Understanding Bundles

Bundles are the core organizing principle of MCPBundles. This page explains what they are, how they're categorized, and their lifecycle from creation to use.

What is a Bundle?

A bundle is a cloud-hosted collection of related tools exposed through a single MCP URL.

Think of it like an app store, but instead of downloading apps, your AI discovers tools. When you add a bundle URL to ChatGPT or Cursor, all the tools in that bundle become available to your AI.

About .mcpb Files

You may have heard of .mcpb extension files—Anthropic's packaging format for MCP servers. MCPBundles supports this! You can download any bundle as a .mcpb file for one-click installation in Claude Desktop. The file is just a convenient installer that connects to our cloud service. Both the MCP URL method and .mcpb file method give you the same bundle. See the FAQ for details.

Why Bundles?

Without bundles, you'd need to:

• Add 50+ individual tool URLs to your AI
• Remember which tool does what
• Manage credentials for each tool separately

With bundles, you:

• Add one URL and get many tools
• Tools are organized by purpose (marketing, development, etc.)
• Share one set of credentials across all tools in the bundle

Bundle Properties

Every bundle has:

Basic Information

• Name: What the bundle is called (e.g., "Marketing Automation")
• Description: What it does and what tools it contains
• Slug: URL-friendly identifier (e.g., marketing-automation-a3f)
• Version: Semantic version number (e.g., 1.0.0)
• Author: Who created the bundle
• Icon: Visual identifier for the bundle

Organization

• Category: What type of work the bundle helps with (see below)
• Tools: List of tools included in the bundle
• Providers: Which external APIs the tools connect to

Lifecycle Status

• Publication Status: Draft, Published, Deprecated, or Archived
• Readiness Status: Whether you can use it right now (Ready, Setup Required, Connection Error, Unknown)

Access Control

• User Access: Whether you've enabled this bundle on your account
• Publication: Whether the bundle is public or private

Bundle Categories

Bundles are organized into categories based on the type of work they help with. This makes it easier to find bundles that solve your specific needs.

Available Categories

Category	Description	Example Tools
Analytics	Data analysis and reporting	Fetch metrics, generate reports, visualize trends
Backend	Server and infrastructure	Deploy code, manage databases, monitor services
Cloud	Cloud platform services	AWS, Azure, GCP operations
Collaboration	Teamwork and communication	Slack, Teams, Discord integrations
Customer Relation	CRM and customer management	HubSpot, Salesforce, Zendesk tools
Developer Tools	Coding and development	GitHub, GitLab, code analysis
Ecommerce	Online shopping and sales	Shopify, Stripe, inventory management
Education	Learning and training	Course management, quiz tools
Email	Email marketing and management	Campaign tools, inbox automation
Enterprise	Business operations	ERP, workflow automation
Entertainment	Media and content	Streaming, gaming, content creation
Financial	Money and accounting	Banking APIs, payment processing
Forms	Data collection	Survey tools, form builders
Hosting	Web hosting and servers	Domain management, hosting control
IoT	Internet of Things	Device control, sensor data
Location	Maps and geolocation	Address lookup, routing, geocoding
Machine Learning	AI and ML operations	Model training, inference
Marketing	Marketing automation	Email campaigns, social media, analytics
Media	Image, video, audio	Processing, conversion, editing
Messaging	Chat and messaging platforms	SMS, WhatsApp, Telegram
Monitoring	System monitoring	Uptime checks, alert management
Open Data	Public datasets	Government data, research data
Payment	Payment processing	Credit cards, digital wallets
Project Management	Task and project tracking	Asana, Trello, Jira tools
Search	Search and discovery	Elasticsearch, search APIs
Security	Security and authentication	Auth tools, security scanning
Social	Social media platforms	Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook tools
Storage	File storage and management	S3, Dropbox, Google Drive
Support	Customer support	Ticketing, help desk
Telecom	Phone and SMS services	Twilio, voice APIs
Text	Text processing	Translation, summarization
Time Management	Scheduling and calendar	Calendar APIs, scheduling tools
Tools	General utilities	Converters, validators, generators
Transport	Shipping and logistics	Delivery tracking, route planning
Other	Miscellaneous tools	Tools that don't fit other categories

Choosing a Category

When creating a bundle, pick the category that best describes the primary use case. If a bundle has tools from multiple categories, choose the one that represents the main purpose.

