PayPal MCP Server

The PayPal Model Context Protocol (MCP) server allows merchants to interact with their business tasks using natural language through their preferred MCP clients (e.g., Claude, Cursor). This integration streamlines operations such as creating invoices.

What it does

This MCP server provides a bridge between natural language commands from MCP clients and PayPal's business functionalities. It enables users to perform tasks like generating invoices, accessing records, and sending bulk communications directly through conversational interfaces.

How to use

PayPal offers two primary methods to set up and connect to its MCP server:

1. Local MCP Server

To run the server locally, you need Node.js v18 or later. Configure your MCP client (e.g., in claude_desktop_config.json) with the following:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "paypal": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@paypal/mcp",
        "--tools=all"
      ],
      "env": {
        "PAYPAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "YOUR_PAYPAL_ACCESS_TOKEN",
        "PAYPAL_ENVIRONMENT": "SANDBOX"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace YOUR_PAYPAL_ACCESS_TOKEN with your actual PayPal access token and set PAYPAL_ENVIRONMENT to SANDBOX or PRODUCTION.

2. Remote MCP Server

If you prefer not to install the server locally, you can connect to PayPal's remotely hosted MCP server. It supports two transport methods:

SSE (Server-Sent Events)

Configure your MCP client to use the remote SSE endpoint:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "paypal-mcp-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://mcp.paypal.com/sse"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Use http://mcp.sandbox.paypal.com/sse for sandbox testing.

Streamable HTTP

Configure your MCP client to use the remote Streamable HTTP endpoint:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "paypal-mcp-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://mcp.paypal.com/http"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Use http://mcp.sandbox.paypal.com/http for sandbox testing.

Example: Create an invoice

Users can leverage the MCP server to create invoices using natural language. For instance, a merchant can ask their MCP client to "create an invoice with PayPal," provide the necessary details, and the MCP server will process the request, access relevant data, and send the invoice to customers. This allows for bulk invoice processing and integration with drive or file-system connectors.