If you’ve heard “MCP” thrown around in the last six months and quietly nodded along, this article is for you. We’re going to translate the Model Context Protocol into language that makes sense for a Linnworks operator running a real warehouse.
The one-sentence definition
MCP is the cable that plugs your business data into an AI assistant.
That’s it. Everything else is implementation detail.
Why this matters now
For the last two years, getting Claude (or any LLM) to answer questions about your live Linnworks data meant one of three painful options:
- Build a custom integration in code — weeks of developer time, ongoing maintenance.
- Export to a CSV and paste it into the chat — stale data, no automation, doesn’t scale.
- Pay a consultancy to wire it up bespoke — thousands of pounds, brittle when the API changes.
MCP collapses all three options into one. An MCP server (think of it as a translator) sits between Linnworks and Claude. Claude asks questions in natural language; the MCP server turns them into the right Linnworks API calls; Linnworks returns data; Claude reads it and answers you.
You ask: “Which SKUs dropped below 10 units this week?”. The MCP server hits the Linnworks Stock API. Claude reads the result and gives you a clean list. No code on your side. No data leaves Cloudflare’s edge in our case.
What MCP is not
Three quick myths to bust:
- MCP is not an LLM. It’s a protocol. You still need Claude (or another AI) to make sense of the data.
- MCP is not just for Anthropic. It’s an open spec. ChatGPT and other assistants support it too.
- MCP is not a data warehouse. Nothing is copied or cached — every query hits Linnworks live.
What MCP-G’s Linnworks connector actually does
Under the hood, our Linnworks MCP connector exposes 13 tools to Claude: search open orders, search processed orders, get order details, search stock items, get stock levels, search customers, search purchase orders, list refunds and returns, and a few more. Each tool is a Linnworks API call, dressed up so Claude knows when to use it.
You don’t see the tools. You ask a question; Claude figures out which tool to call.
Two ways to get it
You’ve got two options:
- Buy the source code (£99 one-off). You deploy it to your own Cloudflare account. You own the data path. You handle updates.
- Hosted (£49/month). We host it. You get a private URL and a bearer token. You drop them into Claude Desktop. Done in two clicks.
For most operators we recommend hosted — the operational overhead of running and updating your own MCP server isn’t worth it until you have a specific reason to self-host.
What to read next
If you’re ready to see it work, browse the Linnworks MCP page for the example queries.
Questions? Email hello@mcp-g.com. We answer the same day.