How to integrate Instantly MCP with Claude Code

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Introduction

Manage your Instantly directly from Claude Code with zero worries about OAuth hassles, API-breaking issues, or reliability and security concerns.

You can do this in two different ways:

  1. Via Rube - Direct and easiest approach
  2. Via Composio SDK - Programmatic approach with more control

Why Rube?

Rube is a universal MCP server with access to 850+ SaaS apps. It ensures just-in-time tool loading so Claude can access the tools it needs, a remote workbench for programmatic tool calling and handling large tool responses out of the LLM context window, ensuring the LLM context window remains clean.

Connect Instantly to Claude Code with Rube

1. Get the MCP URL

Copy and paste the below command in Claude Code to add Rube MCP.

Terminal

2. Authenticate Rube

Run /mcp to view Rube

bash
/mcp
Run /mcp to view Rube in Claude Code
Click on Rube to authenticate
Authentication flow complete

3. Ensure it's connected

Run /mcp again to verify the connection. Now, do whatever you want with Claude Code and Instantly.

Rube connected successfully

Supported Tools & Triggers

Tools
Check Email Verification StatusTool to check status of an email verification job.
Count Unread EmailsTool to retrieve the count of unread emails.
Create AI EnrichmentTool to create an AI enrichment job for a campaign or lead list.
Create API KeyTool to create a new API key.
Create CampaignTool to create a new campaign.
Create Inbox Placement TestTool to create an inbox placement test.
Create LeadTool to create a new lead.
Create Lead ListTool to create a new lead list.
Create WebhookTool to create a new webhook endpoint.
Delete API KeyTool to delete an API key.
Delete CampaignTool to delete a campaign.
Delete LeadTool to delete a lead by its ID.
Delete Lead ListTool to delete a lead list by ID.
Delete WebhookTool to delete a webhook.
Disable Account WarmupTool to disable the warm-up process for email accounts.
Enable Account WarmupTool to enable the warm-up process for email accounts.
Get CampaignTool to retrieve campaign details.
Get Campaign AnalyticsTool to retrieve analytics for campaigns.
Get Daily Campaign AnalyticsTool to retrieve daily analytics for a campaign.
Get Email Service Provider OptionsTool to retrieve email service provider options for inbox placement tests.
Get Inbox Placement TestTool to retrieve inbox placement test results.
Get LeadTool to retrieve details of a specific lead by its ID.
Get Lead ListTool to retrieve details of a specific lead list by its ID.
Get Lead List Verification StatsTool to retrieve verification statistics for a lead list.
Get WebhookTool to retrieve details of a specific webhook subscription.
Get Webhook EventTool to retrieve details of a specific webhook event.
List Email AccountsTool to list all email accounts for the authenticated user.
List API KeysTool to list all API keys.
List CampaignsTool to list all campaigns.
List Custom TagsTool to list custom tags.
List DFY Email Account OrdersTool to list DFY email account orders.
List EmailsTool to list emails.
List Inbox Placement Blacklist & SpamAssassin ReportsTool to list inbox placement blacklist & SpamAssassin reports.
List Inbox Placement TestsTool to list inbox placement tests.
List Lead ListsTool to list all lead lists.
List LeadsTool to list leads.
List Email ThreadsTool to list email threads.
List Webhook EventsTool to list webhook events.
List WebhooksTool to list configured webhooks.
Mark Thread As ReadTool to mark all emails in a specific thread as read.
Merge LeadsTool to merge multiple leads into a single lead.
Search Campaigns by Lead EmailTool to search campaigns by a lead's email address.
Update CampaignTool to update details of a campaign.
Update LeadTool to update a lead's details.
Update Lead Interest StatusTool to update a lead's interest status.
Update Lead ListTool to update details of a specific lead list by its ID.
Verify EmailTool to initiate email verification.

What is the Instantly MCP server, and what's possible with it?

The Instantly MCP server is an implementation of the Model Context Protocol that connects your AI agent and assistants like Claude, Cursor, etc directly to your Instantly account. It provides structured and secure access to your campaigns, leads, and outreach tools, so your agent can perform actions like launching new campaigns, managing leads, tracking inbox statistics, and handling API credentials on your behalf.

