Other MCP Clients - eBay MCP Server

The eBay MCP Server works with any MCP-compatible client. This guide covers popular alternatives to Claude Desktop and Cursor, plus instructions for building custom integrations.

Supported Clients

Cline (VS Code)

MCP support in Visual Studio Code

Windsurf IDE

AI-powered code editor with MCP

Continue.dev

Open-source coding assistant

Custom Clients

Build your own MCP integration

Python Scripts

Programmatic access via Python

TypeScript/Node.js

Native JavaScript integration

Prerequisites

For all clients, you need:

eBay MCP Server installed and configured
eBay Developer credentials (Client ID and Secret)
Node.js 18+ installed
Basic understanding of MCP concepts

Cline (VS Code Extension)

Cline is a popular MCP-enabled extension for Visual Studio Code.

Installation

Install VS Code

Download and install Visual Studio Code from code.visualstudio.com

Install Cline Extension

Open VS Code
Go to Extensions (Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + X)
Search for “Cline”
Click Install

Or install via command line:

code --install-extension cline.cline

Configure MCP Servers

Cline uses a configuration file for MCP servers.Location:

macOS/Linux: ~/.cline/mcp_settings.json
Windows: %USERPROFILE%\.cline\mcp_settings.json

Create or edit the file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ebay": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/ebay-mcp-server/build/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "EBAY_CLIENT_ID": "YourAppId-12345",
        "EBAY_CLIENT_SECRET": "YourCertId-67890",
        "EBAY_ENVIRONMENT": "sandbox"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace /absolute/path/to/ebay-mcp-server with your actual installation path

Reload VS Code

Open Command Palette (Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + P)
Type “Developer: Reload Window”
Press Enter

Cline will now connect to the eBay MCP Server.

Test the Connection

Open Cline panel in VS Code
Type: “List my eBay fulfillment policies”
Cline should use the eBay MCP tools to fetch your policies

Check Cline’s documentation for the latest configuration format, as it may vary by version

Windsurf IDE

Windsurf is an AI-first IDE with native MCP support.

Installation

Install Windsurf

Download from windsurf.ai (or check current official site)Available for macOS, Windows, and Linux.

Locate Configuration File

Windsurf configuration location (may vary by version):

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Windsurf/mcp.json
Windows: %APPDATA%\Windsurf\mcp.json
Linux: ~/.config/Windsurf/mcp.json

Check Windsurf’s documentation for the exact location in your version

Add eBay MCP Server

Edit the MCP configuration file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ebay": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/ebay-mcp-server/build/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "EBAY_CLIENT_ID": "YourAppId-12345",
        "EBAY_CLIENT_SECRET": "YourCertId-67890",
        "EBAY_ENVIRONMENT": "sandbox",
        "EBAY_USER_ACCESS_TOKEN": "v^1.1#i^1#...",
        "EBAY_USER_REFRESH_TOKEN": "v^1.1#i^1#..."
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart Windsurf

Fully quit and restart Windsurf for changes to take effect.

Continue.dev

Continue is an open-source AI coding assistant with MCP support.

Installation

Install Continue Extension

For VS Code:

Open Extensions
Search for “Continue”
Install the extension

For JetBrains IDEs: Download from continue.dev/docs

Configure MCP Server

Continue uses ~/.continue/config.json for configuration.Edit the file to add MCP server:

{
  "models": [...],
  "mcpServers": {
    "ebay": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/ebay-mcp-server/build/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "EBAY_CLIENT_ID": "YourAppId",
        "EBAY_CLIENT_SECRET": "YourCertId",
        "EBAY_ENVIRONMENT": "sandbox"
      }
    }
  }
}

Reload Continue

Reload your IDE or restart Continue extension.

Generic MCP Client Setup

For any MCP-compatible client, follow this general pattern:

Standard Configuration Format

Most MCP clients use this configuration structure:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ebay": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/ebay-mcp-server/build/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "EBAY_CLIENT_ID": "your_client_id",
        "EBAY_CLIENT_SECRET": "your_client_secret",
        "EBAY_ENVIRONMENT": "sandbox"
      }
    }
  }
}

Environment Variables

You can reference environment variables instead of hardcoding credentials:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ebay": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/ebay-mcp-server/build/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "EBAY_CLIENT_ID": "${EBAY_CLIENT_ID}",
        "EBAY_CLIENT_SECRET": "${EBAY_CLIENT_SECRET}",
        "EBAY_ENVIRONMENT": "${EBAY_ENVIRONMENT:-sandbox}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Then set environment variables in your shell:

export EBAY_CLIENT_ID="YourAppId-12345"
export EBAY_CLIENT_SECRET="YourCertId-67890"
export EBAY_ENVIRONMENT="sandbox"

Programmatic Integration

Build custom integrations with Python or TypeScript.

