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Connect to the Sinch Engage MCP (AU)

Updated

This guide covers how to connect to the Sinch Engage MCP server for the AU region: generating API credentials and adding the server in Claude Code via the terminal.

Endpoint

This guide uses the AU region endpoint:

https://au.app.api.sinch.com/mcp

Use the endpoint that matches the region your Engage account is provisioned in. If your account is in the EU region, follow the EU guide instead. If you are unsure of your region, confirm with your account administrator. Credentials and endpoints are region-specific.

Step 1: Generate API credentials (Basic Authentication)

Prerequisites

  • You must be an account Administrator. Users with Basic or Advanced permissions cannot create or manage API keys.
  • Credentials can only be created on a Verified Account. If your account is not verified, request verification first.

Steps

  1. Log into your Sinch Engage account 
  2. Navigate to Settings > API Settings, scroll to Basic Authentication, and click Create new key.
  3. Enter a descriptive name and click Create Key.
  4. On the confirmation modal, copy the Base64-encoded credential, then click OK. This is the value you paste directly after Basic in the Authorization header.

The credential is shown only once. Save it somewhere secure immediately. If you lose it, you must create a new key.

Reference the full guide on Creating new API credentials for more information.

Step 2: Install and start Claude Code

Claude Code is Anthropic's assistant that runs in your computer's terminal. The terminal is a built-in app that lets you type instructions to your computer. You only need to do this setup once.

Prerequisites

  • You need a paid Claude plan (Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise). The free plan does not include Claude Code.
  • You need an internet connection.

Steps

  1. Open the terminal.
    • Mac: Press Cmd + Space, type Terminal, and press Enter.
    • Windows: Click the Start menu, type PowerShell, and open it.

  2. Install Claude Code. Copy the line that matches your computer, paste it into the terminal, and press Enter. Installation takes a couple of minutes and needs nothing else installed first.

    • Mac:

      bash

    • curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash

    • Windows (PowerShell):

      powershell

    • irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex

    • If a command does not work, get the current install command from the official setup page (linked above), as these can change.

  3. Sign in. Type the word below and press Enter:

    • bash

  4. claude

    • The first time, a browser window opens asking you to sign in to your Claude account. Sign in, then return to the terminal.

  5. Return to the plain terminal.

    • Once signed in, type /exit and press Enter to leave Claude Code and return to the normal terminal prompt. You are now ready to connect the Engage server in Step 3.

      • Tip: if you ever see claude: command not found, close the terminal window, open a new one, and try again.

    • Detailed Claude Code in terminal instructions can be seen here: https://docs.claude.com/en/docs/claude-code/setup

Step 3: Connect using Claude Code in the terminal

Use the claude mcp add command in your Command Line Interface.

Replace <your-credential> with the Base64 credential from Step 1. All flags must come before the server name.

claude mcp add --transport http sinch-engage-au https://au.app.api.sinch.com/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Basic <your-credential>"

Add --scope user to make the server available across all projects, or --scope project to share it with a team via a committed .mcp.json. Default scope (local) is private to you in the current project.

The CLI redacts the header in its confirmation output, so the credential does not land in your shell history scrollback.

Alternative: add-json

claude mcp add-json sinch-engage-au '{"type":"http","url":"https://au.app.api.sinch.com/mcp","headers":{"Authorization":"Basic <your-credential>"}}'

To keep the credential out of a committed file, reference an environment variable instead of hardcoding it:

"headers": {
  "Authorization": "Basic ${SINCH_ENGAGE_CREDENTIAL}"
}

Verify with claude mcp list in the terminal, or /mcp inside a Claude Code session.

For more information on connecting MCP to Claude Code, you can view the article here: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/mcp 

Troubleshooting

  • Connection fails immediately in Claude Code: if you configured a static Authorization header and the server rejects it, Claude Code reports the connection as failed rather than falling back to OAuth. Re-check that the credential was pasted in full (no leading/trailing whitespace) and that it is an AU-region credential.
  • error: missing required argument 'name': a flag (e.g. --header) was placed after the server name. All options must come before the name.
  • Wrong region: this guide uses the AU endpoint. EU credentials will not authenticate against it. EU customers should use the EU guide.
  • Lost credential: the credential is only displayed once. Create a new key if it was not saved.

Security notes

  • Treat the credential as a password. Do not commit it to source control. Use environment-variable expansion in shared config files.
  • Rotate credentials if they may have been exposed (for example, pasted into a shared repo or log).

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