The minipim MCP server gives Claude — or any MCP client, like Cursor — tools to read your catalog, score it against your channels and fix what’s missing. This guide sets it up safely: read-only first, writes once you trust it.

1. Install it read-only

Create an API key under System → API keys, then add the server with writes switched off:

claude mcp add minipim \
  --env MINIPIM_API_KEY=pim_your_key \
  --env MINIPIM_READ_ONLY=true \
  -- npx -y @minipim/mcp

For Claude Desktop, add the same command, arguments and environment variables to its MCP servers config. Self-hosting? Add MINIPIM_BASE_URL pointing at your API.

2. Run an audit

Ask: “Run the audit-catalog prompt.” The agent calls check_connection to confirm the organization, get_catalog_overview for families and channels, and find_incomplete_products to rank what’s missing — then reports, without changing anything. It’s a good way to learn what the tools see before giving it write access.

3. Turn on writes

Remove MINIPIM_READ_ONLY and restart the client. Three write tools appear:

  • set_product_attributes — set or clear values on one product. It refuses attribute codes the product’s family doesn’t have.
  • bulk_update_products — one change across up to 100 listed products. It’s a dry run by default, and it takes an explicit list of ids, never a filter, so it can’t sweep the whole catalog by accident.
  • set_variant_identifiers — SKU, GTIN, UPC or MPN on a variant, with GTIN check-digit validation.

4. Fill gaps the efficient way

Ask: “Use enrich-catalog for the web channel.” The prompt works one attribute across many products — all the missing materials, then all the missing weights — which is faster and more consistent than product by product. Or use prep-for-channel to get one channel’s products ready.

Every prompt tells the agent never to invent a measurement, barcode or compliance claim: if the information isn’t in the product data, it reports the gap for a person to fill.

5. Review what it did

Every write goes through the same API as the admin, so it lands in the Audit log under the key the agent used — and fires the same webhooks, so your storefront updates as it works. See finding out who changed what.

Limits

The server covers products and variants. Content pages, media uploads, categories, brands and modifiers aren’t available to agents yet, and it deliberately can’t delete products, wipe the catalog, or manage members and keys.