This article helps you fix common problems connecting an AI assistant to the Elements MCP (Model Context Protocol) server, or using it once connected.

Find the symptom you're seeing below. Most connection problems come from one of three causes:

If you can't connect to the Elements MCP server, or no Spaces appear when you sign in, the Space you want usually hasn't been enabled for MCP access yet. Elements turns MCP access on per Space as a licensed feature. Once the Space is enabled, connect again and it will appear.

An Elements MCP endpoint that works for one Org may not work for another, because Elements runs in more than one location. Log into Elements, check the URL in your browser, and use the matching endpoint from the table in Connect your AI assistant to the Elements MCP server. Don't choose an endpoint based on where you or your company are located.

If signing in to Elements keeps looping, clear your assistant's saved Elements authorization and connect again. In most assistants this is in the same menu where you added the connection: look for 'Disconnect' or 'Remove server', then reconnect.

A 401 or 405 error when you open the Elements MCP endpoint in a browser is expected and doesn't mean the service is down. The endpoint only accepts signed-in POST requests, which your assistant sends automatically. A browser sends a GET request instead, so you see 401 Unauthorized if you're not signed in, or 405 Method Not Allowed if you are. Connect through your AI assistant instead of opening the URL directly.

If your Elements account belongs to more than one Space, Elements asks you to choose which Spaces the connection can use when you first sign in. To change that choice later, revoke the connection and reconnect; see Elements MCP server security, data access and admin controls. You can also ask your assistant to switch between your approved Spaces at any time, for example "Switch to the Acme Corp space."

The active_space_required error means your assistant has no active Space and none of the Spaces you approved is your Elements default Space. When no Space is active, Elements uses your default Space only if it's among the Spaces you approved. Ask your assistant to switch to one of your approved Spaces, or reconnect and include your default Space.

A 'too many requests' or 'server busy' message means a rate limit was reached. Each connection can run up to 20 requests at the same time, and the server as a whole may reply 'server busy' under heavy load. Your assistant reports this as rate_limited, too_many_concurrent_requests or server_busy, each with the number of seconds to wait. Wait the full time before trying again, because retrying sooner won't work, then ask your assistant to make fewer requests in parallel.

If an Elements MCP request times out, it was too broad for the roughly 30-second limit on a single request. Large results normally aren't a problem: Elements returns long lists a page at a time, summarizes oversized results, and runs long analyses in the background. Narrow the request, for example to fewer items, one object or one metadata type, and try again.

Your assistant can't see an Elements MCP tool when none of your approved Spaces makes it available through its plan, licences and your role there. If your connection covers several Spaces, a tool available in one Space returns a not-authorized message when used in a Space that doesn't qualify. After a licensing change, start a new conversation so your assistant picks up the updated tool list. The Elements MCP server tools reference lists what each capability needs.

Copilot Studio shows 'The client_id is not registered' (invalid_client) when nobody signed in to the connector within 24 hours of creating it, so Elements discarded its registration. Delete the MCP server from your agent's 'Tools', add it again, and create a connection and sign in straight away. Once one sign-in succeeds, the registration is permanent.

ChatGPT rejects an Elements plugin upload as a duplicate when the plugin name is still held on your account, even after you uninstalled it. Log out of ChatGPT and back in, then upload again. If ChatGPT still refuses, the name is held by an earlier upload that needs uninstalling first.

If the Elements plugin, its skills or its tools don't appear in ChatGPT after you upload or connect it, log out of ChatGPT and back in to refresh the plugin list.

If Codex doesn't list the Elements skills, run /skills and turn on the ones you need. Invoke a skill with $, for example $elements-spaces.

If Claude Desktop or claude.ai shows ${user_config.apiHost} in the Elements connector URL, replace that placeholder with your Elements host, for example api.q9elements.com, so the URL reads https://api.q9elements.com/api/v1/mcp.

Removing Elements from your assistant's settings stops that assistant using it, but the connection stays valid in Elements until its refresh token expires, 30 days after its last refresh. To end it immediately, open your Elements profile, select the 'Connected apps' tab, find the connection and click 'Revoke'.

If none of these steps fixes your Elements MCP problem, contact Elements support with the name of your AI assistant, the endpoint you used, and the exact error message. Elements support can also investigate a connection's activity from the audit logs.