Zendesk MCP Server

👁 npm version
👁 License: MIT
👁 Node.js Version
👁 MCP Compatible

A Model Context Protocol server for Zendesk API integration with AI-powered ticket analysis

Quick Start • Configuration • Tools • Architecture • Development

Overview

Zendesk MCP Server provides comprehensive access to the Zendesk API through the Model Context Protocol. It supports two transport modes that are auto-detected from environment variables:

• Stdio mode — API token auth, for CLI-based MCP clients (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.)

• HTTP mode — OAuth 2.1 with PKCE, for web-based MCP clients

Both modes expose the same set of tools. No code changes are needed to switch between them.

Based on mattcoatsworth/zendesk-mcp-server with significant enhancements including AI-powered features, dual-mode authentication, improved error handling, and comprehensive retry logic.

Related MCP server: Zendesk MCP Server

Quick Start

Stdio Mode (API Token)

Best for CLI-based MCP clients like Claude Code or Cursor. Each user only needs their own email + API token.

1. Get your API token from Zendesk Admin Center → Apps and integrations → APIs → Zendesk API → Add API token.

2. Configure your MCP client:

{
 "zendesk": {
 "type": "stdio",
 "command": "npx",
 "args": ["@sshadows/zendesk-mcp-server"],
 "env": {
 "ZENDESK_SUBDOMAIN": "your-subdomain",
 "ZENDESK_EMAIL": "you@example.com",
 "ZENDESK_API_TOKEN": "your-api-token"
 }
 }
}

That's it. The server auto-detects stdio mode and connects.

HTTP Mode (OAuth 2.1)

Best for web-based MCP clients or multi-user deployments with centralized OAuth.

1. Create an OAuth app in Zendesk Admin Center → Apps and integrations → APIs → OAuth Clients.

2. Create a .env file:

ZENDESK_SUBDOMAIN=your-subdomain
ZENDESK_OAUTH_CLIENT_ID=your_client_id
ZENDESK_OAUTH_CLIENT_SECRET=your_client_secret
ZENDESK_OAUTH_REDIRECT_URI=http://localhost:3030/zendesk/oauth/callback

3. Start and authorize:

npm start
# Visit http://localhost:3030/oauth/authorize in your browser

4. Use the token with your MCP client: Authorization: Bearer mcp_...

Installation

# npm (recommended)
npm install -g @sshadows/zendesk-mcp-server

# Or from source
git clone https://github.com/SShadowS/zendesk-mcp-server.git
cd zendesk-mcp-server
npm install

Configuration

Environment Variables

The server auto-detects which mode to use based on which variables are set.

Stdio mode (set ZENDESK_EMAIL + ZENDESK_API_TOKEN, without ZENDESK_OAUTH_CLIENT_ID):

ZENDESK_SUBDOMAIN=mycompany
ZENDESK_EMAIL=user@example.com
ZENDESK_API_TOKEN=your-api-token

HTTP mode (set ZENDESK_OAUTH_CLIENT_ID):

ZENDESK_SUBDOMAIN=mycompany
ZENDESK_OAUTH_CLIENT_ID=your_client_id
ZENDESK_OAUTH_CLIENT_SECRET=your_client_secret
ZENDESK_OAUTH_REDIRECT_URI=http://localhost:3030/zendesk/oauth/callback

Common (both modes):

MODE=full # 'full' (all 55 tools) or 'lite' (10 essential tools)
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-... # Required for AI image/document analysis
ZENDESK_DEBUG=false # Enable debug logging

HTTP mode only:

PORT=3030
SERVER_BASE_URL=http://localhost:3030 # Use https:// in production

See .env.example for the full list.

Tool Modes

Control which tools are exposed with the MODE environment variable:

• full (default) — All 55 tools available.

• lite — 10 essential tools for reduced context usage: search, get_user, list_tickets, get_ticket, get_ticket_comments, add_ticket_comment, get_ticket_attachments, analyze_ticket_images, analyze_ticket_documents, get_document_summary.

