Setup
Setting up takes four steps: create a server in Zoho MCP, add Zoho Campaigns tools to it, copy the server URL, and connect the server to your AI tool. You do all of this in Zoho MCP and in your AI tool. There is nothing to set up inside Zoho Campaigns.
Before you begin
Make sure you have the following:
- A Zoho account with access to your Zoho Campaigns organization. Sign in to Zoho MCP with this same account, because the tools act with its permissions.
- An AI tool that supports remote MCP servers, such as Claude, ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot in VS Code, Cursor, or Windsurf. If you use a work or team account in your AI tool, your AI tool's admin may need to allow custom connectors first.
- The address of the Zoho MCP console for the data center where your Zoho account is registered. Use the table below.
Data center | Zoho MCP console |
United States | |
Europe | |
India | |
Australia | |
Japan | |
Canada | |
Saudi Arabia | |
United Arab Emirates |
Create a server
- Go to the Zoho MCP console for your data center and sign in with your Zoho account.
- Click Create MCP Server.
- Enter a name for the server.
- Click Create.
Your new server opens and is ready for tools.
Server naming rules
Server names must follow these rules:
- Use up to 49 characters.
- Use letters, numbers, and hyphens only.
- Do not use spaces or underscores.
For example, campaign-reports and audience-manager-2026 are valid names, while Campaign Reports and campaign_reports are not. Name each server after its purpose so you can tell your servers apart in your AI tool.
Add Zoho Campaigns tools
- In your server, go to the Tools section and click Add Tools.
- Search for Zoho Campaigns in the list of services and select it.
- Select the check box next to each tool you want this server to use. To decide which ones you need, see the list of Zoho Campaigns tools.
- Click Add Now.
To add tools from another Zoho app or a third-party service to the same server, click Add More Tools and repeat steps 2 to 4.
Tip: Add only the tools a server needs. Your AI tool reads the name and description of every tool in a server, so extra tools use up more tokens and make it harder for the AI tool to pick the right one. Zoho Campaigns has 81 tools, and some AI tools set their own limit. Cursor, for example, currently allows up to 40 tools per server. Instead of one server with every tool, create a few smaller servers, each with the tools for one job. For ideas, see Example server setups.To remove a tool later, go to the Tools section, click the ellipsis icon next to the tool, click Delete, and then click Delete again to confirm.
Copy the server URL
Zoho MCP creates a unique server URL for each server. Your AI tool uses this URL to connect to the server.
- In your server, go to the Connect section.
- Copy the MCP server URL.
Important: The server URL contains a secure API key. Anyone who has the URL can use the tools in your server, so treat it like a password and do not share it. If you think the URL has been exposed, click Regenerate API Key in the Connect section to create a new URL, and then update the URL in every AI tool that uses this server.Connect the server to your AI tool
You connect Zoho Campaigns to an AI tool by adding your server URL to that tool as a custom connector or MCP server. You do not need to search for Zoho Campaigns in your AI tool's connector directory.
The exact menus differ in each AI tool, but the steps follow the same pattern:
- In your AI tool, open the settings for connectors or MCP servers and add a new custom connector or server.
- Paste the server URL and save or connect it.
- When the Zoho MCP's screen opens in your browser, click the Allow button.
- Next, the Zoho Accounts screen opens in your browser.
- For a single Zoho Campaigns organization: Review the list of Zoho Campaigns tools in your server. Select the check box above the Accept button, and then click Accept to authorize access.
- For multiple Zoho Campaigns organizations: Select the desired organization and proceed. Review the list of Zoho Campaigns tools in your server. Select the check box above the Accept button, and then click Accept to authorize access.
- Select the check box above the Accept button, and then click Accept to authorize access.
- Open a new chat and ask, "What can you help me do with my marketing campaigns?"
