Devart.Mcp.ZohoCrm

Devart MCP Server for Zoho CRM (ADO.NET)

Devart MCP Server for Zoho CRM is a self-hosted Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that connects AI tools — Visual Studio, Visual Studio Code, Claude, Cline, Codex, Cursor, Windsurf, Zed, and other MCP-compatible clients — to your Zoho CRM data.

The server helps AI tools translate natural-language prompts into SQL queries, execute the queries against your databases, and return structured results to the AI.

The server uses Devart dotConnect for Zoho CRM, an ADO.NET data provider included in this package. The provider supplies Zoho CRM metadata, including tables, columns, primary and foreign keys, and indexes, to help AI tools generate accurate SQL queries.

Available tools

The server exposes 11 tools to the AI client: five for exploring the database schema, two for reading data, two for modifying data, and two for managing the server. Tool names are prefixed with the profile name. For example, the my_zohocrm profile produces my_zohocrm_get_tables, my_zohocrm_execute_reader, and so on. If you start the server without a profile, tool names use the zohocrm prefix.

Category	Tools
Schema	get_tables, get_columns, get_primary_keys, get_foreign_keys, get_indexes
Read	execute_reader, count_rows
Write	execute_nonquery, add_row
Server	instructions, config

execute_reader runs SELECT statements and returns the result set as Markdown. execute_nonquery runs INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, CREATE, ALTER, DROP, and CALL statements in a single transaction and returns the number of rows affected.

Prerequisites

Requirement	Details
Platform	Windows x64
Runtime	.NET 8.0 or later, including the ASP.NET Core shared framework. The .NET SDK includes both; dnx requires .NET 10 or later.
Data source	A Zoho CRM account with API access
Connection	The data center domain of your account and a dotConnect license key — see License

Installation and configuration

You can store database connections as named profiles and start the server by profile name.

License

Devart MCP Server for Zoho CRM is free to use. It connects to Zoho CRM through dotConnect for Zoho CRM, an ADO.NET data provider included in this package. To establish a connection, you need a dotConnect for Zoho CRM license key.

Get a license key from the dotConnect for Zoho CRM licensing page:

• If you already have a dotConnect for Zoho CRM license, sign in and copy your license key from the Customer Portal.
• If you do not have a license, register to get a free 30-day trial of the product.

Add the license key to the connection string.

License Key=your_license_key;

For licensing terms, see the Devart MCP Server License Agreement and the Devart dotConnect License Agreement.

Step 1: Create a connection profile

With dnx, you don't need to install the package. dnx downloads and runs it on demand.

Create a connection profile using your dotConnect for Zoho CRM license key.

dnx Devart.Mcp.ZohoCrm@1.1.0 config add my_zohocrm --connection-string "Domain=crm.zoho.com;Authentication Type=OAuthInteractive;License Key=your_license_key;" --protocol-type stdio

where:

• my_zohocrm — the profile name. You pass this name to the run command and reference it in your AI client configuration.
• --connection-string — a dotConnect for Zoho CRM connection string.
• --protocol-type — the transport protocol: stdio or http.

Connection string parameters:

Parameter	Description
Domain	The data center that hosts your account: crm.zoho.com, crm.zoho.eu, crm.zoho.com.cn, crm.zoho.in, or crm.zoho.com.au. A refresh token must come from the same data center.
Authentication Type	The authentication method. OAuthInteractive signs you in to Zoho CRM interactively. OAuth uses a refresh token issued to a self client app registered in the Zoho API console.
API Version	The version of the Zoho CRM API to use: Preferred for the current version, Deprecated for version 2. The default is Preferred.
Refresh Token	The OAuth 2.0 refresh token issued to your Zoho app. Used when Authentication Type is OAuth.
ClientId	The client id of the Zoho app.
ClientSecret	The client secret of the Zoho app.
License Key	Your dotConnect for Zoho CRM license key.

For the full parameter list, see the Devart dotConnect for Zoho CRM connection string reference.

Note In JSON configuration files, such as mcpserver.json or an AI client's mcp.json, escape each backslash with another backslash. For example, use Data Source=server\\instance.

You can create multiple profiles. Use config list, config edit, and config delete to manage them. For details, see the command-line reference below.

Step 2: Start the server

If you use the http protocol, start the server.

dnx Devart.Mcp.ZohoCrm@1.1.0 run my_zohocrm

With stdio, the AI client starts the server automatically.

Starting without a profile

You can start the server without specifying a profile. In this case, run uses the connection string from the DEVART_MCP_ZOHOCRM_CONNECTION environment variable.