  • Automated campaign creation and management: Ask your agent to launch new cold email campaigns or update existing ones, streamlining your outreach workflow without manual setup.
  • Lead and lead list management: Let your agent add new leads, organize them into lists, or enrich them with AI-driven insights to maximize your campaign effectiveness.
  • Email verification and deliverability tracking: Direct your agent to check the verification status of email addresses or run inbox placement tests to monitor and improve deliverability across providers.
  • Inbox activity monitoring: Fetch unread email counts or campaign engagement metrics, helping you stay on top of your outreach performance in real time.
  • API key and webhook automation: Have your agent create or delete API keys for secure integrations, or set up webhooks to receive instant notifications about important Instantly events.

Connecting Instantly via Tool Router

Tool Router is the underlying tech that powers Rube. It's a universal gateway that does everything Rube does but with much more programmatic control. You can programmatically generate an MCP URL with the app you need (here Instantly) for even more tool search precision. It's secure and reliable.

How the Tool Router works

The Tool Router follows a three-phase workflow:

  1. Discovery: Searches for tools matching your task and returns relevant toolkits with their details.
  2. Authentication: Checks for active connections. If missing, creates an auth config and returns a connection URL via Auth Link.
  3. Execution: Executes the action using the authenticated connection.

Step-by-step Guide

Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure you have:
  • Claude Pro, Max, or API billing enabled Anthropic account
  • Composio API Key
  • A Instantly account
  • Basic knowledge of Python or TypeScript

Install Claude Code

bash
# macOS, Linux, WSL
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash

# Windows PowerShell
irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex

# Windows CMD
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.cmd -o install.cmd && install.cmd && del install.cmd

To install Claude Code, use one of the following methods based on your operating system:

Set up Claude Code

bash
cd your-project-folder
claude

Open a terminal, go to your project folder, and start Claude Code:

  • Claude Code will open in your terminal
  • Follow the prompts to sign in with your Anthropic account
  • Complete the authentication flow
  • Once authenticated, you can start using Claude Code
Claude Code initial setup showing sign-in prompt
Claude Code terminal after successful login

Set up environment variables

bash
COMPOSIO_API_KEY=your_composio_api_key_here
USER_ID=your_user_id_here

Create a .env file in your project root with the following variables:

  • COMPOSIO_API_KEY authenticates with Composio (get it from Composio dashboard)
  • USER_ID identifies the user for session management (use any unique identifier)

Install Composio library

pip install composio-core python-dotenv

Install the Composio Python library to create MCP sessions.

  • composio-core provides the core Composio functionality
  • python-dotenv loads environment variables from your .env file

Generate Composio MCP URL

import os
from composio import Composio
from dotenv import load_dotenv

load_dotenv()

COMPOSIO_API_KEY = os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")
USER_ID = os.getenv("USER_ID")

composio_client = Composio(api_key=COMPOSIO_API_KEY)

composio_session = composio_client.create(
    user_id=USER_ID,
    toolkits=["instantly"],
)

COMPOSIO_MCP_URL = composio_session.mcp.url

print(f"MCP URL: {COMPOSIO_MCP_URL}")
print(f"\nUse this command to add to Claude Code:")
print(f'claude mcp add --transport http instantly-composio "{COMPOSIO_MCP_URL}" --headers "X-API-Key:{COMPOSIO_API_KEY}"')

Create a script to generate a Composio MCP URL for Instantly. This URL will be used to connect Claude Code to Instantly.

What's happening:

  • We import the Composio client and load environment variables
  • Create a Composio instance with your API key
  • Call create() to create a Tool Router session for Instantly
  • The returned mcp.url is the MCP server URL that Claude Code will use
  • The script prints this URL so you can copy it

Run the script and copy the MCP URL

python generate_mcp_url.py

Run your Python script to generate the MCP URL.

