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Tell includes an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that gives AI assistants direct access to your analytics. Connect it to Claude Desktop, Cursor, Zed, or any MCP-compatible client — then ask questions about your data in natural language.

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Quick start

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Stdio (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Zed)

Add Tell to your MCP client configuration: 
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tell": {
      "command": "tell",
      "args": ["mcp"],
      "env": {
        "TELL_API_KEY": "tell_your_api_key"
      }
    }
  }
}

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HTTP/SSE

If your Tell server has MCP enabled, connect via HTTP: 
POST https://your-tell-server/api/v1/mcp
The HTTP transport supports SSE for streaming responses with automatic reconnection.

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What you can do

Once connected, ask your AI assistant things like:
  • “Show me daily active users for the last 30 days”
  • “Which events are tracked most frequently?”
  • “Find users most likely to churn”
  • “Create a dashboard with DAU, WAU, and top events”
  • “Are there any anomalies in the logs?”
The assistant uses Tell’s 21 tools behind the scenes to query data, build dashboards, and surface insights.

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Tools

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Workspace discovery

ToolWhat it does
list_workspacesList workspaces you have access to with your role in each

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Data discovery and querying

ToolWhat it does
workspace_infoGet the complete data model — tables, columns, relationships, query patterns. Call this first before writing SQL.
list_columnsList column names and types for a specific table (Admin+)
queryExecute a read-only SQL query against your analytics data (Admin+)

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Boards

ToolWhat it does
list_boardsList dashboards in a workspace
get_boardGet a board’s full configuration — blocks, series, visualizations
create_boardCreate a new dashboard with metric blocks
update_boardUpdate a board’s title, description, or blocks
delete_boardPermanently delete a board
run_boardExecute all metric series in a board and return the results

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Sharing

ToolWhat it does
share_boardCreate a public share link for a board
get_share_linkCheck if a board has an existing share link

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Data exploration

ToolWhat it does
list_eventsDiscover top events by count and percentage
explore_dataBrowse raw rows from events, sessions, users, or logs with filters

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ML enrichment

ToolWhat it does
enrichment_statusCheck if ML predictions are active and how many events are enriched
churn_riskFind users most likely to churn, sorted by risk score
anomaly_summarySummarize anomalous log patterns by source
segment_overviewShow user distribution across ML-assigned segments

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User segments

ToolWhat it does
list_segmentsList available segment definitions (lifecycle and engagement)
segment_countsCount users per segment with percentages
segment_usersList users in a specific segment with stats

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Authentication

Tools authenticate using an API key. You can provide it in three ways:
  1. Environment variable — set TELL_API_KEY in your MCP client config
  2. Per-tool parameter — pass api_key to any tool call
  3. Environment reference — use env:MY_VAR_NAME to read from an environment variable
Workspace-scoped API keys restrict access to a single workspace. User-level keys allow access to all workspaces the user belongs to.

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Permissions

Most tools work with any authenticated user. Two tools require Admin or higher:
ToolRequired role
queryAdmin+ (raw SQL access)
list_columnsAdmin+ (schema inspection)
Board updates and deletions require board ownership or Admin role. The MCP server includes instructions that guide AI assistants through the best workflow:
  1. list_workspaces — find your workspace ID
  2. workspace_info — learn the data model before querying
  3. run_board — use existing dashboards for standard metrics (DAU, MAU, events)
  4. list_events — discover what’s being tracked
  5. query — write SQL for ad-hoc analysis
  6. explore_data — drill down into raw data
  7. enrichment_status → churn_risk / anomaly_summary — check ML insights

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SQL query security

The query tool enforces multiple layers of protection:
  • SELECT only — no INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, DROP, or ALTER
  • Workspace scoping — queries are automatically scoped to your workspace
  • Function blocking — 40+ dangerous functions are blocked (file access, remote connections, system info)
  • No cross-workspace access — queries can’t reference other workspace databases
All queries are audit logged with execution time and row count.

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What’s next

  • Blocks — the streaming block format that MCP tools use for generative UI
  • CLI Commands — tell mcp and other CLI tools
  • Ask — query your data with AI from the command line