$env:DEVART_MCP_ZOHOCRM_CONNECTION = "Domain=crm.zoho.com;Authentication Type=OAuthInteractive;License Key=your_license_key;"
dnx Devart.Mcp.ZohoCrm@1.1.0 run

To start the server from an AI client, add the environment variable to the env section of the client configuration.

"args": ["Devart.Mcp.ZohoCrm@1.1.0", "--yes", "--", "run"],
"env": {
  "DEVART_MCP_ZOHOCRM_CONNECTION": "Domain=crm.zoho.com;Authentication Type=OAuthInteractive;License Key=your_license_key;"
}

Note You don't need to create the profile in advance. The server saves the connection as a profile named after the environment variable. The profile appears in config list and can be reused in subsequent runs.

.NET 8 and .NET 9

dnx requires .NET 10 or later. With .NET 8 or .NET 9, install the server as a .NET tool instead.

dotnet tool install --global Devart.Mcp.ZohoCrm --version 1.1.0

Create a connection profile.

devart-mcp-zohocrm config add my_zohocrm --connection-string "Domain=crm.zoho.com;Authentication Type=OAuthInteractive;License Key=your_license_key;" --protocol-type stdio

If you use the http protocol, start the server.

devart-mcp-zohocrm run my_zohocrm

With stdio, the AI client starts the server automatically.

Command-line reference

Command	Purpose
config add <profile>	Creates a profile
config edit <profile>	Changes a profile
config delete <profile>	Removes a profile
config list	Lists saved profiles
run <profile>	Starts the server with the specified profile

Options for config add and config edit:

Option	Purpose
-c, --connection-string	Specifies the dotConnect for Zoho CRM connection string
-p, --protocol-type	Specifies the transport protocol: stdio or http
-ha, --http-address	Specifies the address that the server listens on. Used with --protocol-type http. Default: localhost
-hp, --http-port	Specifies the port that the server listens on. Used with --protocol-type http. Default: 8080
-hr, --http-route-prefix	Specifies the route prefix for the server. Used with --protocol-type http

Options for run:

Option	Purpose
-f, --file	Specifies the full path to the configuration file

Option available for all commands:

Option	Purpose
-v, --verbosity	Specifies the output detail level: quiet, minimal, normal, detailed, or diagnostic

Editing the configuration file directly

Profiles are stored in mcpserver.json. You can also create or edit this file manually.

Search order. The server looks for mcpserver.json in the following order: the path specified by the --file option, the server folder, and %ProgramData%\Devart\AdoNet MCP Server for Zoho CRM\. Because the dnx cache path can change between versions, profiles are stored in %ProgramData% so that they persist across updates.

STDIO:

{
  "Connections": [
    {
      "Name": "my_zohocrm",
      "ConnectionString": "Domain=crm.zoho.com;Authentication Type=OAuthInteractive;License Key=your_license_key;",
      "ProtocolType": "stdio"
    }
  ]
}

HTTP:

{
  "Connections": [
    {
      "Name": "my_zohocrm",
      "ConnectionString": "Domain=crm.zoho.com;Authentication Type=OAuthInteractive;License Key=your_license_key;",
      "ProtocolType": "http",
      "HttpAddress": "localhost",
      "HttpPort": 8080,
      "HttpRoutePrefix": "zohocrm"
    }
  ]
}

where:

• Name — Specifies the profile name.
• ConnectionString — Specifies the dotConnect for Zoho CRM connection string.
• ProtocolType — Specifies the transport protocol: stdio or http.
• HttpAddress — Specifies the address that the server listens on. Used when ProtocolType is set to http. Default: localhost.
• HttpPort — Specifies the port that the server listens on. Required when ProtocolType is set to http.
• HttpRoutePrefix — Specifies the route prefix for the server. Used when ProtocolType is set to http.

To use a configuration file in a custom location, specify its path with the --file option.

devart-mcp-zohocrm run my_zohocrm --file C:\path\to\mcpserver.json

Integration with your IDE and AI clients

After you create a profile, configure your IDE or AI client to use the server. Restart the client after you update its configuration file.

Visual Studio and Visual Studio Code

Add the following configuration to the MCP configuration file:

• In Visual Studio, add .mcp.json to the solution root.
• In Visual Studio Code, run MCP: Open User Configuration from the Command Palette to open or create mcp.json.

.NET 10 and later:

{
  "servers": {
    "devart-zohocrm": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "dnx",
      "args": [
        "Devart.Mcp.ZohoCrm@1.1.0",
        "run",
        "my_zohocrm"
      ]
    }
  }
}

.NET 8 and .NET 9:

{
  "servers": {
    "devart-zohocrm": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "devart-mcp-zohocrm",
      "args": ["run", "my_zohocrm"]
    }
  }
}

where:

• devart-zohocrm is the MCP server name that appears in your IDE or AI client.
• my_zohocrm is the profile name you created.

