ShipBob
by ShipBob
Query orders, inventory, shipments and returns across every ShipBob fulfillment center from your AI assistant, and create or cancel records. 72 tools, OAuth sign-in, sandbox and production.
Verified connector
Listed by Anthropic as a partner connector in its Connectors Directory.
Connection checked by Agentman on .
Anthropic states this reflects the level of review a connector received, not a security audit.
Connect ShipBob via MCP
https://api.shipbob.com/developer-api/mcpWorks in any MCP-compatible client. In Agentman Studio it is one click — no config file to edit.
ShipBob Tools & Capabilities (72)
Tool names from Anthropic's directory listing. This server requires sign-in, so we could not read tool descriptions or parameter schemas.
Limits
- Writes are locked to one channel. ShipBob documents cancel and modify operations against orders, shipments, receiving orders and returns as requiring the record's originating channel. Managing several channels means one MCP server entry per channel.
- Inventory cannot be changed through MCP. ShipBob's tools page states inventory is read-only here; all nine inventory tools read.
- 150 requests per minute. ShipBob's rate limit page gives a sliding window totalled per user per application across all ShipBob APIs, returning HTTP 429 above it.
- Streamable HTTP only. ShipBob states other transports "are not supported", naming stdio and SSE, so a stdio-only client will not connect without a bridge.
- Your account role, not the connector, decides access. ShipBob documents insufficient permissions as returning
403 Forbidden, and says the tools available depend on your ShipBob permission level. - Approval behaviour is your client's, not ShipBob's. ShipBob states the server does not enforce a prompt, and that ChatGPT Developer Mode connectors run tool calls without a confirmation prompt by default — worth knowing on a connector with 26 write tools.
- We did not read the tools or call any of them. Our check was an anonymous handshake that returned 401. Everything above about tool behaviour comes from ShipBob's documentation or Anthropic's directory listing, each dated below.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need an API token for the ShipBob MCP server?
No. ShipBob's documentation states the standard setup uses OAuth and that you sign in with your ShipBob account on first connection, with the client storing the session. A token is only needed for ShipBob's alternative setup path, which exists for clients or automation that cannot open a browser to complete sign-in.
Why does a cancel or update return 403 when the assistant can read the record fine?
Because writes are channel-scoped. ShipBob documents that cancel and modify operations require the request's channel to match the channel that originally created the record, and that a mismatch returns 403 or sometimes 404 even with correct write scopes. ShipBob notes a 404 here usually means the record belongs to another channel.
Which ShipBob records can an AI assistant change?
Reads cross every channel; writes do not. ShipBob's consent-screen documentation states the client can read data from every channel on your merchant account but can only create, update and cancel on the channel created at consent. Product and variant write tools are the exception — ShipBob documents those as merchant-level and not channel-scoped.
Is there a cost to use the ShipBob MCP server?
No. ShipBob's FAQ states the MCP server is free to use for ShipBob customers, and Anthropic's directory entry describes it as included for every ShipBob merchant. You still need a ShipBob account, and your account's permission level decides which tool calls succeed rather than the connector itself.
How do you test the ShipBob connector without touching real orders?
Use the sandbox URL. ShipBob publishes separate sandbox and production endpoints and documents the two environments as isolated, with accounts that do not carry across. ShipBob recommends adding both server entries and signing in to each with its matching account, then picking the right one in conversation.
Why does claude.ai show a Missing permissions error when adding ShipBob?
Because you are on a managed plan. ShipBob documents that on organization plans only a Claude admin can add a custom connector, and directs you to connect through the connector directory instead. That path works once your Claude admin has installed ShipBob MCP for the organization; otherwise the directory search returns no match.
Sources
- ShipBob MCP Server Overview (retrieved 2026-08-16 via the
.mdvariant ShipBob publishes for AI clients) · retrieved 2026-08-16 - ShipBob MCP Tools & Examples (retrieved 2026-08-16) · retrieved 2026-08-16
- ShipBob MCP Setup (retrieved 2026-08-16) · retrieved 2026-08-16
- ShipBob MCP Troubleshooting & FAQ (retrieved 2026-08-16) · retrieved 2026-08-16
- ShipBob API rate limit (retrieved 2026-08-16) · retrieved 2026-08-16
- ShipBob documentation index (retrieved 2026-08-16) · retrieved 2026-08-16
- Anonymous MCP handshake against
https://api.shipbob.com/developer-api/mcp— HTTP 401 with an OAuth bearer challenge, confirming the OAuth requirement (2026-08-16) · retrieved 2026-08-16 - Anthropic Connectors Directory entry — — the tool names,
partnertier and endpoint above are read from our committed directory snapshot dated 2026-08-16; the directory page itself blocks automated fetches, so we did not retrieve it directly · retrieved 2026-08-16 - ShipBob support — <support@shipbob.com> · Privacy (retrieved 2026-08-16) · retrieved 2026-08-16
Use in Agentman
Connect once and your agents call these tools on their own — on a schedule, in a workflow, with nobody at the keyboard.
Open in Agentman StudioServer Info
- Category
- E-commerce
- Developer
- ShipBob
- Tools
- 72
- Domain
- api.shipbob.com
Using Claude Desktop or another MCP client? Setup docs — the connection URL above works anywhere.
