Building a Zoho CRM MCP Server
A proposal for connecting Claude Code and Cursor to Zoho CRM through Model Context Protocol. The bridge doesn't exist yet—so let's build it.
Here's a weekend project idea: building a Zoho CRM MCP server. Zoho announced their own MCP integration, but it remains in early access with an unclear timeline. Meanwhile, the opportunity is sitting there.
The Problem
Claude Code, Cursor, and other MCP clients could be talking to Zoho CRM right now through natural language, but the bridge doesn't exist yet. Developers are manually switching contexts between their AI tools and CRM systems.
What is MCP?
MCP (Model Context Protocol) is Anthropic's open standard that lets AI applications talk to external systems. It has three main components:
- **MCP Servers** - External system connections (like a Zoho CRM server)
- **MCP Clients** - AI applications (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.)
- **Architecture** - JSON-RPC with Tools, Resources, and Prompts
Potential Use Cases
- Creating leads directly from meeting notes
- Querying deal pipelines and probability scores
- Updating contact records from email threads
- Accessing data sharing rules
- Automating follow-up task creation
Implementation Options
- **Self-hosted** - Free, user-controlled, requires technical setup
- **Hosted service** - Subscription model, managed infrastructure
- **Open source with paid hosting** - Best of both worlds
Target Audience
Solo founders who live in their IDE, developers using Claude Code or Cursor daily, and teams looking to automate CRM workflows without leaving their development environment.
The MCP ecosystem is still young. Early builders have the opportunity to create the standard integrations that everyone will use.