Getting Started with the Apixies MCP Server

Install one package. Add a few lines of config. Now Claude can check SSL certificates, validate emails, generate QR codes, and run 36 other developer tools for you.

The Apixies MCP server connects all Apixies API endpoints to any MCP-compatible AI client. That means Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, and Windsurf can call the APIs directly when you ask them to.

What You'll Need

• Node.js 18+ installed on your machine
• An MCP client like Claude Desktop, Claude Code, or Cursor
• An Apixies API key (optional, but gets you 75 requests/day instead of 20). Register for free.

Step 1: Get Your API Key

Head to apixies.io/register and create an account. Then go to your dashboard and create a new API key. Copy it. You'll need it in the next step.

No key? No problem. The server works in sandbox mode too, you just get 20 requests per day instead of 75.

Step 2: Configure Your Client

Every MCP client uses a JSON config file. The server config is the same for all of them, just the file location changes.

Here's the config block you'll add:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apixies": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@apixies/mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "APIXIES_API_KEY": "apx_your_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace apx_your_key_here with your actual API key.

Claude Desktop

macOS: Open ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Windows: Open %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

If the file doesn't exist yet, create it. If it already has other MCP servers, add the apixies entry inside the existing mcpServers object.

Claude Code

Create a .mcp.json file in your project root, or add to your global config at ~/.claude/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apixies": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@apixies/mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "APIXIES_API_KEY": "apx_your_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Cursor

Add to .cursor/mcp.json in your project root:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apixies": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@apixies/mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "APIXIES_API_KEY": "apx_your_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

VS Code

Add to .vscode/mcp.json in your project:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apixies": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@apixies/mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "APIXIES_API_KEY": "apx_your_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Windsurf

Add to ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apixies": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@apixies/mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "APIXIES_API_KEY": "apx_your_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Step 3: Restart and Verify

After saving the config:

• Claude Desktop: Quit and reopen the app. Look for a hammer icon in the chat input area, that means MCP tools are loaded.
• Claude Code: Restart the CLI session. Run /mcp to see connected servers.
• Cursor: Restart the editor. Check Settings > MCP to verify the server is connected.
• VS Code: Reload the window (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+P > "Reload Window").

Step 4: Try It

Open a new conversation and try these prompts:

Check an SSL certificate:

Check the SSL certificate for google.com

Claude will call the check_ssl tool and tell you the issuer, expiry date, and whether the certificate is valid.

Look up DNS records:

What are the DNS records for github.com?

The dns_lookup tool returns A, MX, TXT, and other record types for the domain.

Validate an email:

Is hello@example.com a valid email address?

The inspect_email tool checks format, MX records, and whether the domain is disposable.

Step 5: Explore All Tools

The MCP server exposes 37 tools across four categories:

Inspectors

SSL checker, security headers, email inspector, user agent parser, IP geolocation, DNS lookup, redirect tracer, meta tag extractor, link checker, robots.txt parser, favicon fetcher, URL validator, email auth (SPF/DKIM/DMARC), website performance, WHOIS lookup, JWT decoder, text analyzer, and IP address lookup.

Converters

HTML to PDF, Markdown to HTML, JSON formatter, JSON to CSV, Base64 encode/decode, phone number formatter, JSON Schema validator, color converter, timestamp converter, URL encode/decode, and hash generator.

Generators

QR code generator, URL shortener, URL stats, UUID generator, password generator, Lorem Ipsum generator, and screenshot capture.

Check the full tool reference on the MCP server GitHub page.

Troubleshooting

Tools don't show up in Claude Desktop Make sure you restarted Claude Desktop completely (not just opened a new chat). Also double-check the config file path. On macOS it's in ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/, not ~/Library/Preferences/.

"APIXIES_API_KEY not set" warning in logs That's fine. The server works without a key in sandbox mode. If you want to suppress the warning, add your API key to the config.

Node.js version error The MCP SDK needs Node.js 18 or newer. Check your version with node --version and update if needed.

Rate limit errors (429) You've hit the daily quota. With a free API key you get 75 requests/day. Without a key it's 20. The error response includes a DAILY_QUOTA_EXCEEDED code so you know what happened.

Timeout on screenshot or performance tools These tools hit external websites, so they can take a few seconds. If they consistently time out, check your internet connection.

What's Next

Now that you're set up, check out these guides for real workflows:

• Automate Website Health Checks with Claude and MCP - SSL, headers, performance, and broken link checks in one conversation
• Developer Workflow Automation with Apixies MCP - Validate emails, check links, decode JWTs, and more from Claude Code
• Screenshots and Visual Testing with Claude Code - Capture screenshots, check meta tags, and automate visual QA

Or browse the full API documentation and tool pages to see what each endpoint does.