AI agents (MCP)
Use Helipod from Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, VS Code, Gemini CLI, opencode and other AI tools with the Helipod MCP server and skills.
The Helipod MCP server lets an AI agent work with your Helipod account: deploy the app in the repository you are in, add a database, read build logs, buy a domain and point it at your app, create a VPS, or send a test email. You ask in plain language; the agent calls the Container, Database, VPS, Domain, Email, Account and AI APIs for you, with your key.
It comes in two parts:
- MCP server (npm package
helipod-mcp): 219 tools, listed in the MCP tool reference. Works in any client that supports the Model Context Protocol. - Skills (
SKILL.mdfiles): short playbooks that teach the agent how Helipod works: which source to deploy from, to show the price before anything that costs money, to ask before anything destructive, and to read the build logs when a deploy fails.
Sign in or use a key
- Sign in (recommended where supported): add
https://api.helipod.io/mcpto the tool, sign in to Helipod in the browser, and choose what the tool may access. Nothing to copy, and you can disconnect it any time in Settings → API keys → Connected apps. Works in Claude (web, desktop, mobile), ChatGPT, Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, VS Code, Gemini CLI and opencode. - API key: create a key and put it in the tool's config. Works in every tool, including command-line agents.
Choose your tool
Each guide covers installing the server, passing your key, adding the skills, checking that it works, and fixing common problems.
Claude.ai and Claude Desktop
Custom connector, sign in, no key.
ChatGPT
Custom connector, sign in, no key.
Claude Code
Plugin with the server and skills in two commands.
Codex
CLI and IDE extension, config.toml.
Cursor
Editor and cursor-agent CLI, mcp.json.
VS Code (Copilot)
Agent mode with .vscode/mcp.json.
Gemini CLI
settings.json and trusted folders.
opencode
opencode.json, local or remote.
Windsurf
Cascade with mcp_config.json.
Claude Desktop (local server)
claude_desktop_config.json with an API key.
Cline, Roo Code, Kilo Code
VS Code extensions with their own MCP settings.
Other clients
Any MCP client, local or by URL.
Get a key
Create an API key
In the dashboard, open a project and go to Settings → API keys. Choose what the agent may use:
- Products: Container API, Database API, VPS API, Domain API, Email API, and if the agent should see your wallet, invoices, tickets or AI balance, Account API and AI API. Enable only what you need.
- Reach: one project (recommended to start) or the whole account. The Domain API needs a whole-account key, because domains belong to the account.
The key starts with hel_ and is shown once. See API keys.
Email tools
Tick Email API on the key (or when signing in) and the email tools use it. A separate email API key from the project's Email section still works as HELIPOD_EMAIL_API_KEY; skip both if the agent does not need email.
Put the keys in your environment
Most guides read the keys from environment variables, so they never sit in a config file:
Add to ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc, then open a new terminal:
export HELIPOD_API_KEY=hel_your_key
export HELIPOD_EMAIL_API_KEY=your_email_key # optionalStart your AI tool from a terminal that has the variables. An editor opened from the Dock or Start menu may not see variables set only in a shell profile; the guides say how to handle that.
Local or hosted
| Local server | Hosted server | |
|---|---|---|
| How | Your tool runs npx -y helipod-mcp (or the installed helipod-mcp) | Your tool connects to https://api.helipod.io/mcp |
| Needs | Node.js 18 or newer | Nothing to install |
| Key | HELIPOD_API_KEY in the server's environment | Authorization: Bearer hel_… header (the same key serves email when it has the Email API; a separate email key goes in X-Helipod-Email-Key) |
| Use when | You work in a terminal or editor with Node.js | Your tool only takes a URL, or you cannot install Node.js |
Both have the same 219 tools. Helipod does not store the key you send to the hosted server; it is used for that request only.
Skills
The skills are plain Markdown files in skills/ of github.com/helipodapp/mcp:
| Skill | For |
|---|---|
helipod | Overview: keys, rules for paid and destructive actions, which skill fits |
helipod-deploy | Deploying apps and databases, variables, domains, scaling, build logs |
helipod-vps | Choosing a plan, ordering, power, firewall, snapshots, renewing |
helipod-domains | Search, price, register, DNS, pointing a domain at an app or VPS |
helipod-email | Sending domain setup, sending from code, delivery checks |
helipod-ai-gateway | Using the Helipod AI Gateway from code |
The Claude Code plugin includes them. For every other agent, install them with:
npx skills add helipodapp/mcp -gPick your agents when asked, or name them: -a codex cursor gemini-cli opencode -y. Leave out -g to add them to the current project only. The server works without the skills; they make the agent follow Helipod's rules more reliably.
Things to ask
- "List my Helipod projects." (a safe first test)
- "Deploy this repo to my Helipod project and give me the URL."
- "Add Postgres to production and connect it to the api service."
- "The last deploy failed. Find out why and fix it."
- "Is tokosaya.id available, and how much is it?"
- "Point www.tokosaya.id at my web service."
- "Create a 2 GB Ubuntu VPS and open port 443."
Staying in control
Paid actions charge your Helipod wallet: new services, scaling, volume resizes, VPS orders and renewals, domain registrations, email plans and AI top-ups. Keep tool approval on for write and destructive tools.
- The agent can do only what its key allows. Give it a project-limited key with only the products it needs, and create a separate key for it (for example
mcp-agent) so you can revoke it alone. - Every tool is marked read-only, write or destructive. Clients that support these hints ask before running write and destructive tools.
- For anything that costs money, the server tells the agent to run a dry run or read the price first, show it to you, and wait for your OK. Deleting a service, terminating a VPS or replacing DNS records also needs your confirmation.
Common problems
The server started without the key. Set the variable, then restart the tool from a terminal that has it. If your tool's config passes the key with a variable, check that tool's syntax in its guide (each tool writes it differently).
401: the key is wrong or revoked. 403: the key does not have that product enabled (for example the Domain API), or the Domain API is used with a project key. Create or edit the key in Settings → API keys.
Check that the server is connected (each guide has a check command). The first npx -y helipod-mcp run downloads the package, which can take a few seconds; restart the tool once it has finished, or install it with npm install -g helipod-mcp and use the helipod-mcp command.
The key cannot reach it: it belongs to another project, or the id is wrong. A project-limited key sees only that project.
Install Node.js 18 or newer. Editors started from the Dock may not see Node.js installed with nvm or similar: use the full path from which npx (macOS / Linux) or where npx (Windows) as the command.