In Visual Studio Code, the MCP server appears under Extensions > MCP Servers – Installed. In Visual Studio, it appears in the GitHub Copilot Chat tools menu.

Claude Desktop

In Claude Desktop, go to File > Settings > Developer, and then click Edit Config to open claude_desktop_config.json.

Add the following configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "devart-zohocrm": {
      "command": "dnx",
      "args": [
        "Devart.Mcp.ZohoCrm@1.1.0",
        "run",
        "my_zohocrm"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop. The MCP server appears under Customize > Connectors.

Cline

In the Cline panel, click the MCP Servers icon, then click Configure MCP Servers to open the settings file.

Add the following configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "devart-zohocrm": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "dnx",
      "args": [
        "Devart.Mcp.ZohoCrm@1.1.0",
        "run",
        "my_zohocrm"
      ]
    }
  }
}

The MCP server appears in Manage MCP Servers > MCP Servers.

Codex

Add the following configuration to config.toml:

[mcp_servers.devart-zohocrm]
command = "dnx"
args = ["Devart.Mcp.ZohoCrm@1.1.0", "run", "my_zohocrm"]

The MCP server appears in Settings > MCP servers.

Cursor

Open mcp.json. If the file does not exist, go to Settings > Tools & MCPs > User MCP Servers, then click Add Custom MCP to create it.

Add the following configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "devart-zohocrm": {
      "command": "dnx",
      "args": [
        "Devart.Mcp.ZohoCrm@1.1.0",
        "run",
        "my_zohocrm"
      ]
    }
  }
}

The MCP server appears in Settings > Tools & MCPs > User MCP Servers.

Windsurf

Open mcp_config.json. If the file does not exist, go to Settings > User > MCP, then click Edit as JSON to create it.

Add the following configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "devart-zohocrm": {
      "command": "dnx",
      "args": [
        "Devart.Mcp.ZohoCrm@1.1.0",
        "run",
        "my_zohocrm"
      ]
    }
  }
}

The MCP server appears in Settings > MCP Registry.

Zed

Open settings.json. If the file does not exist, select Open Settings from the main menu, then click Edit in settings.json.

Add the following configuration:

{
  "context_servers": {
    "devart-zohocrm": {
      "source": "custom",
      "command": "dnx",
      "args": [
        "Devart.Mcp.ZohoCrm@1.1.0",
        "run",
        "my_zohocrm"
      ]
    }
  }
}

The MCP server appears in Settings > Model Context Protocol (MCP) Servers.

Using the HTTP transport

The configurations above use the stdio transport, in which the AI client starts the server automatically. If you use the http transport, start the server manually and configure the AI client to use one of the following endpoints:

Endpoint	Transport
http://<address>:<port>/<route-prefix>/sse	Server-Sent Events (SSE). Use this endpoint for clients that require SSE.
http://<address>:<port>/<route-prefix>	Streamable HTTP. Use this endpoint for clients that support Streamable HTTP.

<address>, <port>, and <route-prefix> correspond to --http-address, --http-port, and --http-route-prefix. If you don't specify a route prefix, use http://localhost:8080/sse for SSE and http://localhost:8080 for Streamable HTTP.

Replace the stdio configuration with the HTTP settings for your client.

Client	Root key	HTTP field
Claude Desktop	mcpServers	command: "npx", args: ["-y", "mcp-remote", "http://localhost:8080/sse"]
Cline	mcpServers	type: "streamableHttp", url: "http://localhost:8080"
Codex	[mcp_servers.<name>]	command = "npx", args = ["-y", "mcp-remote", "http://localhost:8080/sse"]
Cursor	mcpServers	command: "npx", args: ["-y", "mcp-remote", "http://localhost:8080/sse"]
Visual Studio Code	servers	type: "http", url: "http://localhost:8080/sse"
Windsurf	mcpServers	serverUrl: "http://localhost:8080/sse"
Zed	context_servers	url: "http://localhost:8080/sse"

For example, in Visual Studio Code:

{
  "servers": {
    "devart-zohocrm": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "http://localhost:8080/sse"
    }
  }
}

Note The HTTP transport doesn't use authentication, and the server accepts requests with any Host header. Bind the server to localhost only.

Note MCP server names must be unique. If you configure multiple profiles, use a different MCP server name for each profile, for example, devart-zohocrm_prod and devart-zohocrm_dev.

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Other Devart connectivity solutions

• Devart MCP Server Universal — one server, many data sources
• Devart dotConnect for Zoho CRM

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