MODE=lite npm start

Available Tools

Architecture

Transport Modes

src/index.js (auto-detection)
├── ZENDESK_EMAIL + ZENDESK_API_TOKEN → Stdio mode
│ ├── ZendeskClient.setApiTokenAuth()
│ ├── setDefaultZendeskClient(client)
│ └── StdioServerTransport (stdin/stdout)
│
└── ZENDESK_OAUTH_CLIENT_ID → HTTP mode
 ├── Express server (src/http-server.js)
 ├── OAuth 2.1 with PKCE (src/auth/)
 ├── Per-session ZendeskClient instances
 └── StreamableHTTPServerTransport

Tools are identical in both modes. They call getZendeskClient() which resolves to:

• HTTP mode: Per-session client via AsyncLocalStorage

• Stdio mode: Singleton default client

Project Structure

zendesk-mcp-server/
├── src/
│ ├── index.js # Entry point (auto-detects mode)
│ ├── http-server.js # Express server with OAuth (HTTP mode only)
│ ├── server.js # MCP server setup and tool registration
│ ├── request-context.js # Per-session + default client context
│ ├── auth/
│ │ ├── oauth-handler.js # OAuth 2.1 with PKCE
│ │ ├── session-store.js # Session management
│ │ └── middleware.js # Bearer token auth middleware
│ ├── zendesk-client/
│ │ ├── base.js # Auth, HTTP requests, retry logic
│ │ ├── index.js # Mixin composition
│ │ ├── tickets.js # Ticket API methods
│ │ ├── users.js # User API methods
│ │ └── ... # Other API domain mixins
│ ├── tools/ # MCP tool implementations
│ ├── config/
│ │ └── tool-modes.js # Full/lite mode filtering
│ └── utils/
│ ├── errors.js # Classified error types
│ ├── retry.js # Exponential backoff
│ ├── ticket-context.js # AI prompt context builder
│ ├── document-handler.js # Document routing
│ └── converter-client.js # Office-to-PDF conversion
├── tests/ # Vitest test suite
├── .env.example # Environment variable template
└── CLAUDE.md # AI assistant project guide

Key Design Decisions

• Dual auth in one client: ZendeskClientBase supports both setApiTokenAuth() (Basic) and setAccessToken() (Bearer). The _authMode field determines which header getAuthHeader() returns.

• Default client fallback: AsyncLocalStorage doesn't propagate through StdioServerTransport's event callbacks. Instead of fighting that, getZendeskClient() falls back to a module-level default client in stdio mode. Zero changes needed in any tool file.

• Console.error everywhere: In stdio mode, stdout is the MCP transport. All diagnostic logging in shared code paths uses console.error.

• HTTP mode is unchanged: src/http-server.js and src/auth/* are only imported in HTTP mode. No changes were needed.

Development

npm start # Start server (auto-detects mode)
npm run dev # Start with auto-reload
npm test # Run all tests
npm run test:watch # Run tests in watch mode
npm run inspect # Launch MCP Inspector

Testing

Tests use Vitest and are in tests/ mirroring the src/ directory:

npm test # Run all tests
npm run test:watch # Watch mode

Integration tests (against real Zendesk + Anthropic APIs) require .env credentials and are automatically skipped when credentials are missing.

HTTP Mode Endpoints

Troubleshooting

The server needs either API token or OAuth credentials. Set one of:

# Stdio mode
ZENDESK_SUBDOMAIN=... ZENDESK_EMAIL=... ZENDESK_API_TOKEN=...

# HTTP mode
ZENDESK_SUBDOMAIN=... ZENDESK_OAUTH_CLIENT_ID=... ZENDESK_OAUTH_CLIENT_SECRET=...

• Complete OAuth flow: visit http://localhost:3030/oauth/authorize

• Check if token expired (24-hour TTL) — re-authorize if needed

• Ensure Bearer token is included: Authorization: Bearer mcp_xxx

• Token format should start with mcp_

• Verify ZENDESK_EMAIL is correct

• Verify ZENDESK_API_TOKEN is a valid API token (not a password)

• Verify ZENDESK_SUBDOMAIN is correct

• Check the connection test output in stderr on startup

In-memory sessions are cleared on restart. Re-authorize to get a new token. For production, implement a Redis-based session store (see src/auth/session-store.js).

Set ANTHROPIC_API_KEY in your environment. This is only needed for analyze_ticket_images, analyze_ticket_documents, and get_document_summary.

The server includes exponential backoff retry logic. If you hit rate limits frequently, consider using MODE=lite to reduce API calls, or check if multiple clients share the same credentials.

Contributing

1. Fork the repository

2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/my-feature)

3. Run tests (npm test)

4. Commit your changes

5. Open a Pull Request

License

MIT License — see LICENSE for details.

Acknowledgments

• Original implementation by @mattcoatsworth

• Built with Model Context Protocol

• AI features powered by Anthropic Claude

Made with care by SShadowS

Maintenance

Resources

• NPM Package
• GitHub Repository
Need Help?Related Servers

Tools

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• analyze_ticket_documentsA
• analyze_ticket_imagesB
• create_articleB
• create_automationA
• create_groupA
• create_macroB
• create_organizationA