<!-- SEO: Zendesk MCP | Model Context Protocol Server | AI Agents Zendesk Support Tickets zendesk, zendesk-api, zendesk-mcp, zendesk-support, zendesk-tickets, mcp, mcp-server, model-context-protocol, cursor, vscode, claude, claude-desktop, github-copilot, ai-agent, ai-agents, tool-calling, customer-support, helpdesk, support-tickets, ticketing, crm, typescript, python, fastmcp, watsonx-orchestrate, ibm-code-engine, npm, npx, stdio, sse, automation -->

Zendesk MCP

<p align="center"> <img src="resources/icon.svg" alt="Zendesk MCP" width="128" /> </p>

<p align="center"> <a href="cursor://anysphere.cursor-deeplink/mcp/install?name=Zendesk%20MCP&config=eyJjb21tYW5kIjoibnB4IiwiYXJncyI6WyIteSIsIkBtYXJrdXN2YW5rZW1wZW4vemVuZGVzay1tY3Atc2VydmVyIl0sImVudiI6eyJaRU5ERVNLX1NVQkRPTUFJTiI6InlvdXItc3ViZG9tYWluIiwiWkVOREVTS19FTUFJTCI6ImJvdEBleGFtcGxlLmNvbSIsIlpFTkRFU0tfQVBJX1RPS0VOIjoieW91ci16ZW5kZXNrLWFwaS10b2tlbiJ9fQ=="><img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/Add_to_Cursor-Zendesk%20MCP-0f62fe?style=for-the-badge" alt="Add MCP server to Cursor" /></a>   <a href="https://vscode.dev/redirect/mcp/install?name=zendesk-mcp&config=%7B%22command%22%3A%22npx%22%2C%22args%22%3A%5B%22-y%22%2C%22%40markusvankempen/zendesk-mcp-server%22%5D%2C%22env%22%3A%7B%22ZENDESK_SUBDOMAIN%22%3A%22your-subdomain%22%2C%22ZENDESK_EMAIL%22%3A%22bot%40example.com%22%2C%22ZENDESK_API_TOKEN%22%3A%22your-zendesk-api-token%22%7D%7D"><img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/Add_to_VS_Code-Zendesk%20MCP-0098FF?style=for-the-badge&logo=visualstudiocode&logoColor=white" alt="Add MCP server to VS Code" /></a>   <a href="https://github.com/markusvankempen/zendesk-mcp/blob/main/docs/ide/bob-local.md#step-by-step-npx-from-npm-option-a"><img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/Add_to_Bob-Zendesk%20MCP-0f62fe?style=for-the-badge" alt="Add MCP server to IBM Bob" /></a>   <a href="https://github.com/markusvankempen/zendesk-mcp/blob/main/docs/ide/antigravity-local.md#step-by-step-npx-from-npm-option-a"><img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/Add_to_Antigravity-Zendesk%20MCP-4285F4?style=for-the-badge" alt="Add MCP server to Antigravity" /></a> </p>

Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for Zendesk Support — connect AI agents in Cursor, VS Code, Claude Desktop, watsonx Orchestrate, and IBM Code Engine to 14 ticket tools (create, search, assign, close, comments, metrics). Install: npx @markusvankempen/zendesk-mcp-server · pip install zendesk-mcp-server-py

zendesk · mcp · cursor · github-copilot · claude · ai-agents · customer-support · helpdesk · watsonx-orchestrate · typescript · python

Generic Zendesk integration for AI agents via the Model Context Protocol (MCP). Ships TypeScript and Python server implementations plus deployment examples for IDEs, IBM Code Engine, and watsonx Orchestrate.

Author: Markus van Kempen
Email: markus.van.kempen@gmail.com · mvk@ca.ibm.com
Website: markusvankempen.github.io
No bug too small, no syntax too weird.

---

Overview

Zendesk MCP exposes 14 support-ticket operations as MCP tools so AI agents in Cursor, VS Code, Claude Desktop, watsonx Orchestrate, and IBM Code Engine can manage tickets through natural language.

The core design solves requester attribution: tickets are created with the real customer as requester (not the API service account), so Zendesk email replies route correctly.

graph TB
    subgraph clients [MCP Clients]
        Cursor[Cursor / VS Code]
        WxO[watsonx Orchestrate]
        CE[Code Engine / Remote]
    end

    subgraph servers [Servers]
        TS["TypeScript npm"]
        PY["Python FastMCP"]
    end

    ZD[Zendesk REST API v2]

    Cursor -->|stdio| TS
    WxO -->|stdio| PY
    CE -->|SSE| TS
    CE -->|SSE| PY
    TS --> ZD
    PY --> ZD

📖 Documentation hub → docs/ · MCP config examples → examples/mcp/ · Public vs private repo → docs/PUBLIC_REPO.md · Contributing → CONTRIBUTING.md · Security → docs/SECURITY.md

---

Documentation reference

Complete index of every markdown file in this repository.

