CoherenceCOHERENCE

MCP Quickstart

Install the Coherence MCP server in your AI client in under two minutes.

Connect Claude Desktop, Cursor, Cline, Windsurf, VS Code, or ChatGPT to your Coherence workspace.

1. Create an API key

  1. Sign in to your Coherence workspace
  2. Go to Settings → API Keys → Create new key
  3. Name the key (e.g., Claude Desktop)
  4. Optionally tick scopes to limit what the key can do
  5. Copy the sk_live_… value — it's only shown once

The settings page gives you a ready-to-paste JSON snippet for your MCP client config. The blocks below match it.

Store the key like a password. Anyone with it can act as you in your workspace, subject to the scopes you ticked.

2. Add Coherence to your MCP client

Pick your client below and paste the JSON into its config file. Replace sk_live_... with your actual key.

Claude Desktop

Config file:

  • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
  • Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "coherence": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@coherenceos/mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "COHERENCE_API_TOKEN": "sk_live_..."
      }
    }
  }
}

Fully quit Claude Desktop and reopen it. The "coherence" server should appear in the tools menu of a new chat.

Cursor

Open Cursor Settings → MCP → Add new MCP server, or edit ~/.cursor/mcp.json directly:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "coherence": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@coherenceos/mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "COHERENCE_API_TOKEN": "sk_live_..."
      }
    }
  }
}

Cline (VS Code extension)

In VS Code, open the Cline extension, click MCP Servers in the toolbar, then edit the config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "coherence": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@coherenceos/mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "COHERENCE_API_TOKEN": "sk_live_..."
      }
    }
  }
}

Windsurf

Edit ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "coherence": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@coherenceos/mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "COHERENCE_API_TOKEN": "sk_live_..."
      }
    }
  }
}

VS Code (GitHub Copilot)

Open .vscode/mcp.json in your workspace (or the global config):

{
  "servers": {
    "coherence": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@coherenceos/mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "COHERENCE_API_TOKEN": "sk_live_..."
      }
    }
  }
}

ChatGPT (Developer Mode)

ChatGPT's MCP connector requires a hosted HTTP MCP server, which Coherence doesn't ship yet — npx-based stdio servers like this one don't work there. Hosted endpoint (mcp.getcoherence.io) is on the roadmap.

3. Try it

Once your client has reloaded, ask:

  • "List my Coherence CRM modules." — tests the records fast-path.
  • "Use Coherence to look up the last 5 contacts I added."
  • "Ask my Coherence agent to draft a follow-up email to the leads I created today." — tests chat_with_agent; takes 5–30 seconds while the agent runs.

If the tools don't show up after restart, check that the JSON is valid and that your COHERENCE_API_TOKEN is the full sk_live_… value.

Troubleshooting

"COHERENCE_API_TOKEN is required" — the env var didn't reach the process. Double-check that you fully quit and reopened your client (not just closed the window).

401 Unauthorized — your key was revoked, expired, or mistyped. Mint a new one at Settings → API Keys.

403 Forbidden: API key is missing required scope — you ticked scopes when creating the key, but the tool you're calling needs a scope you didn't tick. Either create a new key with no scopes (full access), or add the missing scope.

404 on chat_with_agent — your MCP server is on a version older than 0.2.0. Run npm cache clean --force and pin the version: "args": ["-y", "@coherenceos/mcp-server@latest"].

What's next