Install Optimizely Experimentation MCP server

30 min

Optimizely Web Experimentation

Optimizely Personalization

Optimizely Feature Experimentation

Optimizely Performance Edge

This page walks you through connecting your AI client to the Optimizely Experimentation remote MCP server. Configuration takes about two minutes on any supported platform. See Optimizely Experimentation MCP server quickstart for the fastest configuration path.

Prerequisites

Before you start, make sure you have the following:

An Opti ID account.

An Optimizely account with Opal enabled, connected to at least one Feature Experimentation or Web Experimentation instance.

Use of the Experimentation MCP server does not consume Opal creditsOpal credits.

An AI client that supports remote MCP.

The MCP server is hosted by Optimizely. Authentication runs through OAuth 2.0 in your browser the first time you use an Optimizely tool.

Claude Desktop (macOS or Windows)

Open MCP configuration

In Claude Desktop, go to Settings > Developer > Edit Config.

This opens the claude_desktop_config.json file in your default text editor. You can also open it directly at the following locations:

macOS – ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Windows – %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Add the Optimizely server

Add the following to your configuration file. If you already have other MCP servers configured, add the "optimizely" entry inside the existing "mcpServers" object.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "optimizely": {
      "url": "https://exp.mcp.opal.optimizely.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop

Save the file and fully restart Claude Desktop. The Optimizely server displays in your list of connected MCP servers.

Authenticate

The first time you use an Optimizely tool, Claude Desktop prompts you to authenticate. Click Sign in, connect to your Opal instance, and complete the OAuth flow in your browser using your Optimizely credentials.

Verify

Ask Claude, List my Optimizely projects. If you see your projects listed, configuration is complete.

Cursor

Open MCP settings

In Cursor, go to Cursor Settings > Tools & MCPs > Add a Custom MCP Server.

You can also edit the configuration file directly at .cursor/mcp.json in your project's root directory.

Add the Optimizely server

Add the following configuration. If you already have other MCP servers, add the "optimizely" entry inside the existing "mcpServers" object.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "optimizely": {
      "url": "https://exp.mcp.opal.optimizely.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Authenticate

Cursor prompts you to complete the OAuth flow in your browser the first time you invoke an Optimizely tool. Connect to your Opal instance and log in with your Optimizely credentials.

Verify

In Composer or Chat, ask List my Optimizely projects. If you see your projects listed, configuration is complete.

Claude Code (CLI)

Add the server

Use one of the following two options to add the MCP server:

Run the following command in your terminal:

claude mcp add --transport http optimizely-exp https://exp.mcp.opal.optimizely.com/mcp

Create or edit .mcp.json in your project root (for project-scoped access) or ~/.claude/.mcp.json (for global access) and add the following:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "optimizely-exp": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://exp.mcp.opal.optimizely.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Authenticate

The first time you use an Optimizely tool, Claude Code opens a browser window for OAuth. Connect to your Opal instance and log in with your Optimizely credentials to authorize access.

Verify

Ask Claude, List my Optimizely projects. If you see your projects listed, configuration is complete.

Claude.ai (Web)

Open integrations

In Claude.ai, go to Settings > Connectors.

Add the Optimizely server

Click Add custom connector and enter the MCP server URL.

https://exp.mcp.opal.optimizely.com/mcp

Authenticate

Complete the OAuth flow when prompted. Connect to your Opal instance and log in with your Optimizely credentials.

Verify

Start a new conversation and ask, List my Optimizely projects. If you see your projects listed, configuration is complete.

Codex (app or CLI)

Open MCP settings

In Codex, go to Settings > MCP servers > Add server.

Add the Optimizely server

Select Streamable HTTP as the server type and enter the MCP server URL.

https://exp.mcp.opal.optimizely.com/mcp

Leave Bearer token env var, Headers, and Headers from environment variables blank. Click Save.

Authenticate

The first time you use an Optimizely tool, Codex prompts you to authenticate. Connect to your Opal instance and log in with your Optimizely credentials to complete the OAuth flow in your browser.

Verify

Ask Codex, List my Optimizely projects. If you see your projects listed, configuration is complete.

Visual Studio Code and GitHub Copilot

Open MCP settings

In Visual Studio Code, open Settings and search for "MCP" under the GitHub Copilot section, or edit your settings.json directly.

Add the Optimizely server

Add the following to your Visual Studio Code settings.json:

{
  "github.copilot.chat.mcpServers": {
    "optimizely-exp": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://exp.mcp.opal.optimizely.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Authenticate

When you first use an Optimizely tool in Copilot Chat, Visual Studio Code opens a browser window for OAuth. Connect to your Opal instance and log in.

Verify

In Copilot Chat, ask, List my Optimizely projects. If you see your projects listed, configuration is complete.

Windsurf

Open MCP configuration

In Windsurf, go to Settings > MCP Servers or edit .windsurf/mcp.json in your project root.

Add the Optimizely server

Add the following configuration to the file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "optimizely-exp": {
      "url": "https://exp.mcp.opal.optimizely.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Authenticate

Complete the OAuth flow when prompted. Connect to your Opal instance and log in with your Optimizely credentials.

Verify

Ask Windsurf, List my Optimizely projects. If you see your projects listed, configuration is complete.

Other clients

Any AI client that supports remote MCP can connect using the same server URL and OAuth flow. For clients not listed above (ChatGPT, OpenAI Codex, JetBrains IDEs, and others), follow your client's documentation for adding a custom remote MCP server and use:

https://exp.mcp.opal.optimizely.com/mcp

Remove the MCP server

To disconnect the Experimentation MCP server from your AI client, remove the entry you added during configuration.

Claude Code – Run claude mcp remove optimizely-exp in your terminal.

Claude Desktop – Open claude_desktop_config.json and delete the "optimizely" block from "mcpServers", then restart Claude Desktop.

Claude.ai – Go to Settings > Connectors and remove the Optimizely connector.

Cursor – Open .cursor/mcp.json and delete the "optimizely" block.

Visual Studio Code – Open settings.json and delete the "optimizely-exp" block from "github.copilot.chat.mcpServers".

Windsurf – Open .windsurf/mcp.json and delete the "optimizely-exp" block.

Common configuration notes

Same server, every platform – All platforms connect to the same MCP server URL (https://exp.mcp.opal.optimizely.com/mcp) and use the same OAuth 2.0 authentication flow. You can connect from multiple platforms simultaneously.

Your permissions carry over – The MCP server uses your Optimizely identity. You see the same projects, experiments, and data that you have access to in the Optimizely UI. No additional permissions are required.

Network access – If you are behind a corporate proxy or VPN, ensure that exp.mcp.opal.optimizely.com is accessible from your machine. Contact your network administrator if you encounter connection issues.

Troubleshoot

The Optimizely server does not display after setup

Check that your configuration file contains valid JSON. A missing comma or bracket is a common cause of the server not loading. Paste the file contents into a JSON validator to check for errors. After fixing, fully restart your AI client (do not just reload the window).

The OAuth browser window does not open

Some clients require you to invoke an Optimizely tool before the OAuth flow starts. Try asking List my Optimizely projects to trigger authentication. If a browser window still does not open, check that your default browser is set correctly in your operating system settings.

Tools prefixed with exp_ do not display

This usually means authentication did not complete. Try invoking any Optimizely query to re-trigger the OAuth flow. If you have already authenticated but tools are still missing, remove and re-add the server, then authenticate again.

Queries return no results or an access error

Confirm that your Optimizely account has access to at least one Feature Experimentation or Web Experimentation project. The MCP server only returns data for projects your account can access in the Optimizely UI. If your access is correct and queries still fail, contact Optimizely Support.