  • The script connects to Composio and creates a Tool Router session
  • It prints the MCP URL and the exact command you need to run
  • Copy the entire claude mcp add command from the output

Add Instantly MCP to Claude Code

bash
claude mcp add --transport http instantly-composio "YOUR_MCP_URL_HERE" --headers "X-API-Key:YOUR_COMPOSIO_API_KEY"

# Then restart Claude Code
exit
claude

In your terminal, add the MCP server using the command from the previous step. The command format is:

  • claude mcp add registers a new MCP server with Claude Code
  • --transport http specifies that this is an HTTP-based MCP server
  • The server name (instantly-composio) is how you'll reference it
  • The URL points to your Composio Tool Router session
  • --headers includes your Composio API key for authentication

After running the command, close the current Claude Code session and start a new one for the changes to take effect.

Verify the installation

bash
claude mcp list

Check that your Instantly MCP server is properly configured.

  • This command lists all MCP servers registered with Claude Code
  • You should see your instantly-composio entry in the list
  • This confirms that Claude Code can now access Instantly tools

If everything is wired up, you should see your instantly-composio entry listed:

Claude Code MCP list showing the toolkit MCP server

Authenticate Instantly

The first time you try to use Instantly tools, you'll be prompted to authenticate.

  • Claude Code will detect that you need to authenticate with Instantly
  • It will show you an authentication link
  • Open the link in your browser (or copy/paste it)
  • Complete the Instantly authorization flow
  • Return to the terminal and start using Instantly through Claude Code

Once authenticated, you can ask Claude Code to perform Instantly operations in natural language. For example:

  • "Create a new cold email campaign"
  • "Add a new lead to my campaign"
  • "Check unread emails in my inbox"

Complete Code

Here's the complete code to get you started with Instantly and Claude Code:

import os
from composio import Composio
from dotenv import load_dotenv

load_dotenv()

COMPOSIO_API_KEY = os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")
USER_ID = os.getenv("USER_ID")

composio_client = Composio(api_key=COMPOSIO_API_KEY)

composio_session = composio_client.create(
    user_id=USER_ID,
    toolkits=["instantly"],
)

COMPOSIO_MCP_URL = composio_session.mcp.url

print(f"MCP URL: {COMPOSIO_MCP_URL}")
print(f"\nUse this command to add to Claude Code:")
print(f'claude mcp add --transport http instantly-composio "{COMPOSIO_MCP_URL}" --headers "X-API-Key:{COMPOSIO_API_KEY}"')

Conclusion

You've successfully integrated Instantly with Claude Code using Composio's MCP server. Now you can interact with Instantly directly from your terminal using natural language commands.

Key features of this setup:

  • Terminal-native experience without switching contexts
  • Natural language commands for Instantly operations
  • Secure authentication through Composio's managed MCP
  • Tool Router for dynamic tool discovery and execution

Next steps:

  • Try asking Claude Code to perform various Instantly operations
  • Add more toolkits to your Tool Router session for multi-app workflows
  • Integrate this setup into your development workflow for increased productivity

You can extend this by adding more toolkits, implementing custom workflows, or building automation scripts that leverage Claude Code's capabilities.

How to build Instantly MCP Agent with another framework

FAQ

What are the differences in Tool Router MCP and Instantly MCP?

With a standalone Instantly MCP server, the agents and LLMs can only access a fixed set of Instantly tools tied to that server. However, with the Composio Tool Router, agents can dynamically load tools from Instantly and many other apps based on the task at hand, all through a single MCP endpoint.

Can I use Tool Router MCP with Claude Code?

Yes, you can. Claude Code fully supports MCP integration. You get structured tool calling, message history handling, and model orchestration while Tool Router takes care of discovering and serving the right Instantly tools.

Can I manage the permissions and scopes for Instantly while using Tool Router?

Yes, absolutely. You can configure which Instantly scopes and actions are allowed when connecting your account to Composio. You can also bring your own OAuth credentials or API configuration so you keep full control over what the agent can do.

How safe is my data with Composio Tool Router?

All sensitive data such as tokens, keys, and configuration is fully encrypted at rest and in transit. Composio is SOC 2 Type 2 compliant and follows strict security practices so your Instantly data and credentials are handled as safely as possible.

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