Adyen MCP Server

The Adyen MCP Server connects an AI assistant to the APIs of the payment service provider Adyen. Instead of reading the API documentation for every task and building requests by hand, you describe in chat or in the editor what you need, for example creating a payment link for 49 euros, refunding a payment, or checking which webhooks are set up for a merchant account. The server translates such instructions into the matching API calls. The operator is Adyen itself; the source code lives as an MIT-licensed TypeScript project in the repository Adyen/adyen-mcp. According to the provider the server is at an alpha stage, so a lot can still change.

What is the Adyen MCP Server?

MCP, the Model Context Protocol, is an open standard through which AI assistants can call tools of external services. The Adyen server runs locally on your machine and is started with npx -y @adyen/mcp; communication with the MCP client uses stdio. On behalf of the assistant it talks to the Checkout API and the Management API of Adyen. According to the documentation further APIs are in the works.

Which tools are there?

The README lists tools in several groups. In the Checkout API you can create payment sessions and query their result, determine available payment methods, create payment links, read their status or let them expire early, and cancel authorized payments or refund captured ones. The Management API covers merchant accounts, checkout terminals including Android apps, certificates, terminal actions and terminal settings, as well as webhooks including test triggers, payment methods, users, API credentials, and allowed origins. Many of these are read-only queries, but some change data, such as refunds, cancellations, terminal reassignments, or settings changes.

What is it particularly useful for?

The greatest value lies in support, operations, and testing. A customer service employee can create a payment link without switching to the customer portal. Developers check in the test system which payment methods are active for an account or whether a webhook arrives. Anyone operating checkout terminals can list terminals and schedule actions. Compared with your own script against the REST API you save learning the paths and parameters, and compared with the customer portal you save the click paths.

Setup and environments

You need Node.js, an Adyen API key, and an MCP client. You set the key as the environment variable ADYEN_API_KEY; the README recommends reading it in with read -s so it does not end up in the shell history. For the test system you start npx -y @adyen/mcp --env=TEST. For the live environment you additionally provide your live URL prefix: --env=LIVE --livePrefix=YOUR_PREFIX. You find the prefix in the Customer Area under Developers and API URLs.

Permissions and security

The API credential needs roles for the areas used, such as checkout, payment methods, accounts, terminals, and webhooks. Adyen recommends creating a separate web service user with its own key for the server and limiting the roles to what is necessary. With the parameter --tools= you load only the tools you really need, for example webhook queries only. That reduces the risk of the assistant triggering a refund by accident.

Costs

The server is free and open source. It can only be used by Adyen customers with API access, though; the terms for payments are governed by the contract with Adyen. Details are on the official Adyen website.

Who is the Adyen MCP Server for?

It is worthwhile for merchants, platforms, and development teams that already work with Adyen and want to handle recurring tasks such as payment links, status queries, and webhook checks in conversation. Because of the alpha status, it is advisable to start in the test system with restricted roles and a small tool selection. Anyone not using Adyen gains nothing from it, since the server is not a standalone payment solution.

Node.js, an Adyen account with an API key (web service user with suitable roles), for the live environment the live URL prefix, and an MCP client with stdio support.

With the Adyen MCP Server, an AI assistant uses the Checkout and Management APIs of Adyen. This guide leads from the credentials to the first query in the test system.

Step 1: Check the prerequisites

You need Node.js, an Adyen account with an API key, and an MCP client such as Claude Code, Claude Desktop, or Cursor. According to the provider the server is at an alpha stage, so do not plan to run it against your live data first.

Step 2: Create an API key with suitable roles

In the Customer Area, create a separate web service user for the server. Adyen recommends limiting the roles to the tools used, for example read access to accounts and payment methods or the checkout role for payment links. A separate key makes it easier to revoke access later.

Step 3: Set the key

Enter the key so that it does not end up in the shell history: read -s ADYEN_API_KEY and then export ADYEN_API_KEY.

export ADYEN_API_KEY

Step 4: Start the server in the test system

The start is npx -y @adyen/mcp --env=TEST. In Claude Code you register it with claude mcp add adyen -- npx -y @adyen/mcp --env=TEST; the environment variable must be set in the same terminal. In Cursor or VS Code you add an entry of type stdio with the same command to the MCP configuration.

npx -y @adyen/mcp --env=TEST
claude mcp add adyen -- npx -y @adyen/mcp --env=TEST

Restrict the tools

With --tools= you load only selected tools, for example --tools=list_all_company_webhooks,list_all_merchant_webhooks. That keeps the model context small and prevents the assistant from even seeing functions such as refunds.

Step 5: First requests

Start read-only: "Which merchant accounts belong to my company?" or "Which webhooks are set up for this account?". After that you can have a payment link created in the test system and query its status.

Live environment

For live, start with --env=LIVE --livePrefix=YOUR_PREFIX. You find the prefix in the Customer Area under Developers and API URLs. Check the key roles beforehand and confirm writing calls such as refunds one by one instead of approving them automatically.

Adyen API key in the environment variable ADYEN_API_KEY; the key belongs to a web service user whose roles determine what the server may do.

Access to the Checkout and Management APIs within the roles of the API credential: payments, payment links, refunds, accounts, terminals, webhooks, payment methods, and users. The tool selection can be restricted with --tools.

The server runs locally and calls the Adyen APIs with your key. Retrieved payment, account, and user data enters the AI client context and therefore reaches the model provider.

Unintended refunds, cancellations, or terminal changes, especially in the live environment and with automatically approved calls, and passing payment and personal data to the model provider.