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Getting Started

This guide will help you connect Phoenix to your MCP client and make your first API call.

Prerequisites​

  • A Phoenix account with API access
  • An MCP-compatible client (Claude Desktop, Cline, etc.)

Authentication​

Phoenix uses API keys for authentication. Each API key is scoped to your organization and provides access to all Phoenix MCP tools and REST APIs.

Get Your API Key​

  1. Log in to your Phoenix account
  2. Navigate to MCP in the sidebar
  3. Copy your API key from the MCP page
warning

Keep your API keys secure. Never commit them to version control or share them publicly.

OAuth Alternative

Phoenix also supports OAuth 2.1 for third-party integrations like ChatGPT. If you're building an application that needs user-delegated access, see the OAuth 2.1 Reference for full flow details.

MCP Setup​

Phoenix supports the Model Context Protocol (MCP), allowing AI assistants to directly access Phoenix data and capabilities.

Claude Desktop​

  1. Open Claude Desktop
  2. Navigate to Customize → Connectors (or visit claude.ai/customize/connectors)
  3. Add a new connector with the URL:
https://phoenix.hginsights.com/api/ai/YOUR_API_KEY/mcp

Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your actual Phoenix API key.

  1. Save and verify by asking Claude: "What Phoenix tools are available?"

Cline (VS Code Extension)​

  1. Open VS Code settings (Cmd/Ctrl + ,)
  2. Search for "Cline MCP"
  3. Click Edit in settings.json
  4. Add the Phoenix MCP server using HTTP transport:
{
  "cline.mcpServers": {
    "phoenix": {
      "url": "https://phoenix.hginsights.com/api/ai/YOUR_API_KEY/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your actual Phoenix API key.

  1. Reload VS Code
  2. Open Cline and verify Phoenix tools are available

Other MCP Clients​

Phoenix supports many MCP clients including Cursor, Windsurf, n8n, and ChatGPT. For detailed setup instructions for each client, see our MCP Clients Guide.

Quick connection details:

  • URL: https://phoenix.hginsights.com/api/ai/{YOUR_API_KEY}/mcp
  • Transport: Streamable HTTP
  • Authentication: API key in URL path

Replace {YOUR_API_KEY} with your actual Phoenix API key.

Verify Your Setup​

Once connected, your AI assistant should have access to Phoenix tools. Try asking:

  • "What companies are in the healthcare industry?"
  • "What technologies does Salesforce use?"
  • "Generate a research rule for enterprise SaaS companies"

Your first run​

Once you're connected, you don't have to figure out where to start on your own. Phoenix ships a guided first run that takes you from "connected" to a real, useful result in about a minute — ideal if you're trying Phoenix self-serve through Claude.ai, ChatGPT, or AWS QuickSuite.

Open your MCP client's prompt menu (the slash menu or prompt picker) and choose the getting-started prompt. From there, Phoenix walks you through five steps:

  1. It checks what you can do. Phoenix looks at the tools available in your session — that set defines what it can run for you. It won't ask you to do any org or admin setup; your API key is all it needs.
  2. It asks you two quick questions. First, your role (reply with a number: 1. Sales, 2. Marketing, 3. Customer Success, 4. Exec / Strategy, 5. Other). Then, the company or product you represent, so the rest is tailored to your business. That's all it asks — no long questionnaire.
  3. It recommends one to three workflows. Based on your role and the tools you have, Phoenix picks the best few of its curated GTM workflows to start with.
  4. It runs one with you, live. Phoenix runs an Account Research Brief right away — pre-filling realistic example inputs from the company you named — and shows you the result. It also renders an interactive launchpad widget so you can see your recommended workflows and the full set at a glance. (See the Onboarding tool for what the launchpad includes and how to run a workflow from it.)
  5. It offers one next step. Phoenix suggests a single, specific follow-up — for example, a pre-call brief for a contact at that account — so you always have an obvious next move.

When you're ready to go further, browse the curated workflows and the full MCP tool catalog.

Next Steps​

Troubleshooting​

Connection Issues​

If your MCP client can't connect to Phoenix:

  1. Verify your API key is correct
  2. Check that the API URL is properly formatted
  3. Ensure your network allows connections to Phoenix
  4. Review MCP client logs for error messages

Authentication Errors​

If you receive authentication errors:

  1. Regenerate your API key in Phoenix settings
  2. Update your MCP configuration with the new key
  3. Restart your MCP client

Tool Execution Errors​

If tools fail to execute:

  1. Check that you have the necessary permissions
  2. Verify the tool parameters match the expected schema
  3. Review the error message for specific guidance
  4. Contact support if the issue persists

Support​

Need help?