How do I use Dakota Marketplace MCP Server?

1. Click on "Install Server". 2. Wait a few minutes for the server to deploy. Once ready, it will show a "Started" state. 3. In the chat, type @ followed by the MCP server name and your instructions, e.g., "@Dakota Marketplace MCP Server Find private equity fund managers in New York with over $1B AUM" That's it! The server will respond to your query, and you can continue using it as needed. Here is a step-by-step guide with screenshots.

Dakota Marketplace MCP Server

External-facing MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that allows customers to query Dakota Marketplace data from any MCP-compatible AI client. Every query runs as the authenticated customer using their Salesforce OAuth token — Salesforce sharing rules and field-level security are enforced natively.

Architecture

AI Client (Claude/ChatGPT/Cursor)
    ↓ MCP Protocol
Dakota MCP Server (Node.js + Express)
    ├─ OAuth 2.0 + PKCE → Salesforce Connected App
    ├─ Redis → Session storage, cache, rate limiting
    └─ Salesforce REST/Composite API → Per-user queries

MCP Tools

Tool	Description
`search_fund_managers`	Search by name, AUM, strategy, geography
`get_fund_manager`	Full profile + funds + contacts (Composite API)
`search_allocators`	Search by type, AUM, location
`get_allocator`	Full allocator profile + contacts
`search_funds`	Search by strategy, vintage year, status, manager
`get_fund`	Full fund details + manager info
`get_contacts`	Contacts for a manager or allocator
`search_marketplace`	Free-text search across all entities (SOSL)

Setup

1. Salesforce Connected App

In Salesforce Setup → App Manager → New Connected App
Enable OAuth Settings:
- Callback URL: https://your-app.herokuapp.com/auth/callback
- OAuth Scopes: api, refresh_token
Enable PKCE: check "Require Proof Key for Code Exchange (PKCE)"
Set "Permitted Users" to "All users may self-authorize"
Note the Consumer Key and Consumer Secret

2. Environment Variables

Copy .env.example to .env and fill in:

cp .env.example .env

Variable	Description
`SALESFORCE_CLIENT_ID`	Connected App Consumer Key
`SALESFORCE_CLIENT_SECRET`	Connected App Consumer Secret
`SALESFORCE_INSTANCE_URL`	e.g., `https://dakota.my.salesforce.com`
`SALESFORCE_REDIRECT_URI`	e.g., `https://your-app.herokuapp.com/auth/callback`
`REDIS_URL`	Redis connection string
`SESSION_SECRET`	Random secret for session signing
`PORT`	Server port (Heroku sets automatically)

3. Install & Run

npm install
npm start

4. Deploy to Heroku

heroku create dakota-mcp-server
heroku addons:create heroku-redis:mini
heroku config:set SALESFORCE_CLIENT_ID=... SALESFORCE_CLIENT_SECRET=... ...
git push heroku main

Authentication Flow

Customer opens GET /auth/login — redirects to Salesforce OAuth
After login, Salesforce redirects to /auth/callback with authorization code
Server exchanges code for access + refresh tokens (PKCE verified)
Tokens stored in Redis keyed by session ID
Session ID returned to client for use in MCP tool calls
Token refresh happens automatically before expiry

Rate Limits

Standard tier: 100 requests/hour
Premium tier: 500 requests/hour
Sliding window tracked in Redis
Clear error with retry guidance when exceeded

Cache Strategy

Search results: 120s TTL
Profile lookups: 300s TTL
Strictly isolated by user ID — no cross-customer data leakage
Key format: cache:{user_id}:{tool_name}:{query_hash}

Customizing SOQL Queries

All Salesforce field names are centralized in the tool files under src/tools/. Update the SOQL queries there to match your actual Salesforce object and field API names. The Composite API request builders are in src/salesforce/composite.js.