Optimizely DXP MCP Server

🤔 The Problem

You invested in enterprise DXP, but you're only using 10% of its power.

You chose Optimizely to deliver exceptional digital experiences, but:

• Your team spends more time on DevOps tasks than building features

• Critical issues hide in logs until customers complain

• Deployments are scary, manual, multi-step processes

• Setting up dev environments takes hours or days

• You can't move fast enough to beat competitors embracing AI

Meanwhile, AI is revolutionizing how software gets built and managed. Companies using AI-powered automation are shipping 10x faster, finding issues before customers do, and freeing their teams to focus on innovation.

✨ The Solution

Your infinite DevOps workforce - AI that never sleeps, never breaks, always delivers.

This MCP server transforms your Optimizely DXP into an AI-powered platform that goes far beyond replacing Google searches. Just as Optimizely Opal provides an infinite workforce for marketing, this MCP creates your infinite workforce for DXP operations:

• AI Specialists that understand your infrastructure, deployments, and data

• Intelligent Agents that handle complex multi-step workflows autonomously

• 24/7 Operations that scale infinitely without adding headcount

• Your team elevated from operators to innovators

Finally get the ROI your DXP investment promised - ship faster, break less, sleep better.

🚀 The Transformation

From DXP operator to digital experience innovator:

• Ship 10x faster - What took hours now takes seconds

• Zero-downtime deployments - AI handles the complexity

• Proactive issue resolution - Fix problems before customers notice

• Instant dev environments - Full production replicas in minutes

• Competitive advantage - Move at AI speed while others click through portals

• Maximum DXP ROI - Finally use all those powerful features you're paying for

🔌 What is MCP?

Model Context Protocol (MCP) is the bridge between AI's intelligence and your DXP's capabilities.

While others use AI just to search documentation or write code snippets, MCP enables something revolutionary: AI that takes action. This isn't about better search results - it's about AI that can:

• Execute complex operations autonomously

• Orchestrate multi-step workflows across environments

• Monitor systems and self-heal issues

• Learn from your infrastructure to make smarter decisions

• Scale infinitely without human bottlenecks

Think of it as evolving from "AI as advisor" to "AI as workforce" - the difference between asking for directions and having a chauffeur.

⚠️ IMPORTANT: No Manual Startup Required

DO NOT run

❌ What NOT to Do

• DO NOT run - The MCP is not a standalone server

• DO NOT run - Claude handles the execution automatically

• DO NOT keep a terminal window open - The MCP runs on-demand

• DO NOT look for a running process - It starts and stops as needed

✅ How MCP Actually Works

1. Claude automatically starts the MCP when you open a conversation

2. The MCP runs as a subprocess managed entirely by Claude

3. It starts and stops automatically based on your usage

4. No manual intervention required - just use Claude normally

🎯 Correct Installation & Usage

That's it! Configure once in Claude's settings, then forget about it. The MCP runs invisibly in the background whenever Claude needs it.

🛠️ AI-Enabled Solutions

Empower AI to handle your entire DXP lifecycle - from development to production:

1️⃣ Permission & Access Management

2️⃣ Deployments & Content Sync

3️⃣ Real-Time Monitoring & Status

4️⃣ Development Environment Setup

5️⃣ Log Downloads with Manifest Tracking

6️⃣ Multi-Project Management

7️⃣ Download Management & Control

8️⃣ Analytics & Insights

9️⃣ CI/CD Integration (Beta)

🎯 Smart Features That Save Time

• 🆕 Self-Hosted Azure Support - Direct integration with Optimizely CMS on Azure storage

• 🆕 Natural Language Commands - Use "Console Logs" instead of "insights-logs-appserviceconsolelogs"

• 🆕 Automatic Previews - See file count, size, and destination before downloading

• 🆕 Parallel Downloads - 5x faster with simultaneous file downloads

• Incremental Downloads - Only downloads changed files, saves bandwidth

• Intelligent Defaults - Knows production is usually the source for backups

• Auto-Retry Logic - Handles transient failures automatically

• Progress Tracking - Real-time ETAs for long operations

• Background Operations - Start tasks and get notified when done

• Natural Language - Say what you want, not how to do it

• Permission Adaptation - Works with whatever access you have

• AI Client Detection - Knows if you're using Claude, ChatGPT, or Cursor

• Confirmation Previews - See what will happen before it happens

📋 System Requirements & Architecture

What Gets Installed

When you install this MCP server, you get:

• Node.js package (~1MB) - The MCP server itself

• EpiCloud PowerShell Module (auto-installed on first run) - Official Optimizely tooling

• No database - Stateless operation

• No external dependencies - Everything runs locally

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+ - Required for MCP protocol

• PowerShell 7+ (macOS/Linux) or PowerShell 5.1+ (Windows)

  • macOS: brew install --cask powershell

  • Windows: Pre-installed

  • Linux: Install PowerShell

Why PowerShell Instead of REST API?