Python Integration

Use the MCP Python SDK to connect to eBay MCP Server:

Install MCP SDK

pip install mcp

Create Python Client

import asyncio
from mcp import ClientSession, StdioServerParameters
from mcp.client.stdio import stdio_client

async def main():
    # Configure eBay MCP Server
    server_params = StdioServerParameters(
        command="node",
        args=["/path/to/ebay-mcp-server/build/index.js"],
        env={
            "EBAY_CLIENT_ID": "YourAppId",
            "EBAY_CLIENT_SECRET": "YourCertId",
            "EBAY_ENVIRONMENT": "sandbox"
        }
    )

    # Connect to server
    async with stdio_client(server_params) as (read, write):
        async with ClientSession(read, write) as session:
            # Initialize connection
            await session.initialize()

            # List available tools
            tools = await session.list_tools()
            print(f"Available tools: {len(tools.tools)}")

            # Call a tool
            result = await session.call_tool(
                "getFulfillmentPolicies",
                arguments={"marketplace_id": "EBAY_US"}
            )

            print("Fulfillment Policies:", result)

# Run the client
asyncio.run(main())

Run Your Script

python ebay_mcp_client.py

TypeScript/Node.js Integration

Use the MCP TypeScript SDK:

Install Dependencies

npm install @modelcontextprotocol/sdk

Create TypeScript Client

import { Client } from '@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/client/index.js';
import { StdioClientTransport } from '@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/client/stdio.js';

async function main() {
  // Configure eBay MCP Server transport
  const transport = new StdioClientTransport({
    command: 'node',
    args: ['/path/to/ebay-mcp-server/build/index.js'],
    env: {
      EBAY_CLIENT_ID: process.env.EBAY_CLIENT_ID!,
      EBAY_CLIENT_SECRET: process.env.EBAY_CLIENT_SECRET!,
      EBAY_ENVIRONMENT: 'sandbox'
    }
  });

  // Create MCP client
  const client = new Client({
    name: 'ebay-client',
    version: '1.0.0'
  }, {
    capabilities: {}
  });

  // Connect to server
  await client.connect(transport);

  // List tools
  const { tools } = await client.listTools();
  console.log(`Available tools: ${tools.length}`);

  // Call a tool
  const result = await client.callTool({
    name: 'getInventoryItems',
    arguments: {
      limit: 10
    }
  });

  console.log('Inventory Items:', result);

  // Clean up
  await client.close();
}

main().catch(console.error);

Compile and Run

npx tsx ebay-mcp-client.ts

Web-Based Clients

Integrate eBay MCP Server into web applications.

Using HTTP/SSE Transport

The eBay MCP Server can run in SSE (Server-Sent Events) mode for web clients:

Start Server in SSE Mode

Modify server configuration to use HTTP transport:

# Set transport mode
export MCP_TRANSPORT=sse
export MCP_PORT=3000

# Start server
cd /path/to/ebay-mcp-server
npm start

Connect from Web Client

// Example using fetch API
async function callEbayTool(toolName, args) {
  const response = await fetch('http://localhost:3000/mcp/tools/call', {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: {
      'Content-Type': 'application/json',
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      name: toolName,
      arguments: args
    })
  });

  return await response.json();
}

// Use the tool
const policies = await callEbayTool('getFulfillmentPolicies', {
  marketplace_id: 'EBAY_US'
});

console.log(policies);

SSE mode is currently experimental. Check the eBay MCP Server documentation for current support status.

Configuration Best Practices

Security

Never commit credentials

Don’t:

{
  "env": {
    "EBAY_CLIENT_ID": "YourActualClientId",  // ❌ Bad!
    "EBAY_CLIENT_SECRET": "YourActualSecret"
  }
}

Do:

{
  "env": {
    "EBAY_CLIENT_ID": "${EBAY_CLIENT_ID}",  // ✅ Good!
    "EBAY_CLIENT_SECRET": "${EBAY_CLIENT_SECRET}"
  }
}

Use environment variables or secret management tools.

Use separate configs per environment

Maintain different configuration files:

mcp_config.sandbox.json - For testing
mcp_config.production.json - For live operations
Add both to .gitignore

Set proper file permissions

# Restrict access to config files
chmod 600 ~/.client/mcp_settings.json

# Make sure .env is not readable by others
chmod 600 /path/to/ebay-mcp-server/.env

Performance

Enable connection pooling

For high-volume applications, reuse MCP client connections:

# Python example
class EbayMCPPool:
    def __init__(self):
        self._session = None

    async def get_session(self):
        if not self._session:
            # Create connection
            self._session = await create_mcp_session()
        return self._session

Implement caching

Cache frequently accessed data to reduce API calls:

import { LRUCache } from 'lru-cache';

const cache = new LRUCache({
  max: 500,
  ttl: 1000 * 60 * 5  // 5 minutes
});

async function getInventoryItems() {
  const cached = cache.get('inventory');
  if (cached) return cached;

  const result = await client.callTool({
    name: 'getInventoryItems'
  });

  cache.set('inventory', result);
  return result;
}

Error Handling

Implement retry logic

async function callToolWithRetry(
  toolName: string,
  args: any,
  maxRetries = 3
) {
  for (let i = 0; i < maxRetries; i++) {
    try {
      return await client.callTool({ name: toolName, arguments: args });
    } catch (error) {
      if (i === maxRetries - 1) throw error;

