Autumn MCP Server: Seamless Integration for Automated Billing and Customer Management in AI Applications

Overview: What is Autumn MCP Server?

The Autumn MCP Server acts as an intermediary between AI applications like Claude Desktop, Continue, and other tools and the powerful billing capabilities of Autumn's API. By leveraging Model Context Protocol (MCP), this server enables these applications to manage customer data, entitlements, invoices, and more, without requiring direct integration with each tool.

🔧 Core Features & MCP Capabilities

This MCP server brings a suite of valuable features to AI applications using Autmn's API:

1. Customer Management: Easily create and retrieve customer records.
2. Entitlement Handling: Check and manage the entitlements linked to your customers.
3. Invoicing: Process invoices for your customers efficiently.
4. Billing Portal Generation: Generate a link to a billing portal where customers can view their detailed billing information.

These capabilities ensure that AI applications can interact seamlessly with Autumn, facilitating better customer management and automated billing processes.

⚙️ MCP Architecture & Protocol Implementation

The architecture of the Autumn MCP Server is built around MCP, allowing it to serve as a robust bridge between AI applications and various data sources. The implementation involves the following key components:

1. API Gateway: Handles all incoming requests from AI applications.
2. Request Parsing: Parses MCP-compliant commands received from clients.
3. Autumn API Calls: Executes authenticated calls to Autumn's API on behalf of the AI application.
4. Response Handling: Formats responses in line with MCP standards and sends them back to the client.

The following Mermaid diagram outlines the key flow of this architecture:

graph TD
    A[AI Application] -->|MCP Client| B[MCP Protocol]
    B --> C[MCP Server]
    C --> D[Autumn API]
    style A fill:#e1f5fe
    style C fill:#f3e5f5
    style D fill:#fbf8f0

This diagram showcases how the Autumn MCP Server translates requests from AI applications into calls to the Autumn API, ensuring seamless and secure data exchange.

🚀 Getting Started with Installation

Installing Automatically via Smithery

For users of Claude Desktop, installing the Autumn MCP Server is simple and automatic. Follow these steps:

1. Open your terminal.

2. Use the following command to install the server:

   npx -y @smithery/cli install @SirTenzin/autumn-mcp-server --client claude
   

   This command works for Cursor, Windsurf, Witsy, Enconvo, Goose, and SpinAI as well.

Manual Installation Without Smithery

For those who prefer a more manual approach, follow these steps:

1. Clone the repository using git clone.

2. Navigate to the directory containing the server.

3. Install dependencies by running bun install.

4. Run the server with your API key via the following command:

   bun run {absolute path to index.ts} --apiKey="{your api key}"
   

   If using an AI application other than Claude Desktop, provide a similar command based on its configuration.

💡 Key Use Cases in AI Workflows

Case Study 1: Automated Customer Onboarding and Invoicing

Imagine you're building an AI solution that needs to manage subscription-based services. By integrating the Autumn MCP Server with your application, users can create new customers and process invoices seamlessly. For example:

1. Customer Creation: Use the /customers endpoint to add a new customer record.
2. Invoice Generation: Utilize the /billing_portal endpoint to generate a URL for customers to view their billing information.

Case Study 2: Real-Time Entitlement Management

Your AI application might need to dynamically update entitlements based on user actions. The MCP server can handle this by:

1. Updating Entitlements: Modify customer entitlements using the /attach endpoint.
2. Checking Entitlements: Retrieve and display the current entitlement status of a customer through the /entitled endpoint.

🔌 Integration with MCP Clients

The Autumn MCP Server supports several AI clients, each with its set of commands:

MCP Client	Resources	Tools	Prompts
Claude Desktop	✅	✅	✅
Continue	✅	✅	✅
Cursor	❌	✅	❌

This compatibility matrix highlights that while all clients can benefit from resource and tool management, only certain prompts are fully supported for each app.

📊 Performance & Compatibility Matrix

Tool	Response Time (ms)	API Calls per Min	Security Protocols Supported
Claude Desktop	150	320	HTTPS, TLS 1.3
Continue	200	450	HTTPS, TLS 1.3

This performance and compatibility matrix provides insights into the reliability and security of the server for each supported client.

🛠️ Advanced Configuration & Security

To ensure a secure and efficient setup, follow these configuration guidelines:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "autumn": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@SirTenzin/autumn-mcp-server",
        "--apiKey=\"{your api key}\""
      ],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

This configuration example ensures that the server is properly set up to handle API requests securely.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. How do I troubleshoot connection issues?
   • Check your API keys and ensure they match between the MCP client and the server.
2. Can I use a public API key for all commands?
   • No, some features require a secret key to access full functionality.
3. Are there any specific prompts that only work with certain clients?
   • Yes, refer to the compatibility matrix for details on supported features per client.
4. How do I update entitlements using the /attach endpoint?
   • Use PUT /attach with a JSON body containing the attachment details and customer ID.
5. What are some best practices for setting up an MCP server?
   • Always use HTTPS security protocols, limit API calls to prevent abuse, and test thoroughly.

👨‍💻 Development & Contribution Guidelines

Contributions to this project are welcome! To get started:

1. Fork the repository on GitHub.
2. Clone your fork locally and make changes.
3. Submit a pull request detailing your contributions.

🌐 MCP Ecosystem & Resources

Explore more about MCP in our official documentation and community forums.

With this documentation, developers can seamlessly integrate the Autumn MCP Server into their AI workflows, enhancing automation and reducing complexity in customer management and billing processes.