We use Optimizely's official EpiCloud PowerShell module rather than raw REST APIs because:

1. Official Support - EpiCloud is Optimizely's recommended automation tool

2. Battle-tested - Used by thousands of deployments daily

3. Handles Complexity - Manages auth, retries, pagination automatically

4. Always Current - Optimizely updates it with features immediately

5. Better Error Messages - Human-readable errors vs HTTP status codes

6. Proven Reliability - We don't reinvent what Optimizely already perfected

Think of it this way: Would you rather use Optimizely's official tool that they use internally, or rebuild everything from scratch?

⚙️ Configuration & Setup

📍 Configuration Scopes

MCP servers can be configured at different levels:

1. Project Level (.mcp.json in project root) - Best for project-specific configs

   • Keeps credentials with the project

   • Version controlled (remember to gitignore secrets!)

   • Automatically loads when you open the project

2. User Level (Claude's config file) - Best for personal/agency setups

   • Claude Code: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_code_config.json

   • Claude Desktop: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

   • Available across all projects

3. System Level - For shared team environments

   • Configure once for all users

   • Requires admin access

📖 More info: MCP Configuration Guide

⚠️ Note on Breaking Changes: This project is evolving rapidly to deliver the best AI-powered DXP experience. We prioritize innovation over backward compatibility during this early phase. Always use @latest in your npx commands to get the latest features and improvements.

🎯 Claude Code (Recommended)

Claude Code has the best MCP support with automatic server management and inline tool results.

Option 1: Project-Level Config (.mcp.json in your project root)

✅ Benefits: Config stays with project, auto-loads when opening project ⚠️ Important: Add .mcp.json to .gitignore if it contains secrets!

Option 2: User-Level Config (in Claude's config directory) Same JSON format as above, but in:

• ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_code_config.json

✅ Benefits: Available across all projects, always uses latest version

Option 3: Global Install (Faster startup)

⚠️ Note: Remember to update periodically with npm update -g @jaxon-digital/optimizely-dxp-mcp

💻 Claude Desktop

Claude Desktop also supports MCP but with a slightly different experience.

Config Location:

• Mac: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Use the same configuration as Claude Code above. The npx approach is recommended to always get updates.

🤖 Coming Soon: ChatGPT & Others

MCP support is being added to other AI assistants:

• ChatGPT: MCP support announced, coming soon

• Open Source: Any tool supporting MCP protocol

🔧 Multi-Project Setup

Managing multiple Optimizely projects? Configure them all:

Project Management Commands

Note: Project switching is session-based. Your selection persists for the current session only.

🌐 Self-Hosted Azure Storage Support (Non-DXP)

For Optimizely solutions hosted outside of DXP (self-hosted Azure), you can still access blobs, logs, and database backups:

Configuration

Use Azure Storage connection strings instead of API keys:

Finding Your Connection String

1. Azure Portal:

   • Navigate to your Storage Account

   • Go to "Access keys" under Security + networking

   • Copy the "Connection string" (not just the key)

2. Azure CLI:

   az storage account show-connection-string \ --name mystorageaccount \ --resource-group myresourcegroup

3. From Application Settings:

   • Check your app's configuration/appsettings.json

   • Look for ConnectionStrings:AzureStorage or similar

Supported Operations

Self-hosted projects can:

• ✅ List containers with friendly names - See "Console Logs" instead of technical names

• ✅ Download blobs/media files - With parallel downloading for speed

• ✅ Download Application Insights logs - Console and HTTP logs with preview

• ✅ Download existing database backups - From backup containers

• ✅ Use incremental download features - Only download new/changed files

• ✅ Natural language commands - Use friendly names in all operations

• ✅ Dynamic project type conversion - Switch between DXP and self-hosted

Self-hosted projects cannot:

• ❌ Start deployments (no DXP API)

• ❌ Trigger database exports

• ❌ Copy content between environments

• ❌ Upload deployment packages

Tip: You can dynamically update any project between DXP and self-hosted configurations using "update project" commands.

Example Commands

📁 Download Path Configuration

Control exactly where your downloads go with our flexible 7-level configuration priority system.

Configuration Priority Order (highest to lowest)

1. User-specified path - Direct parameter in commands

   "download logs downloadPath=/custom/path"

2. Project compact fields - In-line configuration with credentials

   { "env": { "ACME": "id=xxx;key=yyy;secret=zzz;logPath=/logs/acme;dbPath=/db/acme;blobPath=/media/acme" } }

3. Project + Type environment variables - Most specific env vars

   OPTIMIZELY_ACME_DOWNLOAD_PATH_LOGS=/projects/acme/logs OPTIMIZELY_ACME_DOWNLOAD_PATH_DATABASE=/projects/acme/db OPTIMIZELY_ACME_DOWNLOAD_PATH_BLOBS=/projects/acme/media

