Steps

Pick the Actors to load. Build a server URL like https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=sourcewire/doc-to-markdown, listing only the Actors your agent needs.
Add the server to your client. Paste the URL into your client's MCP or connector settings, or its JSON config file.
Sign in to Apify. On first connection a browser window opens so you can sign in and approve access. You can use an API token in a header instead.
Check the tools appear. Open the client's tool list and confirm the Actor tools are listed, then ask the agent to use one.

Build the server URL

List Actors as username/actor-name, separated by commas:

https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=sourcewire/fmcsa-carrier-verify
https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=sourcewire/doc-to-markdown
https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=sourcewire/fmcsa-carrier-verify,sourcewire/doc-to-markdown

You can also add Apify's own tool groups, such as actors (search and call any Store Actor) and docs, for example ?tools=actors,docs,sourcewire/doc-to-markdown. Apify recommends listing tools explicitly in production so the tool set doesn't change under you. Apify's MCP configurator can generate the config for you.

Claude (desktop and web)

On plans that support custom connectors, open Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector, give it a name like "Apify", and paste the server URL. Claude opens Apify's sign-in page the first time you connect. Menu names change between versions; if you don't see this option, use the local setup below.

Claude Code

claude mcp add --transport http apify "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=sourcewire/fmcsa-carrier-verify,sourcewire/doc-to-markdown"

Then run /mcp inside Claude Code to sign in and check the tools are loaded.

Cursor

Add the server to ~/.cursor/mcp.json (all projects) or .cursor/mcp.json in a project:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apify": {
      "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=sourcewire/fmcsa-carrier-verify,sourcewire/doc-to-markdown"
    }
  }
}

Cursor shows the server under its MCP settings, where you can sign in and see the tool list.

VS Code (GitHub Copilot agent mode)

Create .vscode/mcp.json in your workspace:

{
  "servers": {
    "apify": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=sourcewire/fmcsa-carrier-verify,sourcewire/doc-to-markdown"
    }
  }
}

Using an API token instead of sign-in

If your client can't do the browser sign-in, send your Apify API token (Apify Console → Settings → API & Integrations) as a header. Keep the token out of shared repos.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apify": {
      "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=sourcewire/fmcsa-carrier-verify,sourcewire/doc-to-markdown",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer <APIFY_TOKEN>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Local (stdio) setup

For clients that only support local servers, run Apify's open-source server with npx (Node.js 18 or newer):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apify": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@apify/actors-mcp-server@latest",
        "--tools",
        "sourcewire/fmcsa-carrier-verify,sourcewire/doc-to-markdown"
      ],
      "env": {
        "APIFY_TOKEN": "<APIFY_TOKEN>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Using the tools

Ask in plain language: "Verify USDOT 63585" or "Convert this PDF to Markdown and summarize section 2: <link>".
Actor runs are billed to the Apify account you signed in with, at the price on each Actor's Store page. Pay-per-event Actors like SourceWire's only charge for the events listed there.
If a run takes a while, the agent may get a run ID first and fetch the results when the run finishes.

Troubleshooting

No tools appear: check the URL has no spaces and the Actor names are spelled exactly, then restart or reconnect the client.
Authentication errors: sign in again, or check the API token is current.
429 responses: Apify's MCP server allows up to 30 requests per second per user; slow down or retry.

Source: Apify MCP server documentation.

How to add Apify tools to Claude or Cursor via MCP