Example: A "Sales Automation" bundle might include email tools (Email category) and CRM tools (Customer Relation category). Choose Customer Relation since that's the primary purpose.

Publication Status

Bundles move through different publication states as you work with them.

Draft

• You're still building and testing the bundle
• Not visible to others
• You can add/remove tools freely
• Tools won't appear in AI clients

When to use: Creating a new bundle, major changes to existing bundles

Published

• Bundle is complete and ready to use
• Visible in the marketplace (if you've made it public)
• Can be enabled on your account
• Tools appear in your AI clients
• You can still edit it, but changes are visible immediately

When to use: Bundle is tested and ready for use

Deprecated

• Bundle is outdated but still works
• Indicates users should migrate to a newer version
• Still functional for existing users
• Not promoted to new users

When to use: You've created a better version and want to sunset the old one

Archived

• Bundle is no longer maintained
• Hidden from marketplace
• Existing users can keep using it
• No new users can enable it

When to use: Bundle is obsolete or no longer supported

Bundle Readiness

Readiness tells you whether the bundle's tools will actually work for you right now. It depends on which providers are connected and verified.

Ready - Credentials valid 🟢

All required providers have valid, verified credentials. Every tool in the bundle works.

What you see:

• Green checkmark badge with "Ready - Credentials valid"
• Full tool count shown
• "Configuration Required" section shows all providers verified

What you can do:

• Use all tools immediately
• Tools appear in your AI
• Bundle is fully functional

Example:

Marketing Suite Bundle
Status: Ready - Credentials valid ✓
Required: Smartlead (Verified), HubSpot (Verified)
Optional: OpenAI (Verified)
Tools Available: 12/12

Setup Required - Connect provider accounts 🟡

Bundle hasn't been configured yet. Needs credentials for required providers.

What you see:

• Orange/yellow warning badge
• "Setup Required - Connect provider accounts"
• List of providers that need configuration

What you can do:

• Click "Configure" next to each provider
• Add credentials through the credential panel
• Validate each credential
• Bundle becomes Ready once all required providers are configured

Example:

Marketing Suite Bundle
Status: Setup Required
Required: Smartlead (Not configured), HubSpot (Not configured)
Tools Available: 0/12
Action: Click Configure to add credentials

Connection Error - Credentials expired ❌

One or more provider credentials are missing, expired, or invalid.

What you see:

• Red error badge
• "Connection Error - Credentials expired"
• Specific providers showing errors
• "Action Required" warning

What you can do:

• Click "Configure" next to the affected provider
• Fix or replace the problematic credential
• Re-validate to confirm it works
• Bundle becomes Ready once all credentials are valid

Example:

Marketing Suite Bundle
Status: Connection Error ❌
Required: Smartlead (Credential expired), HubSpot (Verified)
Tools Available: Limited
Action: Fix Smartlead credential

Unknown ⚪

You haven't enabled this bundle on your account yet, so we can't evaluate its readiness.

What you see:

• Gray badge
• "Enable bundle to check readiness"

What you can do:

• Click "Add to My Account" to enable the bundle
• System will check if you have the required providers
• Status changes to Ready, Setup Required, or Connection Error based on your credentials

Creating and Managing Bundles

Creating a Bundle

1. Go to Dashboard → Bundles
2. Click "Create Bundle"
3. Fill in:
   • Name (clear, descriptive)
   • Description (what it does)
   • Category (from the list above)
   • Version (start with 1.0.0)
4. Click "Create"
5. Add tools to the bundle
6. Test with your own credentials
7. Publish when ready

Testing Bundle Tools

Before using tools in your AI, you can test them in Bundle Studio—an interactive execution environment that lets you run tools directly in your browser with proper credential context.