4. Project-specific paths - Per-project default

   OPTIMIZELY_ACME_DOWNLOAD_PATH=/projects/acme

5. Type-specific global variables - By download type

   OPTIMIZELY_DOWNLOAD_PATH_LOGS=/var/logs OPTIMIZELY_DOWNLOAD_PATH_DATABASE=/db/backups OPTIMIZELY_DOWNLOAD_PATH_BLOBS=/media

6. Global download path - Universal fallback

   OPTIMIZELY_DOWNLOAD_PATH=/shared/downloads

7. Smart defaults - Intelligent per-OS defaults

   • macOS: ~/Downloads/optimizely-mcp/

   • Windows: %USERPROFILE%\Downloads\optimizely-mcp\

   • Linux: ~/downloads/optimizely-mcp/

Folder Structure

Downloads are automatically organized by environment:

Configuration Examples

Example 1: Simple global configuration

Example 2: Project-specific paths

Example 3: Type-specific paths

Example 4: Compact field configuration (inline with credentials)

Example 5: Mixed configuration for agencies

In this example:

• CLIENT_A uses inline path configuration

• CLIENT_B uses project-specific environment variable

• CLIENT_C falls back to global download path

Self-Hosted Projects

Self-hosted projects (using Azure Storage connection strings) always default to a 'production' folder since they don't have DXP's three-environment structure:

Tips & Best Practices

1. Use environment variables for shared teams - Keeps paths consistent across team members

2. Use compact fields for project portability - Everything in one line

3. Set type-specific paths for organization - Logs, databases, and blobs in separate locations

4. Use downloadPath parameter for one-off downloads - Override without changing config

5. Let smart defaults work - They're designed to be intuitive per-OS

✅ Verify Your Setup

After configuration, test your connection:

📁 Generated Files

The MCP server creates certain files during operation. Do not delete these files as they are essential for proper functionality:

.mcp-backup-state.json

Tracks database export operations and enables auto-download functionality:

• Purpose: Maintains state of current and recent database exports

• Location: Created in your current working directory

• Contents: Export IDs, project info, download paths, and monitoring state

• When created: During database export operations

• Why it's needed: Enables background monitoring, auto-download, and resume capabilities

Example structure:

Important: Without this file, auto-download won't work and you'll lose track of in-progress exports if the process is interrupted.

Note: The connection test only validates the current active project. Use "list projects" to see all configured projects.

🚀 Start Using

📚 Documentation

• Multi-Project Setup - Configure multiple DXP projects

• Windows Setup Guide - Windows-specific configuration

• Understanding DXP Structure - How Optimizely DXP works

• Advanced Features - Power user capabilities

🔑 Getting Your Optimizely Credentials

1. Log into DXP Management Portal

2. Navigate to Settings → API

3. Create an API key with appropriate permissions

4. Copy the Project ID, Key, and Secret

📖 Learn More

• 📝 Introduction Blog Post: AI-Powered Optimizely Deployments - How we built this and why

🤝 Support & Community

Get Help

• 🐛 Issues: GitHub Issues

• 📧 Email: support@jaxondigital.com

Connect With Jaxon Digital

• 🔗 LinkedIn: Follow us on LinkedIn

• 🌐 Website: jaxondigital.com

About Jaxon Digital

We're an Optimizely Gold Partner specializing in AI-powered digital experiences. This MCP server is part of our mission to help teams ship faster and break less using AI automation.

🚀 Ready to Go Beyond the MCP?

Here's the Truth...

This MCP server? It's just the beginning.

We built this tool because we were tired of watching talented teams waste their potential on repetitive tasks. We've been in the trenches with Optimizely DXP for years, and we know every pain point you're facing.

But here's what most people don't realize: The companies winning in 2025 aren't just using AI - they're transforming their entire digital operations with it.

What We Really Do

While this MCP handles your DevOps, we're helping companies:

• Build AI-powered experiences that convert 3x better

• Automate entire workflows - not just deployments, but content creation, personalization, testing

• Create intelligent agents that monitor, optimize, and scale your digital presence 24/7

• Integrate AI tools that multiply your team's output by 10x

• Transform your team from operators to innovators

The Opportunity You're Missing

Every day you wait, your competitors are:

• Shipping features 10x faster with AI automation

• Creating personalized experiences at scale

• Reducing operational costs by 70%

• Maximizing the value of your DXP investment

The question isn't whether AI will transform your digital operations. It's whether you'll lead that transformation or get left behind.

Let's Talk About Your Real Problems

This MCP server solves one problem. We solve all of them.

• 🎯 Free AI Strategy Session - Let's map out your AI transformation

• 🛠️ Custom MCP Development - Tools built specifically for your workflows

• 🤖 AI Agent Implementation - Autonomous systems that run your operations

• 📈 Full Optimizely Optimization - Finally get the ROI you were promised

• 🚀 Team Training & Enablement - Turn your team into AI power users

Take Action

Stop settling for incremental improvements when exponential growth is possible.

📧 Let's talk: hello@jaxondigital.com

📄 License

MIT - Built with ❤️ by Jaxon Digital