Connect an AI coding tool to Altified

MCP stands for Model Context Protocol. In plain language, it is a safe connection between an AI coding tool and your Altified project. The AI tool does not connect directly to your database. It talks to the Altified MCP server, which checks your token and permissions before using Altified.

What are MCP settings?

MCP settings are the place inside an AI code editor where you add outside tools for the AI to use. They are not a setting in the Altified dashboard. Look in your editor for a menu or file named MCP, MCP servers, Tools, or Integrations.

The editor must support MCP. A normal text editor without an AI assistant cannot use this connection.

Set it up from beginning to end

1. Open your project. In the Altified dashboard, open the project you want your AI coding tool to use, then choose MCP from the project cards or the project navigation.
2. Choose permissions. Read permissions let the AI inspect your project. Write permissions allow approved changes, such as adding a language. Start with read permissions if you are unsure.
3. Create a token. Give it a name such as Cursor on my laptop. Tokens created from a project are limited to that project.
4. Copy the token immediately. Altified shows the complete token only once. It works like a password for the AI tool.
5. Copy the configuration. After the token is created, use Copy configuration in the token panel. This copies the complete JSON connection information, including the server URL and your token.
6. Open your AI code editor's MCP settings. Search the editor settings for MCP. Then choose an option such as Add server, New MCP server, or Edit configuration. The wording is different in each editor.
7. Paste and save the configuration. If the editor accepts JSON, paste the configuration you copied from Altified. If it asks for separate fields, use the server URL, the Authorization header, and the token shown below.
8. Restart or reload the editor. Some editors only connect to new MCP servers after the AI assistant or editor has been restarted. Approve or enable the Altified server if the editor asks.
9. Test the connection. Ask the editor's AI: “List my Altified project details and tell me whether the SDK is connected.” A successful response means the editor can reach Altified.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "altified": {
      "url": "https://mcp.altified.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_MCP_TOKEN"
      }
    }
  }
}

The example above uses YOUR_MCP_TOKEN as a placeholder. Use Copy configuration on the MCP page so your real token is inserted automatically. Never publish the completed configuration.

If your editor uses separate fields

If it does not connect

• The server does not appear: confirm that the editor supports MCP, then restart or reload it.
• Unauthorized or 401: copy the configuration again, check that the token is complete, and make sure it has not been revoked.
• Permission denied or 403: return to Altified and create a token with the required permission. A project token also cannot access another project.
• The AI cannot change anything: check that the token has the required write permission and approve the requested action when Altified asks for confirmation.

What the permissions mean

• projects:read — lets the AI see project names, domains, languages, and status.
• languages:read — lets the AI see the languages Altified supports.
• translations:read — lets the AI see translation progress.
• seo:read — lets the AI read SEO audit status and findings.
• integration:read — lets the AI read safe SDK setup information.
• usage:read — lets the AI read plan and usage information.
• languages:write — lets the AI request adding a language, but Altified still requires confirmation.

Some write permissions are reserved for future MCP actions. Altified still checks project ownership, token permissions, plan limits, and confirmation for changes.

What MCP does not do

• It does not replace the Altified dashboard or SDK.
• It does not give the AI your database, payment details, or backend secrets.
• It does not automatically edit your codebase; the AI coding tool makes code changes locally.
• It does not let a project token access another Altified project.

Revoking access

Return to the project's MCP page, find the token, and choose Revoke. The AI tool will stop being able to connect with that token. Create a new token if you lose the old one or share it accidentally.

Need the normal application integration instead? Continue with the SDK setup guide.