Root

Document	Description
README.md	Project overview, quick starts, deployments summary (this file)
task.md	Original project requirements and reference notes

Core documentation (docs/)

Document	Description
docs/README.md	Documentation hub — start here
docs/ide/README.md	IDE setup — local npx + remote Code Engine
docs/reference/ARCHITECTURE.md	System design, stdio/SSE/WxO topologies, auth flow
docs/reference/TOOLS.md	All 14 MCP tools — parameters, returns, examples
docs/guides/SCENARIOS.md	Requester modes, role agents, 17 scenarios, E2E
docs/reference/FILES.md	Complete file inventory
docs/deployments/README.md	Deployment docs index

Package READMEs (packages/)

Document	Description
packages/zendesk-mcp-server/README.md	TypeScript/npm server — install, env vars, SSE mode, build from source
packages/zendesk-mcp-server-py/README.md	Python FastMCP server — setup, SSE mode, WxO import pointer

Deployment READMEs (deployments/)

Document	Description
deployments/vscode-extension/README.md	VS Code / Cursor / Open VSX extension — commands, settings, publish
deployments/code-engine/README.md	IBM Code Engine — Dockerfiles, SSE endpoints, remote MCP client config
deployments/code-engine/DEPLOYMENT-GUIDE.md	Code Engine — live deploy, test/admin UI, local vs deployed mcp.json
deployments/watsonx-orchestrate/README.md	WxO toolkit deploy, 4 role agents, scenario runner, CLI test commands

Quick navigation by topic

Topic	Start here
IDE setup (local npx)	docs/ide/README-local.md
IDE setup (Code Engine)	docs/ide/README-remote.md
Architecture & transports	docs/reference/ARCHITECTURE.md
Tool parameters & examples	docs/reference/TOOLS.md
WxO agents & test scenarios	docs/guides/SCENARIOS.md
Every file explained	docs/reference/FILES.md
npm / TypeScript server	packages/zendesk-mcp-server/README.md
Python / FastMCP server	packages/zendesk-mcp-server-py/README.md
IDE extension setup	deployments/vscode-extension/README.md
Code Engine deploy	deployments/code-engine/README.md
WxO deploy & E2E	deployments/watsonx-orchestrate/README.md

---

Repository layout

zendesk-mcp/
├── docs/                         # Documentation hub
│   ├── README.md                 # Start here
│   ├── ide/                      # IDE setup guides (local + remote)
│   ├── reference/                # ARCHITECTURE, TOOLS, FILES
│   ├── guides/                   # SCENARIOS
│   └── deployments/              # Deployment index
├── packages/
│   ├── zendesk-mcp-server/       # TypeScript MCP server (npm)
│   └── zendesk-mcp-server-py/    # Python MCP server (FastMCP)
├── deployments/
│   ├── vscode-extension/         # VS Code / Cursor / Open VSX extension
│   ├── code-engine/              # IBM Code Engine (SSE) + mcp-client JSON
│   └── watsonx-orchestrate/      # WxO toolkit + 4 role agents
└── .github/workflows/            # CI + npm/marketplace publish

---

Quick start (TypeScript / npm)

export ZENDESK_SUBDOMAIN=your-subdomain
export ZENDESK_EMAIL=agent@example.com
export ZENDESK_API_TOKEN=your_token

npx @markusvankempen/zendesk-mcp-server

One-click install: Cursor · VS Code — then set your ZENDESK_* credentials in MCP settings.

Copy-paste setup: Bob · Antigravity (no install deeplink yet — use examples/mcp/):

Add to your IDE config — copy from examples/mcp/:

IDE	File
Cursor	examples/mcp/cursor-local.json → ~/.cursor/mcp.json
VS Code	examples/mcp/vscode-local.json → User/mcp.json
Bob	examples/mcp/bob-local.json
Antigravity	examples/mcp/antigravity-local.json
Claude Desktop	examples/mcp/claude-desktop-local.json

Or use the VS Code extension — it stores your API token in OS keychain and writes MCP config automatically. See deployments/vscode-extension/README.md.

Before pushing to GitHub, run npm run check:secrets — see docs/SECURITY.md.

