One MCP URL, every client

Every MCP client reads the same Apify URL, https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,<owner>/<actor>, over streamable HTTP. What changes is where the config lives, whether the client can sign in with OAuth or needs a token header, and whether it offers a one-click install.

Compatibility at a glance

ClientConfig lives inOAuth sign-inToken headerInstallWorth knowing
Claude Codeterminal or .mcp.jsonYes: /mcp or claude mcp login--header on claude mcp addOne commandWarns at 10,000 tokens of tool output, caps at 25,000 by default
Claude Desktopclaude_desktop_config.jsonYes, custom connectorConnector request headers, or a local configNo: Customize, ConnectorsFree plan: one custom connector; reached from Anthropic's cloud
Cursor~/.cursor/mcp.jsonYesheaders with ${env:APIFY_TOKEN}Yes: install linkMCP Logs in the Output panel show connection errors
VS Code.vscode/mcp.jsonYesheaders with a prompted inputYes: install linkAt most 128 tools per request
ChatGPTPlugins > Add custom MCP serverYes, the only documented optionNot documentedNo: Plugins, Add custom MCP serverRefresh the plugin after changing the URL
Codex CLI~/.codex/config.tomlYes: codex mcp loginbearer_token_env_varOne command: codex mcp addTool calls time out after 60 s unless tool_timeout_sec is raised
Gemini CLIterminal (writes ~/.gemini/settings.json)Not checked here-H on gemini mcp addOne commandUse httpUrl, not url, for streamable HTTP
n8n AI AgentMCP Client Tool nodeNot checked hereBearer auth credentialNo: MCP Client Tool nodeRuns inside a workflow, not a chat

Transport for all of them: streamable HTTP. Apify retired its SSE endpoint on 1 April 2026.

Other clients

These read the same URL with their own config shape. The examples use Google Maps Business Lead Finder with Email & Social Links; swap the tools parameter for any Actor. The quickest route for all of them is npx add-mcp, which writes the config for 25+ clients.

Any client: add-mcpterminal

npx add-mcp "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,vexaloom-labs/google-maps-business-lead-finder-with-email" --name google-maps-business-lead-finder-with-email

Choose clients with -a (for example -a cursor -a claude-code). Add --header "Authorization: Bearer $APIFY_TOKEN" for clients without OAuth.

Windsurf (now Devin Desktop)~/.config/devin/mcp_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "google-maps-business-lead-finder-with-email": {
      "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,vexaloom-labs/google-maps-business-lead-finder-with-email",
      "transport": "http",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${env:APIFY_TOKEN}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Windsurf's MCP docs now redirect to Devin Desktop. A project can use .devin/mcp_config.json instead.

Zedsettings.json

{
  "context_servers": {
    "google-maps-business-lead-finder-with-email": {
      "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,vexaloom-labs/google-maps-business-lead-finder-with-email"
    }
  }
}

Without an Authorization header Zed runs the standard MCP OAuth sign-in.

Clinecline_mcp_settings.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "google-maps-business-lead-finder-with-email": {
      "type": "streamableHttp",
      "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,vexaloom-labs/google-maps-business-lead-finder-with-email",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN"
      },
      "disabled": false,
      "autoApprove": []
    }
  }
}

Replace YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN with your Apify API token.

Why a scoped URL

  • Without a tools parameter, Apify's server loads its default tool set, which changes between releases. A scoped URL pins exactly the Actors you chose.
  • Apify's own search tool does not return every Actor (rental and pay-per-result Actors are left out), so naming the Actor in the URL is the reliable way to give an agent a specific one.
  • A short tool list keeps clients with tool limits, such as VS Code's 128 per request, well inside them.

Build a URL for several Actors at once with the MCP bundle builder, or start from a website's MCP page.

Example server name used above: google-maps-business-lead-finder-with-email, URL https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,vexaloom-labs/google-maps-business-lead-finder-with-email.

Sources