Anaplan MCP

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that connects AI assistants to Anaplan's Integration API v2. Gives LLMs like Claude direct access to browse Anaplan workspaces, read and write model data, run imports/exports, and manage list items — all through 43 structured tools.

Built in TypeScript. Runs over stdio. Works with Claude Desktop, Claude Code, and any MCP-compatible client.

What It Does

Anaplan MCP bridges the gap between conversational AI and Anaplan's planning platform. Instead of manually navigating the Anaplan UI or writing API scripts, you can ask your AI assistant to:

• Explore model structure — browse workspaces, models, modules, line items, views, and lists to understand how a model is built
• Read and write cell data — pull data from module views or push values to specific cells through the transactional API
• Run bulk operations — trigger imports, exports, processes, and delete actions, with automatic task polling until completion
• Manage files — upload CSV/text data to Anaplan files or download file contents
• Manage lists — add, update, or delete list items programmatically

All operations go through Anaplan's official Integration API v2 with proper authentication, automatic token refresh, and retry logic for rate limits and transient failures.

Setup

1. Clone and build

git clone https://github.com/larasrinath/anaplan-mcp.git
cd anaplan-mcp
npm install
npm run build

2. Configure your MCP client

Add the following to your MCP client config. The file location depends on your client:

• Claude Desktop (macOS): ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Claude Desktop (Windows): %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
• Claude Code: ~/.claude/mcp_settings.json or run claude mcp add

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "anaplan": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/anaplan-mcp/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "ANAPLAN_USERNAME": "user@company.com",
        "ANAPLAN_PASSWORD": "your-password"
      }
    }
  }
}

Important: Replace /absolute/path/to/anaplan-mcp with the actual absolute path where you cloned the repo (e.g., /Users/you/anaplan-mcp).

3. Restart your MCP client

Restart Claude Desktop or Claude Code to pick up the new server. The 43 Anaplan tools should now be available.

Browser-based AI (claude.ai, gemini.google.com, chatgpt.com)

MCP servers run as local processes on your machine — the AI client spawns the server over stdio. Browser-based AI products like claude.ai, Gemini, and ChatGPT web cannot launch local processes, so they cannot connect to this server. You need a desktop application (Claude Desktop, Claude Code) that runs on your machine.

Authentication

Three methods supported, auto-detected from environment variables. If multiple are configured, the highest priority method wins.

Method	Env Vars	Priority
Certificate	ANAPLAN_CERTIFICATE_PATH, ANAPLAN_PRIVATE_KEY_PATH	Highest
OAuth2 (Device Grant)	ANAPLAN_CLIENT_ID, ANAPLAN_CLIENT_SECRET (optional)	Medium
Basic	ANAPLAN_USERNAME, ANAPLAN_PASSWORD	Lowest

How Auth Works

• Basic — sends base64 credentials to Anaplan's auth endpoint, receives a session token
• Certificate — reads your PEM certificate and private key, signs a random challenge with SHA512, authenticates via the CACertificate flow
• OAuth2 Device Grant — initiates a device code flow, prints a URL and code to stderr for the user to authorize, then polls for an access token

All methods produce a token that is cached in memory and automatically refreshed 5 minutes before the 35-minute expiry. You never need to manage tokens yourself.

Available Tools

Model Exploration (30 tools)

Navigate the Anaplan model hierarchy to understand structure before working with data.

