We're excited to introduce a powerful new feature in Zuplo's API Gateway: the MCP Server Handler that enables you to transform any API you manage through Zuplo into a remote Model Context Protocol (MCP) server with straightforward configuration, eliminating the complexity of remote MCP server setup.
What is Model Context Protocol?
Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that enables AI tools and agents to securely connect to external data sources and services. Having an MCP server for your API is becoming essential for AI readiness as AI agents become more prevalent in business workflows, making your API discoverable and usable by intelligent systems.
While setting up local MCP servers is relatively straightforward, remote MCP servers are much trickier to configure. They require reliable hosting infrastructure, careful handling of authentication, proper request routing, and robust security measures, all of which can be time-consuming and complex to implement correctly.
Enter Zuplo's MCP Server Handler
Our new MCP Server Handler dramatically simplifies remote MCP server setup. Here's how:
- Streamlined Setup: Configure your MCP server quickly, based on your OpenAPI document, without complex infrastructure setup. Expose some, or all, of your API endpoints as tools for use with any MCP compatible service.
- Global Edge Deployment: Leverage Zuplo's worldwide edge network for lightning-fast responses to AI agents, regardless of location, with no hosting infrastructure to manage.
- Enterprise-Grade Security: Apply any of Zuplo's existing policies including API key authentication, rate limiting, bot protection, prompt poisoning protection, and advanced agent authentication.
- Always in Sync: Since both your API and MCP server are managed within Zuplo, any changes to your API schema or endpoints are automatically reflected in your MCP server configuration. No more worrying about keeping documentation and integrations up to date.
See It in Action
We've put together an end-to-end walkthrough video that demonstrates the entire setup process from start to finish.
You'll see just how quickly you can go from a standard API to a fully functional remote MCP server that exposes your API endpoints as tool that can be used with any MCP compatible service, including Cursor, Claude Desktop, OpenAI, and many more.
How It Works
Setting up your MCP server is straightforward. You can configure it through the Route Designer in the Zuplo portal, or directly via a JSON configuration file if developing locally.
You have complete freedom to add whatever request policies you’d like to use on every request, as well as the ability to create multiple, different, MCP Servers that can span your whole API catalog.
From Zero-to-MCP in 5 Steps
Setting up the remote MCP Server Handler for your API takes just a few seconds and only 5 steps.
- Create a new API in Zuplo (very quick if you already have an OpenAPI document)
- Set up a new OAS file for your
MCP Server (
mcp.oas.json, or any name you want) - A a new POST route that compatible tools can use (
/mcpis a good choice) - Add the MCP Server handler to that route and give your MCP server a name and a version.
- Choose your main OpenAPI document (
routes.oas.json) as the one you want to expose as tools.
Click save, and it will deploy in a few seconds.
You can start testing your new MCP server right away using the MCP compatible tool of your choice, or the excellent MCP Inspector.
Remote MCP Server Example
A complete working example of a remote MCP server with authentication, prompt injection detection, and secret masking policies.
Unified API and MCP Management
What makes this particularly exciting is that your MCP server inherits all the powerful capabilities of Zuplo's API Gateway platform, while staying perfectly synchronized with your API changes:
- Intelligent Rate Limiting: Protect your APIs from abuse while ensuring legitimate AI agents can access your services
- Bot Protection: Built-in safeguards against malicious automated requests
- Real-time Analytics: Monitor how AI agents interact with your APIs
- Custom Policies: Apply any of our 50+ built-in policies to your MCP server or create your own
- Automatic Synchronization: Changes to your API are automatically reflected in your MCP server, ensuring AI agents always have access to the latest capabilities
- Edge Native Speed: Just like Zuplo powered APIs.
Available Now on All Plans
Model Context Protocol with Zuplo is available immediately across all Zuplo plans, including our free tier. You can start experimenting with remote MCP servers today without any additional cost.
Whether you're building internal AI tools, creating public AI-accessible APIs, or exploring new ways to integrate AI into your workflows, this feature opens up exciting possibilities with minimal effort.
We Want Your Feedback
As with all our features, we're eager to hear how you use the MCP Server handler and what additional capabilities would be most valuable. The AI landscape is evolving rapidly, and we're committed to making Zuplo the best platform for AI-accessible APIs.
Ready to add the power of MCP to your API? Sign up for Zuplo for free and get set up.
More from MCP Week
This article is part of Zuplo's MCP Week. A week dedicated to Model Context Protocol, AI, LLMs and, of course, APIs centered around the release of our support for remote MCP servers.
You can find the other articles and videos from this week below:
- Day 1: Why MCP Won't Kill APIs with Kevin Swiber
- Day 2: Zuplo launches remote MCP Servers for your APIs!
- Day 3: The AI Agent Reality Gap with Zdenek "Z" Nemec (Superface)
- Day 4: Two Essential Security Policies for MCP & AI with Martyn Davies
- Day 5: AI Agents Are Coming For Your APIs with John McBride
