How-To Guide Open Source 16 Custom Tools

Build Your Own Sales Intelligence Server for Claude

Connect Claude directly to Gong, ZoomInfo, Clay, and LinkedIn. Pull call transcripts, enrich contacts, and research prospects — without buying $50k+ in enterprise software.

15 min setup 16 tools Free & open source

What Is an MCP Server?

Think of MCP (Model Context Protocol) as a universal adapter between Claude and the tools you already pay for. Right now, when you want to look up a Gong call, you open Gong. When you want to check ZoomInfo for a contact, you open ZoomInfo. Each tool lives in its own silo with its own login.

An MCP server sits between Claude and those platforms, giving Claude the ability to pull data directly from them on your behalf. Ask Claude "What did the prospect say about budget on the last call?" and it goes to Gong, pulls the transcript, and gives you the answer. No tab-switching, no copying and pasting, no context loss.

Plain English: An MCP server is like giving Claude a set of keys to your sales tools. Claude can open the door, look inside, and bring back whatever information you need — all through a conversation.

What This Server Gives You

The Sales Intelligence MCP Server includes 16 purpose-built tools across four major platforms. You only need to set up the ones you actually use — everything else quietly stays out of the way.

Gong
5 tools
ZoomInfo
4 tools
Clay
3 tools
LinkedIn
3 tools

Gong: Your Call Intelligence Layer

ToolWhat You Can Ask Claude
gong_search_calls"Show me all calls from last week" or "Find calls with Acme Corp"
gong_get_transcript"Pull the full transcript from my call with Sarah at TechCo"
gong_get_call_details"What topics came up? Any action items flagged?"
gong_search_by_participant"Find all calls where john@prospect.com was on the line"
gong_get_call_stats"How many calls did the team do this month?"

ZoomInfo: Company & Contact Intelligence

ToolWhat You Can Ask Claude
zoominfo_search_company"Look up TechCo — revenue, headcount, industry"
zoominfo_search_contact"Find the VP of Engineering at TechCo"
zoominfo_get_org_chart"Map out TechCo's leadership structure"
zoominfo_get_tech_stack"What technology does TechCo use?"

Clay & LinkedIn: Enrichment & Prospecting

ToolWhat You Can Ask Claude
clay_enrich_person"Enrich this email — give me their full background"
clay_enrich_company"Tell me everything about this company from their domain"
linkedin_search_leads"Find senior sales leaders in fintech, Bay Area"
linkedin_get_profile"Pull the LinkedIn profile for this person"

How to Set It Up

1

Download the Server Files

Click the button below to download a ZIP file containing everything you need. No account required.

↓  Download Server Files (ZIP)

After downloading:

• Find the file in your Downloads folder — it's called sales-intelligence-mcp-server-main.zip
Double-click it to unzip. You'll get a folder called sales-intelligence-mcp-server-main
• That's the folder you'll use in the next steps

2

Install Node.js (One-Time Setup)

The server runs on Node.js. If you've never installed it before:

• Go to nodejs.org
• Click the big green "LTS" download button
• Run the installer and click Next/Continue through all the steps
• That's it — this is a one-time, 2-minute setup

Already have Node.js? Skip this step. Not sure? Open Terminal (Mac) or Command Prompt (Windows) and type node --version. If you see a version number (v18 or higher), you're good.

Now Choose How to Install

You have two options: a one-command installer (recommended — does everything for you) or manual setup.

Option A: One-Command Install (Recommended)

Open Terminal (on Mac, press Cmd + Space, type "Terminal", hit Enter) and paste this command:

Terminal bash ~/Downloads/sales-intelligence-mcp-server-main/install.sh

That's it. The script will:

• Check that Node.js is installed on your computer
• Copy the server to a permanent location
• Install all dependencies automatically
• Find your Claude Desktop config file (no need to hunt for it)
• Ask you for your API keys — just paste them in, or press Enter to skip any you don't have yet
• Add everything to Claude's config for you

When it finishes, restart Claude Desktop. Done.

Option B: Manual Setup (Step by Step)

If the one-command installer didn't work, or you prefer to do it yourself, follow these steps.

1

Open the Downloaded Folder in Terminal

Open Terminal (on Mac: press Cmd + Space, type "Terminal", hit Enter). Then paste this command:

Terminal cd ~/Downloads/sales-intelligence-mcp-server-main

This tells Terminal to go inside the folder you downloaded in Step 1 above.

2

Install and Build

Run these two commands (copy and paste the whole thing):

Terminal npm install && npm run build

This takes about 30 seconds. You'll see a lot of text scroll by — that's normal. If you see errors about Node.js not being found, go back and install it from nodejs.org.

3

Get Your API Keys

You only need keys for the services you actually use. Skip any you don't have — they can be added later.