For the exact steps in each AI tool, see the Zoho MCP setup guides:
AI tool | Where you add the server | Setup guide |
Claude (web and desktop) | Customize > Connectors, then add a custom connector. | |
ChatGPT | Plugins > + > Add custom MCP server, with developer mode turned on. | |
GitHub Copilot in VS Code | Set Copilot to Agent mode, then use MCP: Add Server in the Command Palette. You can also click Add to VS Code in the Connect section of Zoho MCP. | |
Cursor | Click Add to Cursor in the Connect section of Zoho MCP, or add the server under Settings > Tools & Integrations. | |
Windsurf | Settings > Manage Plugins > View Raw Config. | |
Other AI tools | Any AI tool that supports MCP servers over HTTP. |
You Should Know: AI tools update their menus and settings often, so the steps to add a custom connector or MCP server may change. If the steps in the Zoho MCP setup guides do not match what you see, follow the latest steps in your AI tool's own help documentation: Claude, ChatGPT, VS Code, Cursor, and Windsurf.Start using the server in your AI tool
You do not need a slash command or any special syntax to use Zoho Campaigns MCP. After you connect the server, ask for what you need in plain language, and your AI tool calls the Zoho Campaigns tools it needs on its own. Each AI tool has a small step to make sure the server is turned on in a chat, and most AI tools ask you to approve an action before it changes data.
Before your first prompt, make sure you have connected the server and clicked Accept on the Zoho Accounts screen, as described in Connect the server to your AI tool. You only do this once for each AI tool.
You Should Know: AI tools update their menus and settings often, so the labels and steps below may differ from what you see. If something does not match, follow the latest steps in the AI tool's own help documentation, linked under Learn more for each tool.Claude
In each new chat: Your connection and tool settings carry over to every new chat. With the default Auto tool access, Claude loads the connectors that fit your request on its own. If Claude does not use Zoho Campaigns, click the + button at the lower left of the chat, go to Connectors, and make sure your Zoho Campaigns connector is turned on.
Approvals: Go to Customize > Connectors and open your Zoho Campaigns connector. For each tool, choose Always allow, Needs approval, or Blocked. These settings apply to every chat.
ChatGPT
In each new chat: Type @ in the prompt box and select Zoho Campaigns, or whatever name you gave the server when you added it. You can also name it in your prompt. The selection applies only to the message you send, so mention it again in any follow-up that needs new data or another action.
Approvals: ChatGPT asks you to confirm actions that change data. You can choose to remember your decision for a tool, but only for the rest of that chat. A new chat asks again.
GitHub Copilot in VS Code
In each new chat: Switch Copilot Chat to Agent mode using the mode picker at the top of the chat panel. Click the tools icon and check that the tools from your Zoho Campaigns server are selected. Copilot then picks the tools it needs based on your prompt. To ask for a specific tool, type # and select the tool from the list.
Approvals: VS Code asks for your confirmation before it runs a tool, except for tools that are marked as read-only.
Cursor
In each new chat: Use the chat in Agent mode. Cursor's agent finds your Zoho Campaigns tools and uses them when your request needs them. To turn a tool on or off, click its name in the tools list at the top of the chat panel. You can also ask for a tool by name.
Approvals: By default, Cursor asks for your approval before it uses an MCP tool. To let trusted tools run without asking, go to Cursor Settings > Agents > Approvals & Execution.
Windsurf
In each new chat: Cascade uses the MCP tools you have turned on, so there is nothing to select in the chat. Cascade can use up to 100 tools at a time across all your MCP servers. On your server's settings page in Windsurf, turn on only the Zoho Campaigns tools you need.
Claude Code and other AI tools
In each new session: In Claude Code, run /mcp to check that your server is connected, and sign in again if Claude Code asks you to. For other AI tools, see that tool's own documentation on using MCP servers.
Do I need to turn on the server in every new chat?
You only connect and authorize the server once for each AI tool. The connection and your tool settings carry over to every new chat. What differs is how each AI tool uses the server in a chat:
- Claude, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, and Windsurf use the server on their own when your request needs it. Check the connector toggle or the tools list only if the AI tool does not use Zoho Campaigns.
- ChatGPT needs you to select the server with @ in each message that uses it, including in every new chat.
Memory settings in AI tools do not change this. Memory helps an AI tool recall facts and preferences from earlier chats. It does not turn on connectors or approve tool calls for you.
Your first prompt
Start with "What can you help me do with my marketing campaigns?" The AI tool lists what it can do with the tools in your server, which also confirms that the connection works. If other connectors are turned on, mention Zoho Campaigns in your prompt, for example, "Using Zoho Campaigns, show me my scheduled campaigns."
Tip: If your AI tool lets you set approvals for each tool, let Read tools run without asking, and keep Delete and Send tools on approval. To find each tool's type, see Tool types.Need help?
If you have questions about Zoho Campaigns MCP, write to support@zohocampaigns.com. For questions about Zoho MCP itself, such as creating servers, server URLs, or authorization, write to support@zohomcp.com.