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Connect your AI assistant to the Elements MCP server

Set up Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, VS Code, Codex or Copilot Studio with the Elements MCP server: find your endpoint, sign in and verify.

You can connect an AI assistant such as Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, VS Code, Codex or Microsoft Copilot Studio to Elements through the Elements MCP (Model Context Protocol) server.

Once connected, your assistant can answer questions about your Salesforce Org from the metadata Elements has synced, and run assessments such as org health checks, impact assessments, org migration plans - any change, big or small, can be scoped by your Agents with the help of Elements MCP server.

Prerequisites

  • Elements has enabled MCP access for the Space you want to use. MCP access is a licensed feature, available to customers on Advanced Metadata Management plan
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  • A Salesforce Org is connected and synced to that Space.
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  • An AI assistant that supports remote MCP servers with the MCP standard's secure sign-in (OAuth 2.1 with PKCE). Elements has been tested with Claude (CLI and Cowork), Codex CLI, ChatGPT (Work) and Cursor.
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  • Permission to add a custom connector or MCP server in that assistant. In many companies only an IT administrator can do this.
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  • Your Elements sign-in. You sign in with your existing Elements account, the same way you do in the browser.

Step 1: Find your MCP endpoint

Use the endpoint that matches your Elements URL. Elements runs in more than one location. The most common setup mistake is guessing the endpoint from where you or your company are based, instead of matching the URL you see when you're logged into Elements.

Your Elements MCP endpoint depends on which Elements location your Elements instance uses. Log into Elements, look at the URL in your browser, and use the matching endpoint below.

App URL (what you see in your browser)

MCP endpoint

app.q9elements.com

https://api.q9elements.com/api/v1/mcp

app.us.elements.cloud

https://api.us.elements.cloud/api/v1/mcp

app.ja1.elements.cloud

https://api.ja1.elements.cloud/api/v1/mcp

app.me1.elements.cloud

https://api.me1.elements.cloud/api/v1/mcp

In the steps below, replace <your-api-host> with the host part of your endpoint, for example api.q9elements.com.

Step 2: Add Elements to your AI assistant

Each AI assistant adds the Elements MCP server in a slightly different way. Click your assistant below to see its setup steps. For most assistants you can also install the Elements skills, which turn plain-language questions into the right Elements actions.

Claude Code

In Claude Code, the Elements plugin installs the Elements skills and the MCP server together. Inside Claude Code, run:

/plugin marketplace add Q9Elements/elements-mcp-server
/plugin install elements@elements

When the plugin asks for 'Elements API host', enter your host, for example api.q9elements.com. If you skipped this prompt, run /plugin configure elements@elements. Then run /mcp, choose 'elements', and approve access in the browser tab that opens.

Claude Desktop and Claude.ai

  1. Open 'Customize' → 'Plugins', click '+ Add' → 'Add marketplace'. Then choose "Add from repository" option and enter Q9Elements/elements-mcp-server. Make sure the toggle 'Sync automatically' is set to true - that way when we update our skills, those changes are automatically updated to your Claude instance.
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  2. In the 'Discover' section, the Elements plugins are now available. You need to find it and enable it in your Claude account. Click on the found plugin, and click 'Add'
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  3. In the Elements' plugin page go to its 'Connectors' tab. This lists the actual MCP server connection. Click "connect".
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  4. In the new window, replace the placeholder string with the endpoint path listed above, appropriate for your Elements environment and press continue.
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  5. Follow the prompts to sign in. You can leave the 'Advanced settings' OAuth fields blank.

Cursor

  1. Open ~/.cursor/mcp.json and add the command below (but replace the url value with the endpoint path listed above, appropriate for your Elements environment)
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    {
      "mcpServers": {
        "elements": { "url": "https://<your-api-host>/api/v1/mcp" }
      }
    }

  2. Restart Cursor, then approve the sign-in prompt that appears the first time you use an Elements tool.

To add the Elements skills, run:

npx plugins add Q9Elements/elements-mcp-server --target cursor


and select elements when the plugin list appears.

VS Code

  1. Open .vscode/mcp.json in your workspace (or use the Command Palette: 'MCP: Add Server') and add the command (but replace the url value with the endpoint path listed above, appropriate for your Elements environment)
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    {
      "servers": {
        "elements": {
          "type": "http",
          "url": "https://<your-api-host>/api/v1/mcp"
        }
      }
    }

  2. The first time you use an Elements tool, VS Code asks you to sign in through your browser. It handles the sign-in automatically; you provide only the URL.

To add the Elements skills, run:

npx plugins add Q9Elements/elements-mcp-server --target vscode and select elements.


Agent plugins are a Preview feature in VS Code, so turn on the chat.plugins.enabled setting if your organization manages it.

Codex

In Codex, you install the Elements skills and the MCP server separately, because the Codex plugin format only accepts a fixed URL and your endpoint depends on your Elements location.

  1. Install the Elements skills:

    codex plugin marketplace add Q9Elements/elements-mcp-server
    codex plugin add elements@elements

  2. Add the MCP server with your endpoint (but replace the url value with the endpoint path listed above, appropriate for your Elements environment)
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    codex mcp add elements --url https://<your-api-host>/api/v1/mcp

  3. Run codex mcp login elements and approve access in the browser tab that opens.

Start Codex and invoke a skill with $, for example $elements-spaces. If the Elements skills aren't listed, run /skills and turn them on.

