MCP Quickstart

Choose an authentication method

SAN’s MCP server authenticates with an API key. You can pass the key either as a query parameter in the server URL or as an x-api-key header.

Use the query parameter URL when you’re connecting from a consumer chat app or any MCP client that doesn’t support custom headers.
Use the x-api-key header when you’re connecting from a developer tool whose config supports headers (Claude Desktop, Claude Code, custom agents, CI).

You’ll need an API key first. Follow the API Quickstart to create one with a single click, no account required.

Connect by URL (recommended)
API key header

Any MCP client that lets you add a server by URL can connect to SAN, including consumer apps that don’t support custom headers. Just append your API key as the api_key query parameter:

https://playground.sanfoundation.com/mcp?api_key=sk_...

In claude.ai, this is under Settings > Connectors > Add custom connector — paste the full URL there.

The URL contains your API key, so treat the entire URL as a secret. Anyone who has it can spend your balance. Don’t share it, commit it to source control, or paste it anywhere public.

If your MCP client’s config supports HTTP headers, pass your key in the x-api-key header instead of the URL. For Claude Desktop, edit claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "san": {
      "url": "https://playground.sanfoundation.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "x-api-key": "sk_..."
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart your client and SAN’s tools will appear alongside any others you’ve configured. Other clients use slightly different config formats, but the url and x-api-key header are the same.

Getting started

Integrations

MCP Quickstart

Choose an authentication method

​Choose an authentication method

Choose an authentication method