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Bento MCP Server
Connect your favorite AI assistant to Bento and manage your email marketing with natural language.
The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that lets AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and others interact with external tools and services. The Bento MCP server gives your AI assistant direct access to your Bento account—look up subscribers, create broadcasts, track events, and more, all through natural conversation.
Whether you're drafting a campaign, importing subscribers, or checking your stats, just ask your AI assistant and it handles the rest.
Before you begin, make sure you have:
- A Bento account with API access
- Your Bento API credentials (Publishable Key, Secret Key, Site UUID)
- An AI application that supports MCP (Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code, etc.)
- Node.js 18 or later installed on your machine
Log into your Bento account and click on Settings in the left sidebar.
Go to Team Settings and find your API keys.
You'll need three values:
| Credential | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Publishable Key | Your public API key | pk_live_abc123... |
| Secret Key | Your private API key (keep this safe!) | sk_live_xyz789... |
| Site UUID | Your unique site identifier | site_uuid_here |
npm install -g @bentonow/bento-mcp
Choose your AI application below for step-by-step setup instructions.
The MCP server provides these tools that your AI assistant can use:
"Import these 50 subscribers with the 'webinar-attendee' tag"
Import up to 1000 subscribers at once
batch_import_subscribers"What tags do I have in Bento?"
List all tags in your account
list_tags"Create a tag called 'vip-customer'"
Create a new tag
create_tag"Show me my custom fields in Bento"
List all custom fields
list_fields"Create a custom field for 'company_name'"
Create a new custom field
create_field"Track a 'completed_onboarding' event for user@example.com"
Track a custom event (can trigger automations)
track_event"Show me my recent broadcasts"
List all broadcasts/campaigns
list_broadcasts"Create a broadcast for our spring sale announcement"
Create a new draft broadcast
create_broadcast"What automations do I have set up?"
List email sequences and workflows
list_automations"Show me template ID 123"
Get an email template's content by ID
get_email_template"Update template 123 with this new subject line"
Update a template's subject or content
update_email_template"How many subscribers do I have?"
Get overall site statistics
get_site_statsCreating an Email Broadcast
This is the most common workflow—drafting and creating an email campaign using natural language.
Create a broadcast called 'Summer Sale Announcement' with the subject 'Save 30% This Weekend Only'. Use HTML format. Send from 'Marketing Team' at marketing@mycompany.com. The content should announce our summer sale with a 30% discount code SUMMER30.
I'll create that broadcast for you.
create_broadcastrunning...The broadcast is now saved as a draft in your Bento dashboard.
Importing Subscribers
Perfect for moving subscribers from a spreadsheet or another platform.
Import these subscribers with the tag 'newsletter-2024':
• alice@example.com (Alice Smith)
• bob@example.com (Bob Jones)
• carol@example.com (Carol Williams)
I'll import those 3 subscribers with the 'newsletter-2024' tag.
batch_import_subscribersrunning...Pro Tips for Bulk Imports:
- You can import up to 1000 subscribers at once
- Custom fields are supported—just mention them naturally
- Tags can be added or removed during import
- Existing subscribers will be updated (not duplicated)
Tracking Purchase Events
Track revenue and trigger purchase-based automations.
Track a $49.99 purchase for customer@example.com. Order ID is ORD-12345, product is 'Annual Pro Plan'.
I'll track that purchase event.
track_event$purchaserunning...Purchase Event Requirements: Purchase events must include:
value.amount: Amount in cents (4999 for $49.99)value.currency: ISO currency code (USD, EUR, etc.)unique.key: A unique identifier to prevent double-counting (order ID)
The MCP server will auto-generate a unique key if you don't provide one, but using your order ID is recommended.
Checking Your Stats
Get a quick overview of your Bento account performance.
How is my Bento account doing? Give me the key stats.
get_site_statsrunning...Your Bento account is healthy! You have 12,547 total subscribers with 95% active. Your average open rate of 42.3% is well above industry average.
Managing Your Subscriber Data
Look up and understand your subscribers.
Look up john.doe@example.com and tell me everything about them
get_subscriberjohn.doe@example.comrunning...John Doe is an active VIP customer from Acme Corp on the Enterprise plan. He's been subscribed since January 2024 and has the newsletter and customer tags.
Setting Up Custom Fields
Create the data structure for personalization.
I need to track company name, job title, and plan type for my subscribers. Create those fields.
I'll create those three custom fields for you.
create_field×3running...Fields are now available for use when importing subscribers or tracking events.
Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to common questions or contact our support team
Missing required environment variables
The MCP server can't find your Bento credentials.
- Double-check that all three environment variables are set in your MCP configuration
- Ensure there are no typos in the variable names
- Make sure the values don't have extra spaces or quotes
- Restart your AI application after making changes
Authentication failed: Invalid API credentials
Your API keys are incorrect or expired.
- Log into Bento and verify your API keys
- Make sure you're using the correct Publishable Key and Secret Key pair
- Check that your Site UUID matches your account
- Regenerate your API keys if necessary
MCP server not showing up
Your AI application doesn't see the Bento MCP server.
- Verify the configuration file path is correct for your operating system
- Check JSON syntax—a single missing comma can break the config
- Ensure Node.js 18+ is installed (
node --version) - Try running the server manually to check for errors
- Restart your AI application completely
Testing Your Connection
Run the server manually to check for errors:
Or ask your AI assistant:
If it works, you'll see your tags. If not, check your configuration.
Security
- Never share your Secret Key in public repositories, screenshots, or support tickets
- Use environment variables in CI/CD rather than hardcoding credentials
- Rotate API keys periodically, especially if you suspect they may have been exposed
Performance
- Use batch operations when importing multiple subscribers—
batch_import_subscribershandles up to 1000 at once - Be specific in your prompts to help the AI choose the right tool on the first try
- Review broadcasts in Bento before sending—the MCP creates drafts for safety
Workflow Tips
- Start with stats to understand your account state before making changes
- Test with a single subscriber before bulk importing
- Use descriptive broadcast names so they're easy to find in the Bento dashboard
- Leverage custom fields for personalization—create them once, use them everywhere
Subscriber Operations
"Look up [email] in Bento"
"Import these subscribers with tag [tag]: [list]"
Tag Operations
"What tags do I have?"
"Create a tag called [name]"
Broadcast Operations
"Show me my broadcasts"
"Create a broadcast called [name] about [topic]"
Event Tracking
"Track [event] for [email]"
"Log a $[amount] purchase for [email]"
Statistics
"Show me my Bento stats"
"How many subscribers do I have?"
For users who prefer not to store credentials in config files:
1. Add to your shell profile (~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc):
2. Use a simpler MCP config:
The server will automatically pick up the environment variables from your shell.
- GitHub Issues: github.com/bentonow/bento-mcp/issues
- Documentation: docs.bentonow.com
- Discord: Join the community
- Email Support: support@bentonow.com