      // Exponential backoff
      await new Promise(resolve =>
        setTimeout(resolve, Math.pow(2, i) * 1000)
      );
    }
  }
}

Troubleshooting

Client can't find MCP server

Possible causes:

Wrong path to server
Server not built
Node.js not in PATH

Solutions:

Verify server path:

ls /path/to/ebay-mcp-server/build/index.js

Build server:

cd /path/to/ebay-mcp-server && npm run build

Check Node.js:
which node node --version

Connection timeout

Cause: Server takes too long to start or authenticate.Solutions:

Increase timeout in client configuration
Check network connectivity
Verify credentials are correct
Test server independently:
cd /path/to/ebay-mcp-server npm start

Tools not appearing in client

Cause: MCP protocol version mismatch or server initialization failure.Solutions:

Update MCP SDK to latest version
Check server logs for errors
Verify environment variables are set
Test with simple MCP server first

Authentication failures

Cause: Invalid or expired credentials.Solutions:

Verify credentials in eBay Developer Portal

Regenerate user tokens:

cd /path/to/ebay-mcp-server
npm run setup

Check environment matches credentials (Sandbox vs Production)

Building Custom Integrations

Creating a Custom MCP Client

Choose Your Framework

Select based on your needs:

Python: Best for data science, automation scripts
TypeScript/Node.js: Best for web apps, serverless functions
Go: Best for high-performance services
Rust: Best for system-level integrations

Install MCP SDK

Python
TypeScript
Other Languages

pip install mcp

npm install @modelcontextprotocol/sdk

Implement Client Logic

Follow MCP client protocol:

Establish transport (stdio, HTTP, etc.)
Send initialization message
List available tools
Call tools with proper parameters
Handle responses and errors
Close connection gracefully

Add eBay-Specific Features

Rate limit handling
Token refresh logic
Error recovery
Result caching
Batch operations

Example: Slack Bot Integration

from slack_bolt import App
from mcp import ClientSession, StdioServerParameters
from mcp.client.stdio import stdio_client

app = App(token=os.environ["SLACK_BOT_TOKEN"])

@app.command("/ebay-orders")
async def check_orders(ack, command, say):
    await ack()

    # Connect to eBay MCP Server
    server_params = StdioServerParameters(
        command="node",
        args=["/path/to/ebay-mcp-server/build/index.js"],
        env={
            "EBAY_CLIENT_ID": os.environ["EBAY_CLIENT_ID"],
            "EBAY_CLIENT_SECRET": os.environ["EBAY_CLIENT_SECRET"],
            "EBAY_ENVIRONMENT": "production"
        }
    )

    async with stdio_client(server_params) as (read, write):
        async with ClientSession(read, write) as session:
            await session.initialize()

            # Get recent orders
            result = await session.call_tool(
                "getOrders",
                arguments={"limit": 5}
            )

            # Format and send to Slack
            await say(f"Recent orders: {result}")

app.start(3000)

Next Steps

API Reference

Explore all 230+ available eBay tools

Build Automation

Create bulk operations and automation scripts

Best Practices

Learn optimization tips and patterns

Architecture Guide

Understand MCP server internals

Additional Resources

MCP Specification

Official Model Context Protocol documentation

Troubleshooting

Comprehensive solutions for common issues

Community

Join discussions and get help

GitHub

View source code and contribute

​Supported Clients

Cline (VS Code)

Windsurf IDE

Continue.dev

Custom Clients

Python Scripts

TypeScript/Node.js

​Prerequisites

​Cline (VS Code Extension)

​Installation

​Windsurf IDE

​Installation

​Continue.dev

​Installation

​Generic MCP Client Setup

​Standard Configuration Format

​Environment Variables

​Programmatic Integration

​Python Integration

​TypeScript/Node.js Integration

​Web-Based Clients

​Using HTTP/SSE Transport

​Configuration Best Practices

​Security

​Performance

​Error Handling

​Troubleshooting

​Building Custom Integrations

​Creating a Custom MCP Client

​Example: Slack Bot Integration

​Next Steps

API Reference

Build Automation

Best Practices

Architecture Guide

​Additional Resources

MCP Specification

Troubleshooting

Community

GitHub

Supported Clients

Prerequisites

Cline (VS Code Extension)

Installation

Windsurf IDE

Installation

Continue.dev

Installation

Generic MCP Client Setup

Standard Configuration Format

Environment Variables

Programmatic Integration

Python Integration

TypeScript/Node.js Integration

Web-Based Clients

Using HTTP/SSE Transport

Configuration Best Practices

Security

Performance

Error Handling

Troubleshooting

Building Custom Integrations

Creating a Custom MCP Client

Example: Slack Bot Integration

Next Steps

Additional Resources