Zendesk Platform MCP server

Zendesk Platform provides APIs for extending Zendesk with custom objects, data models, apps, and business logic. An MCP server for Zendesk Platform lets AI agents create custom data structures, manage apps, configure webhooks, and build complex automations on top of Zendesk.

Setting up an MCP server

This article covers the standard steps for creating an MCP server in AI Gateway and connecting it to an AI client. The steps are the same for every integration — application-specific details (API credentials, OAuth endpoints, and scopes) are covered in the individual application pages.

Before you begin

You'll need:

• Access to AI Gateway with permission to create MCP servers
• API credentials for the application you're connecting (see the relevant application page for what to collect)

Create an MCP server

Find the API in the catalog

1. Sign in to AI Gateway and select MCP Servers from the left navigation.
2. Select New MCP Server.
3. Search for the application you want to connect, then select it from the catalog.

Configure the server

1. Enter a Name for your server — something descriptive that identifies both the application and its purpose (for example, "Zendesk Support — Prod").
2. Enter a Description so your team knows what the server is for.
3. Set the Timeout value. 30 seconds works for most APIs; increase to 60 seconds for APIs that return large payloads.
4. Toggle Production mode on if this server will be used in a live workflow.
5. Select Next.

Configure authentication

Enter the authentication details for the application. This varies by service — see the Authentication section of the relevant application page for the specific credentials, OAuth URLs, and scopes to use.

Configure security

1. Set any Rate limits appropriate for your use case and the API's own limits.
2. Enable Logging if you want AI Gateway to record requests and responses for auditing.
3. Select Next.

Deploy

Review the summary, then select Deploy. AI Gateway provisions the server and provides a server URL you'll use when configuring your AI client.

---

Connect to an AI client

Once your server is deployed, you'll need to add it to the AI client your team uses. Select your client for setup instructions:

• Claude Desktop
• Claude Code
• Cursor
• VS Code
• Windsurf

Tips

• You can create multiple MCP servers for the same application — for example, a read-only server for reporting agents and a read-write server for automation workflows.
• If you're unsure which OAuth scopes to request, start with the minimum read-only set and add write scopes only when needed. Most application pages include scope recommendations.
• You can edit a server's name, description, timeout, and security settings after deployment without redeploying.

Authentication

Zendesk Platform uses OAuth 2.0 authentication. Create an OAuth application in your Zendesk Admin Center and obtain a Client ID and Client Secret. The OAuth endpoints are subdomain-specific: https://{subdomain}.zendesk.com/oauth/authorizations/new for authorization and https://{subdomain}.zendesk.com/oauth/tokens for token exchange. Key scopes include read and write (general access), apps:read and apps:write (manage apps), and custom_objects:read and custom_objects:write (manage custom objects). The Sunshine API is accessed via https://{subdomain}.zendesk.com/api/sunshine.

Available tools

The Zendesk Platform MCP server provides tools for managing custom objects, apps, webhooks, and advanced platform configurations.

Custom Objects

Tool	Description
create_custom_object	Create a new custom object type
get_custom_object	Retrieve custom object schema
update_custom_object	Update custom object definition
delete_custom_object	Delete a custom object
list_custom_objects	List all custom objects
create_custom_object_record	Create a record of a custom object
update_custom_object_record	Update a custom object record
delete_custom_object_record	Delete a custom object record
list_custom_object_records	List records with filtering

Apps Framework

Tool	Description
create_app	Create a new Zendesk app
get_app	Retrieve app details
update_app	Update app configuration
delete_app	Delete an app
list_apps	List installed apps
create_installation	Install an app on the instance
list_installations	List app installations
update_installation	Configure app installation

Webhooks & Targets

Tool	Description
create_webhook	Create a webhook trigger
get_webhook	Retrieve webhook configuration
update_webhook	Update webhook settings
delete_webhook	Delete a webhook
list_webhooks	List configured webhooks
create_target	Create a webhook target endpoint
list_targets	List webhook targets

Custom Fields & Admin Settings

Tool	Description
create_custom_field	Create a custom field
get_custom_field	Retrieve field configuration
list_custom_fields	List custom fields
update_custom_field	Update field settings
list_roles	List available roles
list_groups	List user groups

Tips

Plan relationships and field types carefully before creating custom objects in production — custom objects require careful schema design upfront.

Use custom_objects:read scope for read-only access to minimize security risk.

Test apps thoroughly in a development environment first — app installation is immediate and affects all users.

Include retry logic on the receiving endpoint to handle network failures in webhook configurations.

Always validate webhook signatures before processing events to ensure they originate from Zendesk.