Read lists, contacts, campaign stats; add contacts; draft, schedule and send campaigns and SMS. For small teams that send email campaigns and SMS from an Emailchef account. Hosted by usefulapi — connect from Claude, ChatGPT, 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": {
"emailchef": {
"url": "https://emailchef.usefulapi.io/mcp"
}
}
}Add to VS Code or add this to .vscode/mcp.json:
{
"servers": {
"emailchef": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://emailchef.usefulapi.io/mcp"
}
}
}No Add custom MCP server option? It depends on your account or workspace settings: see OpenAI's guide.
Run these commands. The second one opens the login page:
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.
List your contact lists with the counts of active, unsubscribed and bounced contacts. Open one list to see its growth by day.
emailchef_list_lists emailchef_get_list_contact_counts emailchef_get_list_stats
List the campaigns you sent. Read the links in one campaign and the engagement of its recipients to see who opened and clicked.
emailchef_list_campaigns emailchef_get_campaign_links emailchef_list_campaign_engagement
Create a contact from the details of a new lead and add it to your Newsletter list. Update the contact later when its details change.
Changes data · emailchef_list_lists emailchef_create_contact emailchef_update_contact
Clone an existing draft campaign into a new draft. Read the timezones and the verified senders, then schedule the new draft for a day and time.
Changes data · emailchef_clone_campaign emailchef_list_senders emailchef_list_timezones emailchef_schedule_campaign
Read the send limits and the credits left of the account. Check the SMS balance before you plan a text message to your customers.
emailchef_get_subscription emailchef_get_sms_balance
The login page asks for your Consumer Key and Consumer Secret.
Create them in Emailchef → Settings → API Keys → Create API Key (only the account Owner can). The secret is shown once; if you lost it, delete the key and create a new one. Your keys are used only to call the Emailchef API on your behalf; they are never shown to anyone. Your Emailchef password is not needed.
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 Consumer Key and Consumer Secret. 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 Emailchef connector, then ask in plain words. The AI picks the tools.
| Tool | Type | What it does |
|---|---|---|
emailchef_get_account | read | Get account The Emailchef account this API key belongs to: id, email, language, status, subscriber total, bounces and complaints. GET /accounts/current. |
emailchef_get_subscription | read | Get subscription The account's current Emailchef plan: plan name, plan expiry, contact and send limits, credits left, active/expired flags. Check this before a big send. GET /subscriptions/current. |
emailchef_list_senders | read | List senders List the sender identities (name, email, verification status, postal address). Campaigns and emails need a verified sender id. GET /senders. |
emailchef_list_timezones | read | List timezones List Emailchef's timezones (id, name, fixed UTC offset). The id is required to schedule a campaign. GET /meta/timezones. |
emailchef_list_lists | read | List contact lists List the contact lists with id, name, and counts of active, unsubscribed and bounced contacts and segments. Newest first by default. GET /lists. |
emailchef_get_list | read | Get list One contact list: name, description, default sender, creation date. GET /lists/{list_id}. |
emailchef_get_list_stats | read | Get list growth stats Daily growth of a list over a date range: total contacts per day and the daily delta. Omit the dates for the whole history. GET /lists/{list_id}/stats. |
emailchef_get_list_contact_counts | read | Get list contact counts How many contacts a list has by state: active, unsubscribed, bounced, reported. GET /lists/{list_id}/stats/count. |
emailchef_create_list | write | Create list WRITE: create a new, empty contact list. Returns the new list id. POST /lists. |
emailchef_update_list | write | Update list WRITE: rename a contact list and/or change its description. Only the fields you pass change. PUT /lists/{list_id}. |
emailchef_list_contacts | read | List contacts List the contacts of one list (id, email, name, added by, subscription date), optionally by state. GET /contacts?list_id=... |
emailchef_get_contact | read | Get contact One contact in one list: status, email, name, IP, how it was added, when, and its custom field values. GET /contacts/{contact_id}?list_id=... |
emailchef_create_contact | write | Add contact to a list WRITE: add a contact (email, name, custom fields) to a list. Only add people who agreed to receive email: an ACTIVE contact will receive the account's campaigns and automations. Returns the contact id and status. POST /contacts. |
emailchef_update_contact | write | Update contact WRITE: change a contact's name, state or custom fields in one list. Only the fields you pass change. Setting the status to ACTIVE re-subscribes someone: only do so with their consent. PUT /contacts/{contact_id}. |
emailchef_unsubscribe_contact | write | Unsubscribe contact WRITE: unsubscribe one contact from one list (it stops receiving that list's email). POST /lists/{list_id}/unsubscribe?contact_id=... |
