MCP server for Ably — channel history, presence, occupancy, stats, publish, and app management. Hosted by usefulapi — connect from Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client.
Team and Enterprise: an Owner adds the connector for the organization first.
Run this command, then run /mcp in Claude Code to log in:
Add to Cursor or add this to ~/.cursor/mcp.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"ably": {
"url": "https://ably.usefulapi.io/mcp"
}
}
}Add to VS Code or add this to .vscode/mcp.json:
{
"servers": {
"ably": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://ably.usefulapi.io/mcp"
}
}
}Other MCP clients (Windsurf, Cline, Zed and more): add the URL as a remote MCP server (Streamable HTTP). The client then opens the login page in your browser. Do not add an Authorization header: see Before you connect.
The login page asks for your Ably API key.
Optional: Control API token.
Find your API key in Ably → your app → API Keys (full appId.keyId:keySecret). The optional Control API token lives under Account → Control API tokens and powers the management tools (apps, keys, namespaces, queues, rules, account stats). Your credentials are used only to call Ably on your behalf and to derive a private account id; they are never shown to anyone.
Add only the URL. Do not add an Authorization header or an API key to the client config. The server signs you in with OAuth: the login page asks for your Ably API key. If the config has such a header, remove it: some clients then send that header instead of the login token, and every call fails with 401.
Turn on the Ably connector, then ask in plain words. The AI picks the tools.
| Tool | Type | What it does |
|---|---|---|
ably_get_channel_history | read | Get channel message history Retrieve historical messages published to a channel, newest-first by default. REST: GET /channels/{channel}/messages. |
ably_get_presence | read | Get channel presence set List the members currently present on a channel (who is online now). REST: GET /channels/{channel}/presence. |
ably_get_presence_history | read | Get channel presence history Retrieve historical presence events (enter/leave/update) for a channel. REST: GET /channels/{channel}/presence/history. |
ably_get_channel_details | read | Get channel details / occupancy Get status and occupancy metrics for a single channel (connections, publishers, subscribers, presence members). REST: GET /channels/{channel}. |
ably_list_channels | read | List active channels Enumerate channels that are currently active in the app. Requires the API key to have the 'channel-metadata' capability. REST: GET /channels. |
ably_get_stats | read | Get app statistics Retrieve message/connection/channel usage statistics for the app tied to the API key, bucketed by time. REST: GET /stats. |
ably_get_service_time | read | Get Ably service time Return the current Ably service time in ms since epoch. Useful for aligning start/end windows to the server clock. REST: GET /time. |
ably_publish_message | write | Publish a message to a channel WRITE: publish a message to a channel. Every connected subscriber receives it in real time. This is a real, outward-facing side effect — confirm the channel and payload before calling. REST: POST /channels/{channel}/messages. |
ably_whoami | read | Get control token / account info Return details about the configured control token: the account and user it belongs to and its capabilities. Good first call to confirm control-plane access. Control API: GET /me. |
ably_list_apps | read | List Ably apps List all apps in the account (id, name, status, tls-only). Account id is resolved automatically from the control token when ABLY_ACCOUNT_ID is unset. Control API: GET /accounts/{account_id}/apps. |
ably_list_keys | read | List an app's API keys List the API keys for an app, including their capabilities (but not the full secret). Control API: GET /apps/{app_id}/keys. |
ably_list_namespaces | read | List an app's channel namespaces List the channel namespaces (channel-rule prefixes) configured for an app, e.g. persistence and push settings. Control API: GET /apps/{app_id}/namespaces. |
ably_list_queues | read | List an app's queues List the Ably Queues (AMQP/STOMP message queues) provisioned for an app, with their state and messaging stats. Control API: GET /apps/{app_id}/queues. |
ably_list_rules | read | List an app's integration rules List the integration rules (reactor rules: webhooks, AWS Lambda/SQS/Kinesis, Kafka, Pulsar, etc.) configured for an app. Control API: GET /apps/{app_id}/rules. |
ably_get_account_stats | read | Get account-level statistics Retrieve aggregated usage statistics across the whole account, bucketed by time. Account id is resolved from the control token when ABLY_ACCOUNT_ID is unset. Control API: GET /accounts/{account_id}/stats. |
ably_usage_status | Usage status (free-tier meter) Report the caller's current free-tier usage this month: calls used, monthly limit, remaining, and whether the cap is reached. Read-only; does not count against the meter. | |
ably_request_feature | Request a missing feature Tell usefulapi that the user needs something the Ably tools cannot do yet (a missing tool, field or filter). Call it only when the user asks for something none of the tools can do, and tell the user that you send the request. Do not call it for errors or for normal requests. Do not include personal data, credentials or customer records. Stored with the product name and the client type (for example Claude or Cursor), without the user's account. At most 5 requests per day. Does not count against the meter. | |
ably_upgrade | Upgrade to Pro (unlimited) Subscribe to the Pro plan for UNLIMITED Ably tool calls (the free tier caps monthly usage). Choose monthly ($9/month) or yearly ($90/year — 2 months free) billing. Returns a Stripe Checkout link to open in your browser; after payment your account upgrades automatically. Does not count against the meter. | |
ably_cancel_subscription | Cancel the Pro subscription Cancel the caller's Ably Pro subscription at the end of the paid period (no refund for the current period; unlimited calls continue until then, then the free tier applies). Requires confirm: true. Run ably_upgrade later to undo the cancel before the period ends. Does not count against the meter. |
| Plan | Price | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 100 tool calls / month |
| Pro | $9/mo · $90/yr | Unlimited |
Pro covers this Ably server only. Subscribe with ably_upgrade (it returns a Stripe Checkout link). Cancel any time with ably_cancel_subscription: Pro continues to the end of the paid period, with no refund for the current period, and running ably_upgrade before then undoes the cancel. Or write to [email protected].
No. usefulapi is an independent service. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Ably. The server calls the Ably API with your own Ably access, so it sees only the data that your account can see.
The login page asks for your Ably API key. See Before you connect for where to find it.
No. Add only the URL. Do not add an Authorization header or an API key to the client config. The server signs you in with OAuth: the login page asks for your Ably API key. If the config has such a header, remove it: some clients then send that header instead of the login token, and every call fails with 401.
The login stores them encrypted in the authorization grant of your connection. The server uses them to call the Ably API for you and to derive a private account id for usage metering. usefulapi does not show them on any page or in any reply. To stop all access, remove the connector and change or delete these credentials in Ably.
Yes, if you approve it. 1 of the 15 Ably tools can create or change data. The other 14 are marked read-only. Most MCP clients ask you to approve a tool call before it runs.
The Free plan gives 100 tool calls / month. Pro costs $9/mo or $90/yr, with unlimited tool calls, for this Ably server only. Run ably_usage_status to see how many calls you used.
Ask the AI to run ably_upgrade: it returns a Stripe Checkout link. To cancel, run ably_cancel_subscription. Pro continues to the end of the paid period.
Tell the AI what you wanted to do. It can send the request with ably_request_feature. We store the text with the server name, the type of AI client and the tool you tried, not with your account, and read every request when we plan new tools. You can send up to 5 requests per day.
Any client that supports remote MCP servers (Streamable HTTP) with OAuth login: Claude (web and desktop), Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf and others.
This is a Model Context Protocol endpoint — meant to be connected from an AI client, not opened in a browser. An invalid_token response at the URL is the auth gate working as designed; clients authenticate automatically.