How to Set Up the UGC Roster MCP Server with Claude (Step-by-Step Guide)

Managing your UGC creator campaigns from a chat window sounds futuristic, but it's real. The UGC Roster MCP server connects your brand portal to Claude so you can manage creators, send messages, track content, and approve commissions -- all in plain English.

What is MCP?

MCP (Model Context Protocol) lets Claude connect to external tools. When you set up the Roster MCP server, Claude gets 54 tools that map to everything in the brand portal.

What you can say to Claude:

"Show me my top performing creators"
"Send a message to emma@creator.com about the skincare campaign"
"Create a 15% discount code SUMMER15 for @fashioncreator"
"Approve all pending commissions over $50"
"Track this TikTok video"

What You Need

A UGC Roster brand account with at least one campaign
Claude Desktop (Mac/Windows) or Claude Code (terminal)
Node.js 18+ installed

Step 1: Get Your API Key

Go to your brand portal Settings tab and scroll to API & Integrations.

Settings tab with API section

Click Create API Key. Copy it immediately -- it starts with rsk_ and is only shown once.

Generated API key

Step 2: Add the MCP Server

You can read more about the MCP server and full API reference on the developers page.

Developers page

Claude Desktop: Go to Settings > Developer > Edit Config and paste:

json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "roster": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["ugcroster-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "ROSTER_API_KEY": "rsk_your-api-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude Code: Edit ~/.claude/settings.json with the same JSON above.

Then completely quit and reopen Claude.

Step 3: Verify

Type "Show me my brand profile" in Claude. You should see your brand info come back.

MCP connected and working

What You Can Do

Creators & Roster

"List my creators" -- all creators with performance data
"Search for fitness creators in the US" -- search the database
"Add @creator to my roster" -- add to your brand roster

Campaigns

"Show campaign stats" -- overview of all campaigns
"Create a UGC campaign for skincare, $200/video" -- creates a campaign
"Approve the application from emma@email.com" -- accepts a creator

Affiliates

"Show affiliate performance" -- revenue, clicks, conversions
"Create discount code SAVE20 for @creator" -- assigns a tracking code
"Approve all pending commissions" -- bulk approve

Messaging

"Send a message to creator@email.com" -- sends via email + in-app
"Show my conversations" -- lists recent threads

Content Tracking

"Track this TikTok: [url]" -- adds for tracking
"Refresh metrics for all tracked content" -- updates data
"Generate a content report" -- full performance summary

Contracts & Briefs

"Create a contract for the holiday campaign" -- generates contract
"Send the brief to 3 creators" -- delivers to selected creators

Shipments & Payouts

"Create a shipment to creator@email.com" -- records product send
"Record a $500 payout to creator via PayPal" -- logs payout

Example Workflows

Morning check-in:
> "Show me new applications and my top 3 affiliates"

Launch + invite:
> "Create a campaign called Summer Skincare for product reviews, $200/video. Then find my top 5 creators and message them to apply."

Payout run:
> "List unpaid approved commissions and record PayPal payouts for each."

Troubleshooting

No MCP tools showing: Quit Claude completely (Cmd+Q) and reopen
Unauthorized errors: Create a new API key in Settings
Slow first call: Normal -- npx downloads the server on first run

API vs MCP

Same backend. MCP wraps the REST API so Claude can call it with natural language. Developers can also call endpoints directly:

bash

curl https://www.ugcroster.com/api/v1/creators \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer rsk_your-api-key"

Full docs at ugcroster.com/developers.