DevStride MCP Server

Setting Up Your Connection

Connect your AI client to the DevStride MCP Server using OAuth 2.1 or an API key, with ready-to-paste setup for Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, and more.

Connecting an AI client to DevStride takes a few minutes. You open the Connect AI page in DevStride, choose how to authenticate, copy the ready-made setup snippet for your client, and you're done.

Open the Connect AI page

In the left navigation sidebar, find the Help section and click Connect AI (MCP) (terminal icon). This opens a page titled Connect your AI client (MCP).

This page is available to all users — it's not limited to administrators. Everything you set up here acts within the permissions you already have.

The MCP Server URL

Your AI client connects to a single endpoint, shown on the page as a copyable MCP Server URL:

https://api.devstride.com/mcp

The server identifies itself to your client as devstride-mcp. You'll paste this URL — or the ready-made setup command for your client — into your AI assistant during setup.

Choose an authentication method

The Connect AI page offers two ways to authenticate, switched with a toggle at the top of the panel:

OAuth 2.1 (recommended, and the default)
API Key

Lead with OAuth 2.1 unless you have a specific reason to use an API key.

	OAuth 2.1	API Key
Stores a long-lived secret	No — short-lived token, refreshed automatically	Yes — you must copy and store the secret
Works with web clients (Claude.ai, ChatGPT)	Yes	No
Works with Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Copilot, Gemini CLI	Yes	Yes
Organization scope	One org, chosen when you sign in	One org, chosen when you create the key

A connection acts as you

Whichever method you choose, the connection can invoke any tool you can perform in the DevStride UI — including changes such as archiving boards and items, deleting comments or time entries, and bulk-updating items. Treat an MCP connection like a set of credentials with your full level of access, and consider connecting from a lower-privilege account where that fits how you work. See Best Practices & Tips for ways to stay in control.

Method 1: OAuth 2.1 (recommended)

On first use, your AI client opens a browser so you can sign in to DevStride, pick which organization to connect to, and approve access. No secrets are stored on your machine — your client receives a short-lived token that it refreshes automatically.

One organization per connection. When you sign in, you pick the organization on a consent page and click Allow. To work in a different organization, you authorize again and pick that org.
You must be an active member of the organization you authorize.
Short-lived access. Tokens last about an hour and refresh automatically, so you rarely sign in more than once per client.

Method 2: API Key

API keys are the alternative for clients that can use them (everything except the web clients). Create a key from the Connect AI panel's Create a new API key link, or from My Account → API Keys → New Key. You provide a Label and a For Organization selection — the organization travels with the key.

When you create the key, the dialog shows the Api Key, Organization Id, Organization Slug, and Api Secret.

Copy your secret immediately

The secret is shown only once: "COPY YOUR API SECRET NOW! It cannot be viewed or reproduced later." It cannot be regenerated. If a key is ever leaked, revoke it and issue a new one.

After creation, the dialog embeds the Connect AI panel pre-filled with your new credentials, so you get a ready-to-paste setup command.

Set up your AI client

The Connect AI panel has a tab for each supported client, each with a ready-to-paste snippet tailored to how that client expects to be configured:

Claude Code and Codex give you a terminal mcp add command.
Copilot provides a .vscode/mcp.json block; Cursor a ~/.cursor/mcp.json entry; Gemini CLI an entry for ~/.gemini/settings.json.
Claude (web) and ChatGPT give you a connector Name (use DevStride) and the MCP Server URL to paste into the client's connector settings.

Web clients use OAuth only

Claude (web) and ChatGPT can't send custom headers, so they only work with the OAuth 2.1 method.

Connecting Claude (web)

In Claude, open Settings → Connectors and choose Add custom connector.
For Name, enter DevStride.
Paste the MCP Server URL: https://api.devstride.com/mcp.
Click Add, then Connect, and sign in to DevStride when prompted.

On the Claude.ai free plan you can add only one custom connector.

Connecting ChatGPT

ChatGPT also uses OAuth and the same connector Name and MCP Server URL, plus a connector Description (the panel provides one). Open Settings → Connectors → Create, paste the URL, and set authentication to OAuth. For full access to DevStride's tools, turn on Developer mode under Connectors → Advanced.

Reconnecting

To reconnect a CLI client like Claude Code — for example, to switch organizations — remove the existing server first, then run the setup command again from the Connect AI panel:

claude mcp remove devstride

New to the command line? Set up Claude Code first

If you want to use Claude Code (the terminal-based assistant) and don't have it yet, install it before connecting. On a Mac:

Install Homebrew (the command-line installer for macOS) by following the instructions at brew.sh, then run the two PATH commands it prints at the end.
Install Node.js (which provides npm): brew install node
Install Claude Code: npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code (run claude --version to confirm).
Start it from a folder you'd like to work in: claude. The first time, it walks you through signing in.
Add DevStride by pasting the Claude Code snippet from the Connect AI panel, then restart Claude Code and run /mcp to confirm DevStride shows as connected.

On Windows

You don't need Homebrew on Windows. Install Node.js (LTS) from nodejs.org, open Windows Terminal or PowerShell, then run npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code. The rest of the steps are the same.

Terminal tips for first-timers

Paste with Cmd + V (Mac) or Ctrl + V (Windows). When you type a password, nothing appears on screen — that's normal. If a command seems to hang with no new prompt, it's still working — wait rather than pressing Return again.

What Is the DevStride MCP Server?

Connect AI assistants like Claude and ChatGPT directly to your DevStride work so they can answer questions and get real work done on your behalf.

Doing Real Work with the DevStride MCP Server

Ready-to-use prompts and a worked example showing how an AI assistant can plan, sequence, report on, and update your DevStride work.