Bundle Studio features:

• Execute tools with auto-generated forms
• See real-time results and errors
• Get help from an AI assistant
• Verify credentials are working
• Learn tool behavior safely

See the Bundle Studio Guide for a complete walkthrough.

Adding Tools to a Bundle

Tools can belong to multiple bundles. This lets you:

• Create general-purpose bundles (all marketing tools)
• Create focused bundles (only email campaign tools)
• Mix and match tools for specific workflows

To add tools:

1. Open the bundle
2. Click "Add Tool"
3. Search for existing tools or create new ones
4. Tool appears in the bundle immediately

Enabling a Bundle on Your Account

Before you can use a bundle's tools, you must enable it:

1. Find the bundle in the marketplace or your dashboard
2. Click "Add to My Account"
3. System checks which providers you need
4. Connect any missing providers (click "Configure")
5. Add credentials through the credential panel
6. Validate your credentials
7. Bundle status changes to Ready
8. Copy the MCP URL
9. Add to your AI client

Disabling a Bundle

If you stop using a bundle:

1. Open the bundle
2. Click "Remove from My Account"
3. Tools disappear from your AI
4. Credentials remain (in case you re-enable later)
5. Bundle stays in "My Bundles" list (disabled state)

Bundle URLs

Each bundle has a unique MCP URL you add to your AI clients.

Format:

https://mcp.mcpbundles.com/bundle/{bundle-slug}

Example:

https://mcp.mcpbundles.com/bundle/marketing-automation-a3f

Using Bundle URLs

Different AI clients configure bundles differently:

ChatGPT:

• Settings → Connectors → Create New → Paste URL

Cursor:

• .cursor/mcp.json → Add to mcpServers → Paste URL

Claude Desktop:

• Add Custom Connector → Paste URL

Claude Code:

• claude mcp add --transport http {name} {url}

See Integration Guides for detailed steps.

Bundle Versioning

Bundles use semantic versioning: MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH

• MAJOR (1.x.x): Breaking changes, incompatible with previous version
• MINOR (x.1.x): New features, backward compatible
• PATCH (x.x.1): Bug fixes, backward compatible

When to Increment

• Add tools: Increment MINOR (1.0.0 → 1.1.0)
• Remove tools: Increment MAJOR (1.1.0 → 2.0.0)
• Fix tool bugs: Increment PATCH (1.1.0 → 1.1.1)
• Change tool behavior: Increment MAJOR or MINOR depending on impact

Managing Multiple Versions

You can have multiple versions of a bundle:

• marketing-suite-v1 (version 1.5.0, deprecated)
• marketing-suite-v2 (version 2.0.0, published)

Users on v1 keep working. New users get v2. Migration is optional.

Common Workflows

Workflow 1: Using an Existing Bundle

1. Browse bundles by category
2. Find one that fits your needs
3. Click "Add to My Account"
4. Connect required providers
5. Enable the bundle
6. Copy MCP URL
7. Add to your AI client
8. Start using tools

Workflow 2: Creating a Custom Bundle

1. Click "Create Bundle"
2. Name it based on your workflow (e.g., "Daily Standup Automation")
3. Pick a category
4. Add relevant tools:
   • Slack notification
   • Calendar fetch
   • Email send
   • GitHub PR list
5. Test with your credentials
6. Publish
7. Add to your AI

Workflow 3: Combining Multiple Bundles

You can enable multiple bundles simultaneously. Your AI sees all tools from all enabled bundles.

Example setup:

• Marketing Suite (12 tools) → For campaigns
• Developer Tools (25 tools) → For code work
• Customer Support (8 tools) → For tickets

Total: 45 tools available in your AI, organized into 3 bundles.

Next Steps

• Understanding Providers - Learn about credentials and verification
• Quick Start Guide - Get your first bundle working
• Understanding Providers - Connect credentials to bundles