ServiceWhere to Get Your Key
GongGong app → Settings → Integrations → API → Create Access Key (you'll get a key + secret)
ZoomInfoZoomInfo Developer Portal → Create App → copy the Client ID + Private Key
ClayClay app → Settings → API → Generate Key
LinkedInLinkedIn Developer Portal → Create App → generate an OAuth 2.0 token. A standard developer account works — no SNAP partnership needed.
4

Find Your Claude Config File and Add the Server

This is the part that trips people up, so here's exactly where the file is:

Your ComputerConfig File Location
Mac~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Linux~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Mac shortcut — open it directly in TextEdit:

Terminal open -a TextEdit ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Windows shortcut — open it in Notepad:

Terminal notepad %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Now add the server. Your config file probably already has some content in it (like a Docker server or preferences). You need to add "sales-intelligence" inside the "mcpServers" section, right alongside anything already there.

Here's what it looks like if you already have an existing server:

JSON Config {
  "mcpServers": {
    // your existing server stays here
    "YOUR_EXISTING_SERVER": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": ["mcp", "gateway", "run"]
    },
    // add this block below
    "sales-intelligence": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/Users/YOURNAME/Downloads/sales-intelligence-mcp-server-main/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "GONG_ACCESS_KEY": "paste-your-key-here",
        "GONG_ACCESS_KEY_SECRET": "paste-your-secret-here",
        "ZOOMINFO_CLIENT_ID": "",
        "ZOOMINFO_PRIVATE_KEY": "",
        "CLAY_API_KEY": "",
        "LINKEDIN_ACCESS_TOKEN": ""
      }
    }
  }
}

Important things to get right:

• Replace YOURNAME with your Mac username. Not sure what it is? Open Terminal and type whoami — it prints your username.
• The path should point to wherever you unzipped the server files. If they're still in Downloads, use the path shown above.
• Each server entry is separated by a comma. Don't forget the comma after the closing } of your existing server.
• Leave any key blank ("") if you don't have it yet. The server will just skip that service.

5

Restart Claude and Verify

Quit Claude Desktop completely (Cmd+Q on Mac, not just closing the window), then reopen it. To check it worked, ask Claude:

Claude "Check my sales intelligence status"

You should see a status report showing which services are connected (✓) and which aren't configured yet (✗). Any service with a valid API key will show as connected.

Troubleshooting

"Module not found" or "Cannot find module" error

This means dependencies didn't install. Run this in Terminal:

Terminal cd ~/sales-intelligence-mcp-server && npm install

Then restart Claude.

Server doesn't show up in Claude

The path in your config file is probably wrong. Test it yourself — run this in Terminal:

Terminal node ~/sales-intelligence-mcp-server/dist/index.js

If you see "Sales Intelligence MCP server running" then the path is right. If you get an error, the path doesn't match where you put the files.

LinkedIn returns a 401 error

Your token expired. LinkedIn tokens have a limited lifespan. Go back to the LinkedIn Developer Portal and generate a fresh one, then update your config and restart Claude. Standard developer tokens work fine — you do NOT need a SNAP partnership.

All services show ✗ when I test in Terminal

That's normal. When you run the server directly from Terminal, it doesn't read your Claude config file. The API keys only get passed when Claude launches the server. To test manually, put the keys inline:

Terminal LINKEDIN_ACCESS_TOKEN="your-token" node ~/sales-intelligence-mcp-server/dist/index.js

Can't find the config file

On Mac, open Terminal and run:

Terminal ls ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/

You should see claude_desktop_config.json listed. If the file doesn't exist yet, create it with the full JSON structure shown in Step 4.

JSON syntax error after editing the config

The most common mistakes: missing comma between server entries, missing closing } or ], or accidentally deleting a quote. Paste your config into jsonlint.com to find the error.

How the MCP Server and Plugin Work Together

You (talking to Claude)
Sales Enablement Plugin (18 Skills + Memory)
Sales Intelligence MCP Server (16 Tools)
Gong
ZoomInfo
Clay
LinkedIn

The plugin is the brain — it knows how to run deal reviews, build battle cards, coach reps, and track competitive moves. The MCP server is the nervous system — it connects that brain to live data in your sales tools. Together, they create something that no single SaaS product offers: a unified intelligence layer that learns, adapts, and compounds over time.

Haven't Installed the Plugin Yet?

The MCP server provides raw data access. The plugin gives Claude the skills to actually do something smart with that data. Start with the plugin — it takes 10 minutes and works without the MCP server too.

Read the Plugin Guide →

Why Build Custom vs. Buy Software

There are three approaches to getting AI-powered sales intelligence. Here's how they compare.

Enterprise SaaS Stack

$50k+/yr

Separate subscriptions for Gong, ZoomInfo, Clari, Highspot, and more. Data lives in silos. No learning across tools. Requires multiple logins and manual context-switching.

AI Sales Platforms

$15-30k/yr

New wave AI tools that promise everything in one place. Vendor lock-in. Your data trains their models. Limited customization. Monthly subscription that never ends.

Custom MCP + Plugin

$0/yr

Open source, runs locally, your data stays yours. Connects to the APIs you already have access to. Fully customizable. Learning system that compounds. You own it forever.

The real advantage is ownership. When you build custom, every improvement stays with you. The memory, the patterns, the competitive intel — it's all on your machine, in plain text files you can read and edit. No vendor can take it away, raise the price, or shut down the service.

Want Us to Build It For You?

If you'd rather have our team set up the MCP server, configure your API keys, and integrate everything in a single session — we'll handle it.

Book a Free Setup Call