emailchef_import_contacts | write | Import contacts WRITE: bulk-add or update up to 500 contacts in a list in one call (an existing email is updated). Each contact is an object keyed by field placeholder, e.g. {"email":"[email protected]","firstname":"Ada"}: get the placeholders from emailchef_list_predefined_fields and emailchef_list_custom_fields. Import only people who agreed to receive email. Runs in the background: poll emailchef_get_import_task with the returned id. POST /lists/{list_id}/import. |
emailchef_list_import_tasks | read | List import tasks List contact import tasks: list, status (DISPATCHED, COMPLETE, FAILED), progress, imported/updated/failed counts. GET /importtasks. |
emailchef_get_import_task | read | Get import task One import task: status, progress, imported/updated/failed counts and any error message. GET /importtasks/{task_id}. |
emailchef_list_predefined_fields | read | List predefined fields The built-in contact fields (email, first name, ...) with their placeholders. GET /predefinedfields. |
emailchef_list_custom_fields | read | List custom fields The custom contact fields of a list: name, data type, placeholder (the key used when writing contacts), options. GET /lists/{list_id}/customfields. |
emailchef_list_segments | read | List segments List the saved segments of a list with how many contacts match each. GET /lists/{list_id}/segments. |
emailchef_get_segment | read | Get segment One segment with its logic and condition groups. GET /lists/{list_id}/segments/{segment_id}. |
emailchef_list_blocked | read | List blocked emails List the account's blocklist (emails that never receive email): address and reason (MANUAL, UNSUBSCRIBED, COMPLAINT). GET /blockings. |
emailchef_block_emails | write | Block emails WRITE: add up to 100 addresses to the account blocklist so they never receive email from any list. Reversible with emailchef_unblock_email. POST /blockings?type=MANUAL. |
emailchef_unblock_email | write | Unblock email WRITE: remove one address from the account blocklist so it can receive email again. Only do this for an address whose owner asked for it. DELETE /blockings/{email}. |
emailchef_get_campaign_counts | read | Get campaign counts How many campaigns the account has by state: drafts, sent, scheduled, archived, failed. GET /campaigns/count. |
emailchef_list_campaigns | read | List campaigns List email campaigns with state, recipients, delivered, unique opens and unique clicks. Without a status filter Emailchef returns only SENT and ARCHIVED campaigns; pass a status to see DRAFT, SCHEDULED, SENDING or FAILED ones. GET /campaigns. |
emailchef_get_campaign | read | Get campaign One campaign: name, subject, HTML and text body, sender, reply-to, state, schedule, recipient lists/segments and cached sent/open/click counts. GET /campaigns/{id}. |
emailchef_get_campaign_links | read | Get campaign links The links contained in a campaign (id, name, URL). GET /newsletters/{id}/links. |
emailchef_list_campaign_engagement | read | List campaign engagement Per-contact engagement for a sent campaign: who opened, clicked, was delivered, did not open, unsubscribed, complained, or was sent to, with counts and first/last event time. Pick exactly one event. GET /newsletters/{id}/contacts. |
emailchef_create_campaign | write | Create campaign (draft) WRITE: create a new campaign as a DRAFT (nothing is sent). Needs a verified sender (emailchef_list_senders) and at least one list. To be sendable the HTML body must contain the CAN-SPAM placeholders [[account:business]], [[account:address_1]], [[account:city]], [[account:postal_code]], [[account:country]] and an unsubscribe link <a href="[[unsubscribe_link]]">, otherwise the send ends FAILED. Schedule or send it afterwards. POST /newsletters. |
emailchef_clone_campaign | write | Clone campaign WRITE: copy an existing campaign into a new DRAFT (nothing is sent). A SENT campaign cannot be cloned (Emailchef answers HTTP 500). Returns the new campaign id. POST /newsletters?clone=1. |
emailchef_update_campaign | write | Update draft campaign WRITE: change a DRAFT campaign's name, subject, body, sender, reply-to or recipient lists. Only the fields you pass change: the tool reads the campaign first and sends the complete record back, because Emailchef blanks any omitted field. Refuses a campaign that is not a DRAFT. PUT /newsletters/{id}. |
emailchef_send_test_campaign | write | Send campaign test email WRITE: email ONE test copy of a campaign to a single address. The campaign state does not change. The sender must be verified. PUT /campaigns/{id}/sendtest. |
emailchef_schedule_campaign | write | Schedule campaign WRITE, SENDS EMAIL TO CUSTOMERS LATER: schedule a DRAFT campaign to go out to all its recipients at a date and time. Emailchef timezones are fixed offsets without daylight saving: pick the id (emailchef_list_timezones) whose offset matches the send date. Undo before it starts with emailchef_unschedule_campaign. PUT /campaigns/{id}/schedule. |
emailchef_unschedule_campaign | write | Unschedule campaign WRITE: cancel the schedule of a SCHEDULED campaign and bring it back to DRAFT. PUT /campaigns/{id}/unschedule. |
emailchef_send_campaign | write | Send campaign now WRITE, SENDS EMAIL TO CUSTOMERS NOW AND CANNOT BE UNDONE: start sending a DRAFT (or FAILED) campaign immediately to ALL its recipients and use up plan sends. Check the recipients (emailchef_get_campaign), the sender and the subscription first, ideally after emailchef_send_test_campaign, and send only with the user's explicit go-ahead (confirm must be true). Queued asynchronously: poll emailchef_get_campaign for the final state. PUT /campaigns/{id}/send. |