---

Quick start (Python)

pip install zendesk-mcp-server-py

export ZENDESK_SUBDOMAIN=your-subdomain
export ZENDESK_EMAIL=agent@example.com
export ZENDESK_API_TOKEN=your_token

zendesk-mcp-server-py

---

MCP tools (14)

Tool	Description
create_ticket	Create ticket with correct requester attribution
get_ticket	Get ticket by ID
update_ticket	Update status, priority, tags, or comment
search_tickets	Zendesk search query syntax
list_recent_tickets	Recently updated tickets
list_all_tickets	Admin-wide ticket listing
list_tickets_for_requester	Tickets for a requester email
get_ticket_comments	Read ticket conversation
add_ticket_comment	Add public reply or internal note
get_user_by_email	Look up Zendesk user
close_ticket	Mark ticket solved
reopen_ticket	Reopen solved/closed ticket
get_ticket_metrics	SLA / timing metrics
assign_ticket	Assign to group or agent

→ Full tool reference with parameters & examples

---

Deployments

Scenario	Directory	Transport	Docs
VS Code / Cursor / Open VSX	deployments/vscode-extension/	stdio via npx	README
IBM Code Engine	deployments/code-engine/	SSE	README
watsonx Orchestrate	deployments/watsonx-orchestrate/	stdio subprocess	README · Scenarios

watsonx Orchestrate — role agents

Agent	Role
zendesk_end_user_agent	Self-service — create/list/comment on own tickets
zendesk_support_agent	Analyst — triage, investigate, metrics, assign
zendesk_admin_agent	Admin — queue overview, SLA, assignment
zendesk_mcp_agent	Generalist — all tools, prototyping

cd deployments/watsonx-orchestrate
./deploy_and_test.sh                              # full deploy + E2E
RUN_LIVE=1 ./run_agent_scenarios.sh               # 17 role scenarios

---

Requester attribution (key design)

sequenceDiagram
    autonumber
    actor User
    participant WxO as WxO Agent
    participant MCP as MCP Server
    participant ZD as Zendesk

    User->>WxO: "Create a ticket — account locked"
    Note over WxO: wxo_email_id available
    WxO->>MCP: create_ticket(requester_email=wxo_email_id)
    MCP->>ZD: Find/create user + create ticket
    ZD-->>MCP: ticket_id=42, requester=real customer
    MCP-->>WxO: JSON result
    WxO-->>User: "Ticket #42 created"

Connection credentials (ZENDESK_*) authenticate the API. User identity (wxo_email_id) is mapped by the agent into tool arguments — the MCP server never sees WxO session context directly.

→ Full scenarios documentation

---

Development

npm install
npm run build          # TypeScript server + VS Code extension
npm run build:server   # TypeScript server only
npm run build:extension

---

Credentials

Never commit .env files or API tokens.

Deployment	Secret storage
IDE extension	VS Code SecretStorage (OS keychain)
Code Engine	ibmcloud ce secrets / env vars
WxO	orchestrate connections set-credentials
Local dev	packages/zendesk-mcp-server-py/.env

Variable	Purpose
ZENDESK_SUBDOMAIN	Tenant prefix (mycompany → mycompany.zendesk.com)
ZENDESK_EMAIL	Service account email for API auth
ZENDESK_API_TOKEN	Zendesk API token

---

Reference implementation

Extracted and generalized from WxO-ToolBox/vsc/test_tools/zendesk_mcp_server. See docs/reference/FILES.md for lineage mapping.

→ All documentation · task.md (original requirements)

---

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md and CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md.

License

Apache License 2.0

---

Links

• npm: @markusvankempen/zendesk-mcp-server
• PyPI: zendesk-mcp-server-py
• GitHub (docs): markusvankempen/zendesk-mcp
• MCP examples: examples/mcp/

More from the author

Part of the open-source toolkit at markusvankempen.github.io — alongside WxO Agent MCP, Maximo MCP Server, Code Engine MCP Server, and WxO Builder MCP Server.

---

Topics & keywords

zendesk · zendesk-api · zendesk-mcp · zendesk-support · zendesk-tickets · mcp · mcp-server · model-context-protocol · cursor · claude · claude-desktop · github-copilot · vscode · vscode-extension · open-vsx · ai-agent · ai-agents · tool-calling · function-calling · llm-tools · customer-support · customer-service · helpdesk · help-desk · service-desk · support-tickets · ticketing · crm · watsonx · watsonx-orchestrate · ibm-cloud · ibm-code-engine · typescript · python · fastmcp · stdio · sse · npx · npm-package · automation

---

Author: Markus van Kempen
Email: markus.van.kempen@gmail.com · mvk@ca.ibm.com
Website: markusvankempen.github.io
No bug too small, no syntax too weird.

---

Public distribution repo — server source is not included. Install via npx -y @markusvankempen/zendesk-mcp-server or pip install zendesk-mcp-server-py. See docs/PUBLIC_REPO.md for the private dev workflow.