Overview

The Maestro Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server connects AI assistants, such as Claude or Gemini, to the Equativ Maestro platform using the Model Context Protocol (MCP). MCP is an open standard that allows AI assistants to securely connect to external tools and data sources. 

Once the Maestro MCP Server is installed, your AI assistant can retrieve real-time data and perform actions directly within your Maestro account. Without the server, an AI assistant functions mainly as a text generator. With the server enabled, it becomes a specialized media assistant capable of interacting with your advertising data in Maestro. 

The MCP Server allows your AI assistant to perform tasks such as: 

• Search for and retrieve deals.
• Create and update deals.
• Determine geographic targeting (countries, cities, regions, DMAs). 
• Discover audience segments using natural language. 
• Troubleshoot delivery issues through bid funnel analysis.

Prerequisites

Before setting up the connector, ensure you have the following:

• A Maestro account.
• A supported AI client, such as:
  • Claude Desktop (Pro, Team, or Enterprise)
  • Claude Code
  • Gemini CLI

Authenticating

The Maestro MCP Server supports two primary authentication methods.

OAuth (recommended)

If your AI client supports OAuth for MCP, authentication is handled automatically upon connection.

Bearer token

To authenticate using a bearer token, complete the following steps:

1. Request the access token from Auth0.  
2. Add the token to your client configuration as an Authorization header: Authorization: Bearer <your-token>.

Server URLs

Select the appropriate URL based on your target environment. The transport type is HTTP.

Media planning

Media planning is the discovery and strategy phase for finding advertising inventory. The module lets media buyers explore ad opportunities from publishers using Equativ’s SSP, view inventory estimates, and identify the best placements. Once selected, deals can be created and a deal ID retrieved for programmatic transactions through a DSP or, if requested, directly within Maestro using the built-in activation tool. For more information see, Get started with media planning.

The production Media planning URL is:

https://maestro-mcp-server.eqtv.io/media-planning

Troubleshooting

The Troubleshooting tool helps identify and resolve issues that might impact deal performance. Its Bid Status chart visually shows, with numbers, the stages where ad opportunities exit the auction process. It provides detailed bid statistics that offer valuable insights to resolve issues efficiently. For more information, see Troubleshoot deals.

The production Troubleshooting URL is:

https://maestro-mcp-server.eqtv.io/troubleshooting

Set up client

To use the Maestro MCP Server, you need to connect it to an AI client. The client is your AI assistant application, such as Claude Desktop or Gemini, that will interact with Maestro. Setting up the client provides your AI with the appropriate instructions and enables it to access the credentials it needs to retrieve and manage data from the Maestro platform.

In practice, setting up a client means adding one or more MCP servers to the client and providing the necessary credentials. Once the servers are added, your AI client is ready to interact with Maestro. 

Set up client with Claude Desktop

Claude Desktop offers a visual interface for client setup and management.

To add the servers in Claude Desktop, follow these steps:

1. Open Claude Desktop.
2. Go to Settings > Connectors.
3. Click Add custom connector.
4. Enter the server URL (for example, the production Media planning URL).
5. When using a bearer token, configure authentication in Advanced settings. ⓘ Note: this step doesn't apply if you authenticate with Claude Auth0 built-in connector.

For more information, see the Claude documentation on custom connectors using remote MCP.

Set up client with Claude Code

Claude Code runs directly in your computer’s Terminal (macOS/Linux) or Command Prompt (Windows) and lets you use commands to instruct Claude on locating and connecting to the Maestro servers.

To add the servers through the command line, run the following commands:

Media planning command

claude mcp add maestro-media-planning --transport http https://maestro-mcp-server.eqtv.st/media-planning

Troubleshooting command

claude mcp add maestro-troubleshooting --transport http https://maestro-mcp-server.eqtv.st/troubleshooting

Set up client with Gemini CLI

Gemini CLI lets you interact with Gemini and MCP servers directly from Terminal (macOS/Linux) or Command Prompt (Windows). 

Update your ~/.gemini/settings.json file with the following configuration to configure the server location and credentials for your AI client.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "maestro-media-planning": {
      "httpUrl": "https://maestro-mcp-server.eqtv.st/media-planning",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer <your-token>"
      }
    }
  }
}

For more information, see Getting started with MCP servers using the Gemini CLI in the Gemini documentation.

Media planning and troubleshooting tools

In this section, you’ll find an overview of the tools available to support core media planning workflows and troubleshooting.

Media planning server tools

This server handles data discovery and deal management. Note that CreateDeal and UpdateDeal modify data; all other tools are read-only.

Troubleshooting server tools

Use these tools to diagnose why a deal might not deliver as expected:

For more troubleshooting information, see Troubleshoot deals.

Example prompts

Try the following prompts with your AI assistant:

• "Show me deal 1234567"
• "Find deals for buyer Acme Corp"
• "Find audience segments for luxury car buyers"
• "Why isn't deal ABC123DEF456 delivering?"
• "What banner sizes are available?"

Troubleshooting

The following table lists issues and potential solutions.