search and tools) menu in a new chat.

Cursor

Edit ~/.cursor/mcp.json for all projects, or .cursor/mcp.json in a project root:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "9squid-originator": {
      "url": "https://mcp-stg.9squid.com/mcp?role=originator",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${env:NINE_SQUID_API_KEY}",
        "x-9squid-role": "originator"
      }
    },
    "9squid-investor": {
      "url": "https://mcp-stg.9squid.com/mcp?role=investor",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${env:NINE_SQUID_API_KEY}",
        "x-9squid-role": "investor"
      }
    }
  }
}

Open Cursor Settings → MCP (Tools & Integrations) and confirm the servers show a green status and their tool list.

VS Code (GitHub Copilot)

Create .vscode/mcp.json in your workspace, or run MCP: Open User Configuration from the Command Palette for a global config. VS Code uses a top-level servers key and can prompt for the key once, then store it securely:

{
  "inputs": [
    {
      "type": "promptString",
      "id": "nine-squid-api-key",
      "description": "9squid API key",
      "password": true
    }
  ],
  "servers": {
    "9squid-originator": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp-stg.9squid.com/mcp?role=originator",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${input:nine-squid-api-key}",
        "x-9squid-role": "originator"
      }
    },
    "9squid-investor": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp-stg.9squid.com/mcp?role=investor",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${input:nine-squid-api-key}",
        "x-9squid-role": "investor"
      }
    }
  }
}

Click Start above a server entry (or run MCP: List Servers), then open Copilot Chat in Agent mode and check the tools picker for the 9squid tools.

Codex CLI

Edit ~/.codex/config.toml and bridge to the hosted server with mcp-remote:

[mcp_servers.9squid-originator]
command = "npx"
args = [
  "-y", "mcp-remote",
  "https://mcp-stg.9squid.com/mcp?role=originator",
  "--header", "Authorization:${AUTH_HEADER}",
]
env = { AUTH_HEADER = "Bearer <your-api-key>" }

[mcp_servers.9squid-investor]
command = "npx"
args = [
  "-y", "mcp-remote",
  "https://mcp-stg.9squid.com/mcp?role=investor",
  "--header", "Authorization:${AUTH_HEADER}",
]
env = { AUTH_HEADER = "Bearer <your-api-key>" }

Start codex and run /mcp to confirm the servers and their tools are loaded.

Other MCP clients

Any client that supports remote MCP servers over Streamable HTTP with custom headers can connect using the connection details above. For clients that only launch local stdio servers, use the mcp-remote pattern shown for Claude Desktop.

ChatGPT and other header-restricted connectors: the 9squid MCP server requires the API key in an Authorization header. Connectors that cannot send custom headers (such as ChatGPT custom connectors) are not supported yet.

Switching roles

The role is fixed per registration. To switch, register a second server with the other role (for example 9squid-investor alongside 9squid-originator), or edit the role query parameter and x-9squid-role header of an existing entry and restart or reconnect the client.

What tools you get per role

Registration	Tools available
`role=originator`	Loans (11), Pools (5), Analytics (2), Selection Criteria (4), Documents (4), Webhooks (9), Alerts (3), Health (1) — 39 tools
`role=investor`	Deals (7), Portfolio (3), Subscriptions (4), Documents (4), Webhooks (9), Alerts (3), Health (1) — 31 tools

See the Tools Reference for a complete listing with parameters.

Troubleshooting

No tools visible after connecting The role is missing or invalid. Verify the URL includes ?role=originator or ?role=investor exactly. Missing or unrecognized roles intentionally expose zero tools. Authentication error Confirm the Authorization: Bearer <your-api-key> header is present and the key has no extra spaces or quotes. The MCP server only checks that a token exists. The Platform API validates whether the key is authorized. Claude Desktop or Codex shows the server as failed Check that Node.js 18+ is installed and npx is on your PATH. Claude Desktop logs are in ~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp*.log (macOS) or %APPDATA%\Claude\logs\ (Windows). Server not responding Check the health endpoint:

curl https://mcp-stg.9squid.com/health

​Connection details

​Claude Code

​Register via CLI

​Register via project config file

​Verify the connection

​Remove a registration

​Claude Desktop

​Cursor

​VS Code (GitHub Copilot)

​Codex CLI

​Other MCP clients

​Switching roles

​What tools you get per role

​Troubleshooting

Connection details

Claude Code

Register via CLI

Register via project config file

Verify the connection

Remove a registration

Claude Desktop

Cursor

VS Code (GitHub Copilot)

Codex CLI

Other MCP clients

Switching roles

What tools you get per role

Troubleshooting