Plain.com

You run a local MCP server that exposes the Plain.com API through Claude Code, giving you access to 77 tools for handling help centers, customers, threads, automation, and more. This setup lets you perform common support workflows directly from Claude Code.

How to use

Connect your MCP client to the Plain.com MCP Server, then call the available tools to manage help centers, articles, customers, threads, and other entities. You can list, create, update, and delete resources, or trigger automated actions like generating articles from threads or sending communications. Use the tool names as commands in your MCP client and pass the required identifiers (IDs, slugs, or emails) to target specific records. For example, you can list all help centers, create a new article for a center, or attach notes to a thread. Your workflow might involve creating a thread for a customer, adding a note for internal context, and generating a knowledge article from an ongoing discussion.

To perform actions, call the corresponding tool by name from your MCP client. Each tool has a specific purpose, such as creating a customer, updating a thread’s title, or sending an email to a customer to start a new thread. Use the tools in a logical sequence: verify data, perform the operation, verify the result, and handle any follow-up steps (like marking a thread done or snoozing it for later).

How to install

Prerequisites: Node runtime or a compatible JavaScript/TypeScript environment, and a local machine capable of running the MCP server alongside Claude Code.

Step 1: Install dependencies for the MCP server environment.

Step 2: Obtain your Plain.com API key with full API permissions from your account’s API settings.

Step 3: Configure Claude Code to load the MCP server by adding the following configuration. Replace your API key with the key you created.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "plain": {
      "command": "bun",
      "args": ["run", "/path/to/plain-mcp/src/index.ts"],
      "env": {
        "PLAIN_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Additional sections

Configuration details, security considerations, and troubleshooting notes are provided here to ensure smooth operation and safe usage of the MCP server.

Security: Keep your API key secure. Do not commit it to version control. Use environment variables or secret management to supply credentials at runtime.

Configuration snippet

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "plain": {
      "command": "bun",
      "args": ["run", "/path/to/plain-mcp/src/index.ts"],
      "env": {
        "PLAIN_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Troubleshooting

If the MCP server does not load, verify that Bun is installed and that the path to index.ts is correct. Ensure the API key is set in the environment and that Claude Code has permission to start the MCP server. Restart Claude Code after updating the configuration.

Available tools

list_help_centers

List all help centers in the workspace

get_help_center

Get details of a specific help center

create_help_center

Create a new help center

update_help_center

Update an existing help center

delete_help_center

Delete a help center

update_help_center_custom_domain

Set a custom domain for a help center

verify_help_center_custom_domain

Verify DNS ownership of a custom domain

list_help_center_articles

List articles in a help center

get_help_center_article

Get a specific help center article by ID

get_help_center_article_by_slug

Get a help center article by its URL slug

upsert_help_center_article

Create or update a help center article

delete_help_center_article

Delete a help center article

generate_help_center_article

Auto-generate an article from a thread using AI

list_help_center_article_groups

List article groups (categories) in a help center

get_help_center_article_group

Get a specific article group by ID

create_help_center_article_group

Create a new article group (category)

update_help_center_article_group

Update an article group

delete_help_center_article_group

Delete an article group

get_help_center_index

Get the navigation index/structure of a help center

update_help_center_index

Update the navigation index/structure

create_knowledge_source

Create a knowledge source for AI to reference

delete_knowledge_source

Delete a knowledge source

upsert_customer

Create or update a customer

delete_customer

Delete a customer

get_customer

Get detailed customer information by ID

search_customers

Search for customers by email

mark_customer_as_spam

Mark a customer as spam

unmark_customer_as_spam

Remove spam marking from a customer

create_customer_event

Create a custom event on a customer timeline

list_customer_groups

List all customer groups

create_customer_group

Create a new customer group

add_customer_to_groups

Add a customer to one or more groups

remove_customer_from_groups

Remove a customer from one or more groups

list_threads

List support threads with optional status filter

get_thread

Get detailed thread info including conversation timeline

get_queue_stats

Get a quick overview of support queue counts

create_thread

Create a new support thread for a customer

update_thread_title

Update the title of a thread

delete_thread

Permanently delete a thread

assign_thread

Assign a thread to a user

unassign_thread

Remove assignment from a thread

change_thread_priority

Change the priority of a thread

create_thread_event

Create a custom event on a thread timeline

reply_to_thread

Reply to a thread (sent via original channel)

mark_thread_done

Mark a thread as done/resolved

mark_thread_todo

Mark a thread as todo (re-open it)

snooze_thread

Snooze a thread for a specified duration

list_label_types

List all available label types

create_label_type

Create a new label type

add_labels_to_thread

Add labels to a thread

remove_labels_from_thread

Remove labels from a thread

list_thread_field_schemas

List all custom thread field schemas

upsert_thread_field

Set a custom field value on a thread

create_note

Create an internal note on a thread (not visible to customer)

delete_note

Delete an internal note from a thread

send_email

Send a new email to a customer (starts a new thread)

send_chat

Send a chat message to a customer

upsert_company

Create or update a company

delete_company

Delete a company

upsert_tenant

Create or update a tenant

delete_tenant

Delete a tenant

list_snippets

List all snippets (canned responses)

create_snippet

Create a new snippet

update_snippet

Update an existing snippet

delete_snippet

Delete a snippet

list_webhooks

List all webhook targets

create_webhook

Create a new webhook target

update_webhook

Update a webhook target

delete_webhook

Delete a webhook target

list_autoresponders

List all autoresponders

create_autoresponder

Create a new autoresponder

delete_autoresponder

Delete an autoresponder

list_tiers

List all support tiers

create_tier

Create a new support tier

delete_tier

Delete a support tier

get_workspace

Get current workspace information

list_users

List workspace users