| name | substack-mcp-connector |
| description | MCP connector for Substack – enables AI-powered newsletter authoring, subscriber management, and content planning through Claude |
| license | Proprietary/API |
| tags | ["writing","newsletter","mcp","substack","publishing"] |
| difficulty | intermediate |
| time_to_master | 4-8 weeks |
| version | 1.0.0 |
Substack MCP Connector
Overview
This skill enables Claude to interact with Substack through the Model Context Protocol (MCP). It provides a bridge between Claude's AI capabilities and Substack's Web API, allowing natural language control of Substack operations, intelligent automation, and AI-powered assistance for Substack workflows.
When to Use This Skill
- Newsletter draft creation and editing
- Subscriber analytics and segmentation
- Content calendar planning
- Cross-promotion and recommendation management
- Revenue and subscription reporting
Architecture
┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────────┐ ┌──────────────────┐
│ Claude │────▶│ MCP Server │────▶│ Substack │
│ (Client) │◀────│ (TypeScript) │◀────│ (Web API )│
└─────────────┘ └─────────────────┘ └──────────────────┘
Core Concepts
MCP Server Setup
The connector implements an MCP server that exposes Substack operations as tools Claude can invoke. The server translates natural language intentions into Web API calls.
Key Endpoints/Interfaces
publish API, subscriber management, analytics, draft management, settings
Implementation
import { McpServer } from "@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/server/mcp.js";
import { StdioServerTransport } from "@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/server/stdio.js";
import { z } from "zod";
const server = new McpServer({
name: "substack-mcp-connector",
version: "1.0.0",
});
server.tool(
"list_resources",
"List and query Substack resources with optional filters",
{
query: z.string().optional().describe("Search query or filter"),
limit: z.number().optional().describe("Max results to return"),
},
async ({ query, limit }) => {
const response = await fetch(`${BASE_URL}publish API`, {
headers: { "Authorization": `Bearer ${API_KEY}` },
});
const data = await response.json();
return {
: [{ : , : .(data, , ) }],
};
}
);
server.(
,
,
{
: z.().(),
: z.({}).().().(),
},
({ name, config }) => {
response = (, {
: ,
: {
: ,
: ,
},
: .({ name, ...config }),
});
data = response.();
{
: [{ : , : }],
};
}
);
server.(
,
,
{
: z.().(),
: z.().().(),
},
({ , timeframe }) => {
response = (, {
: { : },
});
data = response.();
{
: [{ : , : .(data, , ) }],
};
}
);
transport = ();
server.(transport);
Claude Desktop Configuration
{
"mcpServers": {
"substack-mcp-connector": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["path/to/substack-mcp-connector/index.js"],
"env": {
"SUBSTACK_API_KEY": "your-api-key",
"SUBSTACK_BASE_URL": "https://your-instance-url"
}
}
}
}
Best Practices
- Authentication: Store API keys securely using environment variables; never hardcode credentials
- Rate Limiting: Implement request throttling to respect Substack API rate limits
- Error Handling: Provide clear, actionable error messages for common failure scenarios
- Pagination: Handle paginated responses for large datasets efficiently
- Caching: Cache frequently accessed read-only data to reduce API calls
- Security: Validate all inputs before passing to the Substack API; sanitize outputs
- Logging: Log all API interactions for debugging and audit purposes
Example Prompts
"Draft a newsletter post on the latest industry trends with key takeaways and discussion prompts"
Security Considerations
- All API credentials must be stored as environment variables
- Implement input validation and sanitization for all tool parameters
- Use HTTPS for all API communications
- Follow the principle of least privilege for API token permissions
- Audit log all write operations for compliance tracking
Resources
Changelog
| Version | Date | Changes |
|---|
| 1.0.0 | 2026-04-01 | Initial MCP connector skill |
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