ChatGPT

In ChatGPT, you upload the Elements skills as a plugin and then add the MCP server to it as an app.

  1. Download elements.zip.
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  2. If an older Elements plugin is installed, uninstall it from 'Plugins' → 'Personal' → the plugin's '…' menu → 'Uninstall', then log out of ChatGPT and back in. Otherwise ChatGPT rejects the new upload as a duplicate.
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  3. On the 'Plugins' page, click '+', upload elements.zip, then install it.
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  4. Open the plugin and click 'Add app'. Enter a name, for example Elements, set 'Server URL' to your endpoint, leave 'Authentication' as 'OAuth', tick 'I understand and want to continue', then click 'Create'.
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  5. Sign in: go to 'Plugins' → 'Personal' → the plugin's '…' menu → 'Manage' → '…' → 'View plugin detail'. Under 'App', open the app's '…' menu → 'Manage' → 'Connect' (or 'Connect another account') → 'Sign in with <app name>', then sign in to Elements and approve access.
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  6. Try it: @Elements.cloud List my Elements.cloud spaces. If the plugin or its tools don't appear, log out of ChatGPT and back in.

To update the plugin later, download the new elements.zip and use the app's '…' → 'Upload new version', or uninstall and upload again.

Microsoft Copilot Studio

Finish every step in one sitting, including your first sign-in. Copilot Studio registers the connector with Elements when you create it, but nobody signs in until someone creates a connection. A connector that nobody signs in to within 24 hours of creating it stops working.

  1. In Copilot Studio, open your agent and go to the 'Build' tab.
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  2. In the 'Tools' panel, click '+' and choose to add an MCP server.

  3. In the 'Add MCP server' dialog, fill in:

    • Server name: a short name, for example ElementsCloudMCP.

    • Server description: your agent uses this to decide when to call Elements, so be specific, for example "Gives the agent access to this Salesforce org's synced metadata, dependencies, governance, and documentation via Elements.cloud."

    • Server URL: your endpoint, for example https://api.q9elements.com/api/v1/mcp.

    • Authentication: OAuth 2.0.

    • Configuration type: Dynamic (with discovery). Elements registers the connector itself, so there is no client ID or secret to create. If you ever need to enter authorization and token URLs manually, take them from https://<your-api-host>/.well-known/oauth-authorization-server.

  4. Click 'Create'. This registers the connector with Elements and starts the 24-hour clock.

  5. In 'Select a connection', open the 'Connection' dropdown (it shows 'Not connected') and choose 'Create new connection'. Optionally enter a display name, then click 'Create'.

  6. Sign in with your Elements account in the window that opens, choose which Space or Spaces the connection can use, and approve.

  7. Back in Copilot Studio, click 'Add'. Your Elements server now appears under 'Tools' on the agent.

  8. Test the agent in the 'Preview' tab with a question such as "What Elements Spaces can you see?", then publish it to the channels you want, such as Teams and Microsoft 365.

Elements accepts the Power Platform consent redirect automatically, so you don't need to add it to an allowlist in Elements. The Elements skills can't be installed into Copilot Studio; your agent uses the Elements tools directly. For best results, tell the agent in its instructions to check Elements for anything about your Org rather than answering from general Salesforce knowledge. If Microsoft's screens have changed, see Microsoft's guide, Connect your agent to an existing MCP server.

Step 3: Sign in and choose your Spaces

The first time your assistant connects, Elements opens a browser tab and asks you to sign in with your existing Elements account. After signing in, you choose which Space or Spaces the connection can use, then approve. If your account has access to only one Space, Elements selects it automatically.
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You don't pick scopes: clients are offered the same full scope set by default. To change which Spaces a connection can use later, revoke it and reconnect.

Step 4: Check it's working

To check your AI assistant is connected to Elements, ask it something like "What Elements Spaces can you see?" or "Search my org for a field called…". If you get a real answer back, you're connected. Then try a first real question:

  • "Show me the metadata for the Account object, and what depends on it."

  • "What changed in my org this week? Anything unusual?"

  • "Run an org health diagnostic and tell me where to look first."

Frequently Asked Questions

Which AI assistants work with the Elements MCP server?

Any AI assistant whose MCP client supports remote MCP servers with OAuth 2.1 and PKCE sign-in works with the Elements MCP server. Elements has been tested with Claude (CLI and Cowork), Codex CLI, ChatGPT (Work) and Cursor, and this article includes setup steps for VS Code and Microsoft Copilot Studio as well.

Do I need the Elements skills as well as the MCP server?

You don't need the Elements skills to use the Elements MCP server, but they help. The MCP server gives your assistant the tools; the skills teach it which tool to use for a plain-language question, and let you call a skill by name, such as /elements-org-diagnostic. Copilot Studio can't install the skills and uses the tools directly.

Why do some capabilities not appear in my assistant?

Some Elements MCP capabilities depend on your Space's plan and licences and on your role. Your assistant only sees the tools your authorized Spaces make available. See the Elements MCP server tools reference.

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