What is MCP?
Model Context Protocol is an open standard that gives AI assistants a live connection to external tools and data. Think of it like a USB port for AI — instead of pasting data into a chat window, your AI client connects directly to Alvys and can search, read, and (where permitted) act on your operational data in real time. The Alvys MCP server sits in front of the Alvys Public API. It adds the safety properties an AI tool surface requires:- Authentication — every request carries an Auth0 bearer token; unauthenticated calls are rejected.
- Tenant isolation — your company is resolved from the token itself, never from agent input.
- Per-tool permissions — each tool requires a specific scope (for example
load:read), enforced on every call. - Read / Write / Destructive classification — write and destructive tools are gated and off by default.
- Auditing & rate limits — every tool call is logged and throttled.
Who it’s for
Connecting to Alvys’s MCP Server
The Alvys MCP server is a remote MCP server that speaks the MCP Streamable HTTP transport. You connect by pointing your MCP client at the server URL and authenticating with Auth0.Server URLs
Protocol version support
You do not need to pick a protocol version, and there is nothing to configure. MCP clients and servers negotiate the revision automatically on connect, so your client uses the newest revision both sides understand. The Alvys MCP server implements MCP revision2026-07-28 and still accepts these earlier revisions:
If your client works today, it keeps working. Upgrading the server to
2026-07-28 did not drop support for any revision. You do not need to update your client, change your configuration, or migrate to a different URL.- Older clients — no action. Your client negotiates an earlier revision and behaves exactly as before.
- Newer clients — no action. Your client negotiates
2026-07-28and gets the newer protocol features automatically. - The tools, scopes, and URL are identical across revisions. The negotiated revision changes protocol mechanics, not what your agent can do.
Option 1 — Interactive login (recommended for AI apps)
Best for human-facing clients that support remote MCP servers with OAuth — Claude, Claude Code, ChatGPT, Cursor, and Codex. You add the server URL once and your client discovers the login flow automatically via the server’s OAuth metadata (/.well-known/oauth-protected-resource/mcp). No client secret is stored in your MCP client — the interactive flow uses OAuth 2.1 with PKCE.
Set up your AI tool
Pick your client below. Every path ends the same way: a browser window opens to the Alvys login where you sign in and, if prompted, select your organization. Your client exchanges that session for a token scoped to your company and permissions, and can then list and call any tool your account is permitted to use.- Claude
- Claude Code
- ChatGPT
- Cursor
- Codex
- Go to Connectors settings.
- Select Add custom connector.
- Enter the connector details:
- Name —
Alvys - URL —
https://mcp.alvys.com/mcp
- Name —
- Select Add, then complete the Alvys login when prompted.
- In a chat, open the attachments menu (+) and enable the Alvys connector.
Option 2 — Machine-to-machine (headless automation)
Best for server-to-server agents and back-end automation with no human in the loop. This flow reuses the same OAuth 2.0 client-credentials mechanism as the Alvys Public API.-
Create (or reuse) an Alvys API application in Admin → API Access to get a
client_idandclient_secret. Select the scopes matching the tools you intend to call. See Authentication for the full walkthrough. -
Request an access token:
-
Point your MCP client at the server URL and pass the token in the
Authorizationheader:
scope claim determines which tools you can call, and its organization claim scopes every call to your company’s data.
Your
client_id and client_secret are sensitive. Store them securely and never expose them in front-end code. Tokens are scoped to exactly the permissions granted to your application.Verifying the connection
Once connected, ask your MCP client to list available tools, or issue an MCPtools/list call. You should see the Alvys tools grouped by domain (loads, trips, drivers, carriers, and more). For the full catalog, see Available MCP Tools.
A raw transport check (returns the server’s tool list over Streamable HTTP):
Permissions & safety
The MCP server enforces the same scope model as the Public API. Each tool declares a required permission using the{resource}:{action} convention — for example load:read, carrier:update, or tender:create. A tool call fails if your token lacks the scope.
Tools are classified into three tiers:
Additional guardrails applied to every call:
- Tenant isolation — your company is derived from your token’s organization claim; agents cannot target another tenant.
- Rate limiting — per-token request throttling protects your account and the platform.
- Response size caps — oversized responses are rejected to keep results within an AI client’s context window.
- Audit logging — every tool call is recorded with the caller, tenant, and trace id.
Guided prompts
Beyond individual tools, the server ships guided prompts — multi-step workflows an agent can follow end to end:Next steps
Available MCP Tools
Browse the full catalog of tools, grouped by domain, with the scope each one requires.
Authentication
Full walkthrough of creating credentials and issuing access tokens.
Getting Started
New to the Alvys API? Start here.
Need access or help?
- Existing Alvys customers: contact your account representative.
- ISVs / partners: contact the Alvys Partnership team.
- Technical support: support@alvys.com