The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that lets AI assistants connect to external tools and data — including Criteo. Once you connect your approved AI tool to Criteo MCP, you can ask questions about your campaigns, pull performance data, and explore insights in plain language, without navigating the platform or building custom data pipelines.
This article covers what you can do with Criteo MCP, how to connect your AI tool, and how to validate and troubleshoot your setup. For background on what MCP is and how Criteo approaches it, see What MCP is and Why Does It Matter?
What you can do with Criteo MCP: Commerce Grid Audience Planner
Use Audience Planner MCP to turn a campaign brief into recommended audiences, forecast signals, and a shareable planning output for curated Commerce Audience deals.
Brief to Audience Plan
Find AI-powered audience recommendations based on campaign briefs.
Forecast avails, bid guidance CPM, and maximum reachable budget.
Access audience insight layers that help validate or refine segment choice.
Share brief results so users without Commerce Grid UI access can review plans
Audience Planner MCP can reduce manual research and platform navigation, helping teams move from campaign objectives to actionable audience plans more efficiently.
Scope note: The current phase supports audience planning. It does not create supply packages or deal IDs, or execute activation in a DSP.
For setup instructions, see the Criteo API Developer Portal.
Before you start:
Confirm the following before connecting:
Requirement | Notes |
Criteo approval and an endpoint URL | Your Criteo representative arranges access and provides the endpoint URL. The URL is specific to your connection and includes the MCP path. Do not guess or use a shared URL. |
A compatible AI tool | Claude (Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise), ChatGPT, Langdock, Cursor, or another Criteo-approved AI environment. |
An active Criteo Curator account | You must have a Curator account for the Commerce Grid UI that allows you to plan audience strategies via Audience Planner. |
The correct authentication method | OAuth for standard connections. No authentication for key-based URLs — the credential is already included in the URL. |
Connect to Criteo MCP
The connection process follows the same pattern across most AI tools:
Confirm that Criteo has approved your access and provided the endpoint URL.
Open the connection or connector settings in your AI tool.
Add a custom connector, MCP server, or MCP app (the label varies by tool).
Enter Criteo as the connection name.
Paste the endpoint URL provided by Criteo, including the MCP path.
Select the authentication method for your connection:
For a standard connection: select OAuth.
For a key-based URL: select None or No sign in.
Complete the Criteo sign-in and approve access when prompted (OAuth only).
Enable the Criteo connector in a conversation or chat session.
For client-specific instructions, see the sections below.
Set Up in Claude
Remote MCP custom connectors are available on Claude Free, Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise plans. Free plans are limited to one custom connector.
For the latest requirements, see Get started with custom connectors using remote MCP.
Pro and Max Plans
Open Settings → Connectors.
Select Add → Add custom connector.
Enter Criteo as the connector name.
Paste the endpoint URL provided by Criteo, including the MCP path.
Select OAuth for a standard connection, or No sign in for a key-based URL.
Complete the sign-in and approval flow.
Enable the Criteo connector in the conversation where you want to use it.
Team and Enterprise Plans
An Owner or authorized organization administrator must add the connector for the organization before individual users can connect.
Organization owner — add the connector:
Open Organization settings → Connectors.
Select Add → Custom → Web.
Enter Criteo as the connector name.
Paste the endpoint URL provided by Criteo, including the MCP path.
Select the authentication method provided for your connection.
Select Add to save.
Each user — connect your own account:
Open Settings → Connectors.
Find the Criteo connector added by your organization owner.
Select Connect and complete the Criteo sign-in flow.
Enable the connector in the conversation where you want to use it.
Set Up in ChatGPT
ChatGPT plan requirements, workspace settings, and MCP functionality can change. Check the current Developer Mode and MCP apps in ChatGPT documentation before starting.
Ask your ChatGPT workspace administrator to enable Developer Mode or the custom MCP connector setting.
Go to Settings → Apps & Connectors → Add new connector.
Enter Criteo as the app name.
Paste the endpoint URL provided by Criteo, including the MCP path.
Select OAuth for a standard connection, or None for a key-based URL.
Select Create and complete sign-in when prompted.
Start a new chat and enable Criteo from the connector menu.
Validate Your Connection
After setup, confirm the connection is working before running an analysis:
Check that the Criteo connector shows as connected in your AI tool.
Ask the assistant to list the Criteo accounts it can access.
Confirm the returned accounts match the accounts Criteo enabled for you.
Run a simple read request to verify data access.
Example prompts to test your connection:
“Do I have access to Commerce Grid Audience Planner?”
“List all the actions that I can perform regarding Criteo audiences.”
"xxxx”
If the accounts returned do not match your expected access, stop using the connection and contact your Criteo representative before continuing.
Security and Access
Criteo MCP connects to Criteo data through permissioned APIs. Your access is determined by the Criteo accounts and permissions enabled for your specific connection.
Use only the endpoint URL provided by Criteo.
Do not share an OAuth session or a key-based URL with other users.
If the account list returned by the assistant does not match your expected access, stop using the connection and contact your Criteo representative.
MCP does not replace standard Criteo workflows. Use the Commerce Grid platform to review and activate recommendations where required.
Troubleshooting
The connection cannot be authenticated. Check that you are using the exact endpoint URL provided by Criteo, including the MCP path. For a standard connection, select OAuth. For a key-based URL, select None or No sign in — the credential is already included in the URL.
The connector is not available in Claude (Team or Enterprise plan). An Owner or authorized administrator must add the connector to the organization before individual users can connect. For Pro or Max plans, add the connector yourself from Settings → Connectors.
The connector is not available in ChatGPT. Ask your workspace administrator to confirm that Developer Mode or the custom MCP connector setting is enabled, then check the current OpenAI documentation for plan and workspace requirements.
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