emailchef_archive_campaign | write | Archive campaign WRITE: archive a campaign (hidden from the default list; statistics are kept). Reversible with emailchef_unarchive_campaign. PUT /campaigns/{id}/archivecampaign. |
emailchef_unarchive_campaign | write | Restore archived campaign WRITE: restore an archived campaign. PUT /campaigns/{id}/unarchivecampaign. |
emailchef_send_email | write | Send one email WRITE, SENDS AN EMAIL NOW AND CANNOT BE UNDONE: send a single email to one recipient from a verified sender and use up plan sends. Pass text_body and/or html_body. The recipient does not need to be a contact. Send only with the user's explicit go-ahead (confirm must be true). POST /sendmail. |
emailchef_get_sms_balance | read | Get SMS balance The account's SMS credit balance and currency. GET /sms/balance. |
emailchef_get_sms_status | read | Get SMS status Delivery status of one sent SMS by message id: recipient, text, sent/done time, parts, price, state and error. GET /sms/status/{messageId}. |
emailchef_send_sms | write | Send SMS WRITE, SENDS TEXT MESSAGES NOW, COSTS SMS CREDIT AND CANNOT BE UNDONE: send an SMS to 1-50 phone numbers in international format (e.g. +393331234567). Check emailchef_get_sms_balance first and send only with the user's explicit go-ahead (confirm must be true). Returns a message id per recipient and the remaining balance. POST /sms/send. |
emailchef_usage_status | Usage status (free-tier meter) Report the caller's current usage: the plan, calls used this month, the limit of the plan (the free monthly cap or the Pro fair use limit), remaining, and whether the limit is reached. Read-only; does not count against the meter. | |
emailchef_request_feature | Request a missing feature Tell usefulapi that the user needs something the Emailchef 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. | |
emailchef_upgrade | Upgrade to Pro (unlimited*) Get Pro: unlimited tool calls (fair use limit: 10,000 a month) on Emailchef (the free tier caps monthly usage). Plans: "monthly" — $9/month; "yearly" — $90/year (2 months free). Cancel any time: Pro then runs to the end of the paid period, so it also suits a one-time job. *A fair use limit applies. For heavy use (near Pro's limit): "plus" or "plus_yearly" — Pro+, $39/month or $390/year, unlimited tool calls (fair use limit: 100,000 a month); an existing Pro subscription changes to Pro+ in place (needs confirm: true; the price difference for the rest of the period is charged at once). Otherwise returns a short link to open in your browser (it opens Stripe Checkout); after payment the account upgrades automatically. Does not count against the meter. | |
emailchef_cancel_subscription | Cancel the Pro subscription Cancel the caller's Emailchef Pro subscription at the end of the paid period (no refund for the current period; Pro continues until then, then the free tier applies). Requires confirm: true. Run emailchef_upgrade later to undo the cancel before the period ends. Does not count against the meter. |
| Plan | Price | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 50 tool calls / month |
| Proper user | $9/mo · $90/yr | Unlimited* |
*Pro fair use limit: 10,000 tool calls a month on this server. For more, write to [email protected].
Pro covers this Emailchef server only. Subscribe with emailchef_upgrade (it returns a Stripe Checkout link). Cancel any time with emailchef_cancel_subscription: Pro continues to the end of the paid period, with no refund for the current period, and running emailchef_upgrade before then undoes the cancel. Or write to [email protected].
Count the active contacts in each list. Review how last month's campaigns performed. Add a new subscriber to a list. Copy a draft campaign and schedule it. Check sending limits before a big send. See what you can do for the details.
No. usefulapi is an independent service. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Emailchef. The server calls the Emailchef API with your own Emailchef access, so it sees only the data that your account can see.
Yes. In Claude, add this server's URL as a custom connector. In ChatGPT, add it as a custom MCP server in Plugins. Then log in once. Cursor, VS Code, Claude Code and Codex work too. See the setup steps.
The login page asks for your Consumer Key and Consumer Secret. See Before you connect for where to find them.
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 Consumer Key and Consumer Secret. 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 Emailchef 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 Emailchef.
Yes, if you approve it. 19 of the 43 Emailchef tools can create or change data. The other 24 are marked read-only. Most MCP clients ask you to approve a tool call before it runs.
The Free plan gives 50 tool calls / month. Pro costs $9/mo or $90/yr, with unlimited tool calls (fair use limit: 10,000 tool calls a month), for this Emailchef server only. Cancel any time: Pro then runs to the end of the paid period. Run emailchef_usage_status to see how many calls you used.
Ask the AI to run emailchef_upgrade: it returns a Stripe Checkout link. To cancel, run emailchef_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 emailchef_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, ChatGPT, Codex, 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.
Need a tool this server does not have, or a connection to another system? We build custom integrations and MCP servers.