Tool	Description
show_workspaces	List all accessible workspaces
show_workspacedetails	Get workspace details (size, active status)
show_models	List models in a workspace
show_allmodels	List all models across all workspaces
show_modeldetails	Get model details including status and workspace
show_modelstatus	Check model status (memory usage, export progress)
show_modules	List modules in a model
show_moduledetails	Get module details with dimensions
show_lineitems	List line items in a module
show_alllineitems	List all line items in a model (cross-module)
show_lineitemdimensions	List dimension IDs for a line item
show_lineitemdimensionitems	List dimension items for a specific line item
show_savedviews	List saved views in a module
show_allviews	List all views in a model (cross-module)
show_viewdetails	Get view dimension metadata (rows, columns, pages)
show_lists	List all dimensions (lists) in a model
get_list_items	Get items in a list
show_listmetadata	Get list metadata (properties, parent, item count)
show_dimensionitems	List all items in a dimension (model-level)
show_viewdimensionitems	List selected items in a dimension for a view
lookup_dimensionitems	Look up dimension items by name or code
show_imports	List available import actions
show_importdetails	Get import definition metadata
show_exports	List available export actions
show_exportdetails	Get export definition metadata
show_processes	List available processes
show_processdetails	Get process definition metadata
show_files	List files in a model
show_actions	List available actions (including delete actions)
show_actiondetails	Get action definition metadata

All list tools support pagination and search:

Parameter	Description	Default
offset	Number of items to skip	0
limit	Max items to return	10 (max 50)
search	Filter by name or ID (case-insensitive substring match)	—

Results are returned as numbered markdown tables with a pagination footer. Example:

#	Name	ID
1	Revenue Model	ABC123
2	Cost Model	DEF456

Page 1 of 5 (1-10 of 47 models). Ask for "next page" for page 2, "search <term>" to filter.

The footer shows page numbers (e.g., "Page 2 of 15") and navigation hints for next/previous page and search filtering. Row numbers are sequential across pages (page 2 starts at 11).

Bulk Data Operations (8 tools)

Execute Anaplan actions that move data in and out of models. Import and export actions are polled automatically — the tool waits for the action to complete and returns the result.

Tool	Description
run_export	Execute an export action and return the exported data
run_import	Upload data to a file, then execute an import action
run_process	Execute a process (chained sequence of actions)
run_delete	Execute a delete action to remove data from a module
upload_file	Upload CSV or text data to an Anaplan file (chunked for large files)
download_file	Download file content from a model
delete_file	Delete a file from a model
get_action_status	Check the status of a running action by task ID

Transactional Operations (5 tools)

Read and write individual cells or manage list membership through Anaplan's transactional API. Responses larger than 50,000 characters are automatically flagged with a truncation notice.

Tool	Description
read_cells	Read cell data from a module view
write_cells	Write values to specific cells in a module
add_list_items	Add new items to a list
update_list_items	Update properties of existing list items
delete_list_items	Remove items from a list

Architecture

src/
  auth/       # Authentication providers (basic, certificate, oauth) + token manager
  api/        # HTTP client with retry logic + domain-specific API wrappers
  tools/      # MCP tool registrations (exploration, bulk, transactional)
  server.ts   # Wires auth → client → APIs → MCP server
  index.ts    # Entry point (stdio transport)

Three layers:

1. Auth layer — pluggable providers behind a common AuthProvider interface. The AuthManager selects the right provider from env vars and handles token lifecycle.
2. API layer — AnaplanClient handles all HTTP communication with the Anaplan API (https://api.anaplan.com/2/0/). Retries 429s (respects Retry-After header) and 5xx errors up to 3 times with exponential backoff. Auto-paginates list endpoints via getAll() using Anaplan's meta.paging metadata. Domain wrappers (WorkspacesApi, ModelsApi, etc.) provide typed methods for each endpoint.
3. Tools layer — registers MCP tools on the server with zod schemas for input validation. Each tool delegates to the appropriate API wrapper and returns JSON results.

Disclaimers

• This project is built against the Anaplan Integration API v2, which served as the primary API reference
• This is a personal project, not affiliated with or endorsed by Anaplan
• Users are responsible for compliance with Anaplan's Terms of Service
• Always test in non-production environments first
• Write operations (imports, cell writes, list mutations, delete actions) can cause irreversible data loss — review AI-generated actions before confirming
• API credentials are passed via environment variables — keep them out of version control
• No support or warranties provided
• Use at your own risk

License

MIT — see LICENSE for details.