The Marketo MCP server is finally here, and it’s a big deal for marketing ops teams.
A quick refresher in case it’s new to you: MCP (Model Context Protocol) is the standard that lets AI models like Claude talk directly to your tools. With the Marketo MCP, you can connect Claude to your Marketo instance and ask it to do real work (ie. finding a lead) right from a chat window.
For now, it’s in beta, so not everyone has access yet (to get in, you fill out a form on the Experience League page).
But we’re seeing a lot of people who do have access get stuck trying to set it up properly.
The documentation is dense, there are several moving parts, and one small slip (like a backwards slash in a file path) can break the whole thing.
That’s why we put this guide together. Our SVP of AI and Automation, Lucas, recorded a full walkthrough of the setup on Claude Desktop, and we’ve turned it into a clear tutorial you can follow along with.
Let’s get into it.
What You’ll Need
- Claude Desktop (the desktop app, not the browser version)
- Node and npm (npm installs automatically with Node)
- The Marketo MCP bridge.zip file, downloaded and unpacked
- Admin access in Marketo, to create a role, an API-only user, and a LaunchPoint service
- Beta access, requested through the Experience League form
Step 1: Install Node and npm
The Marketo MCP runs on Node, so install that first. Go to nodejs.org, download the installer, and run it. npm comes bundled in.
To confirm both are working, open your command prompt and run:
If you see a version number for each, you’re good to go!
Step 2: Download and Unpack the Bridge File
Download the Marketo MCP bridge.zip file and extract its contents. Put the unpacked folder somewhere you can easily reference, because you’ll need its file path soon.
Inside the extracted folder, open the README. It walks through the build and includes the exact mcpServers block you’ll paste into Claude’s config next.
Step 3: Set Up Your Claude Desktop Config
Open the Claude Desktop app and go to Settings > Developer > Edit Config. This opens your config.json file. The first time you open it, mcpServers will be an empty JSON object.
Copy the mcpServers block from the README and paste it in. Give your server a name you’ll recognize. We used Marketo MCP test. Your block will look something like this:
For the path in args, replace /path/to/marketo-bridge/bridge.mjs with the actual location of the bridge.mjs file in your unpacked folder. On Windows, select the file and press Control + Shift + C to copy its path, then paste it in. One thing to watch: Windows paths come in with backslashes (\), so flip them to forward slashes (/) or the path won’t work. Leave the credential fields for now. You’ll fill those in after grabbing them from Marketo.
Step 4: Create a Role in Marketo
The MCP connects the same way an API service does, so set it up like any other API integration.
Go to Users and Roles > Roles and create a new role. We named ours MCP access test. Give it API access, but stay conservative.
Note: The MCP can only use the endpoints Adobe has configured as tools. So even if you grant user management API or delete leads in the role, the MCP can’t act on them because Adobe hasn’t exposed them as tools. We left delete leads off entirely, as a precaution in case that endpoint opens up later.
Step 5: Create an API-Only User
Create a new API only user. You don’t need a real email or name, so [email protected] works fine. Assign the role you just built, then create the user.
Step 6: Create a LaunchPoint Service
This step is best practice and required. Create a LaunchPoint service connected to your API-only user. Choose Custom as the service type, give it a name and a short description, and select your API-only user. Create it, then open View Details. This is where your client ID and client secret live.
Step 7: Add Your Credentials to the Config
Back in config.json (it’ll open in a code editor like VS Code or in Notepad, either is fine), drop in your three values:
- Client ID (from the LaunchPoint service)
- Client secret (from the LaunchPoint service)
- Munchkin ID (found in your Marketo URL)
Save the file.
Step 8: Restart Claude Desktop
Claude needs a full restart to pick up the changes. Close the app completely, give it a few seconds to fully shut down, then reopen it.
Step 9: Confirm It’s Working
A couple of quick ways to check. In Claude, go to Settings > Developer. Here, you should see your server listed by the exact name from your config (Marketo MCP test). You can also open connectors to see it listed under the same name.
Then put it to work. Ask Claude to do something simple, like find a specific lead. It’ll think for a moment, check its available tools, call the right one, and return the lead. When that happens, your Marketo MCP is live!
That’s the full setup. Once it’s running, you can start experimenting with what the Marketo MCP can do inside your own instance (it’s pretty awesome).
If you get stuck partway through, or you’re weighing bigger questions about AI agents and where they fit into your MOPs workflow, we’re always happy to talk it through.
This is the kind of thing our team works on every day, and we’d love to help you get it right!
Reach out to us here for a chat.