Factory Channel

You can deploy and interact with the Factory Channel MCP Server to analyze distribution channels, dealer networks, and sales coverage. This MCP server exposes analytical capabilities that let you search for companies, compare industry channel metrics, and review channel performance to inform market strategies and partner decisions.

How to use

You will connect your MCP client to the Factory Channel MCP Server to perform channel insights across companies, industries, and products. Use the HTTP configuration to point to a remote MCP endpoint for live data, or run a local stdio MCP instance to host the server on your own machine. Once connected, you can perform fuzzy searches for company names, analyze channel strength against peers, and search for potential partners by product focus and region.

How to install

Prerequisites: ensure you have Python 3.10 or newer installed on your machine.

• python -m venv mcp_env
• source mcp_env/bin/activate

Install required Python packages from the project requirements.

python -m venv mcp_env && source mcp_env/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

Additional setup steps

Configure environment variables for secure access and MCP authentication by creating a local environment file.

cp .env.example .env

Edit the following variables in .env to enable your MCP access.

INTEGRATOR_ID=your_integrator_id SECRET_ID=your_secret_id SECRET_KEY=your_secret_key

## Start the local MCP server

Run the local Python MCP server using the streamable HTTP interface. This will start the service at the default address.

python server/mcp_server.py streamable-http

## Connecting via Cursor / Cherry Studio MCP

Add a connection to the locally running MCP server so your MCP client can stream data.

{ "mcpServers": { "factory_channel_mcp": { "type": "streamableHttp", "url": "http://127.0.0.1:8000/mcp" } } }

## Using the official remote service

If you prefer the official remote service, configure your MCP client to connect to the remote endpoint.

{ "mcpServers": { "factory_channel_mcp":{ "type": "streamableHttp", "url": "https://mcp.handaas.com/factory/channel_insight?token={token}" } } }

## Environment and security notes

Keep your integrator and secret keys secure. Do not expose your keys in public or unsecured environments. When using the STDIO path, include your environment variables in the run configuration to ensure the server has access to required credentials.

## Notes on configuration formats

The server can be started in different modes. The HTTP mode connects to a remote or hosted MCP endpoint, while the STDIO mode runs the server locally with a command that includes the Python runtime and script path.

## Troubleshooting tips

- Check python --version
- Ensure the virtual environment is activated

Review environment variables for correctness and ensure network access to the MCP endpoint if using remote services.

## Available tools

### channel\_insight\_fuzzy\_search

Fuzzy search for enterprise keywords such as company name, person, brand, product, or role to retrieve matching companies.

### channel\_insight\_channel\_analysis

Channel analytics for a specified enterprise, including capital, brand influence, registered capital, and sales strength compared with peers.

### channel\_insight\_channel\_search

Search for channel partners by factory or product name with filters for region, sales mode, and pagination.