Search inventory items and folders, low-stock alerts, jobs and purchase orders, and update stock. Hosted by usefulapi — connect from Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, or any MCP client.
Team and Enterprise: an Owner adds the connector for the organization first.
Run this command, then run /mcp in Claude Code to log in:
Add to Cursor or add this to ~/.cursor/mcp.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"sortly": {
"url": "https://sortly.usefulapi.io/mcp"
}
}
}Add to VS Code or add this to .vscode/mcp.json:
{
"servers": {
"sortly": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://sortly.usefulapi.io/mcp"
}
}
}No Add custom MCP server option? It depends on your account or workspace settings: see OpenAI's guide.
Run these commands. The second one opens the login page:
Other MCP clients (Windsurf, Cline, Zed and more): add the URL as a remote MCP server (Streamable HTTP). The client then opens the login page in your browser. Do not add an Authorization header: see Before you connect.
The login page asks for your Sortly API secret key.
Generate one in Sortly at app.sortly.com/public-api (Settings → Public API; Enterprise plan only). Your key is used only to call the Sortly API on your behalf and to derive a private account id; it is never shown to anyone.
Add only the URL. Do not add an Authorization header or an API key to the client config. The server signs you in with OAuth: the login page asks for your Sortly API secret key. If the config has such a header, remove it: some clients then send that header instead of the login token, and every call fails with 401.
Turn on the Sortly connector, then ask in plain words. The AI picks the tools.
| Tool | Type | What it does |
|---|---|---|
sortly_list_items | read | List items and folders List items and folders, newest first. By default the root level; pass folder_id for a folder's direct contents, plus include_subfolders for everything nested under it. Paginated via meta.next_page_url / total_pages. Sortly: GET /api/v1/items. |
sortly_get_item | read | Get one item or folder Fetch a single item or folder by numeric id: quantity, min_quantity, price, tags, sid, barcodes, and optionally custom field values and photos. Sortly: GET /api/v1/items/{item_id}. |
sortly_search_items | read | Search inventory Search items and folders by name, optionally limited to items or folders and scoped to specific folders. Read-only despite being a POST. Paginated: send the same arguments with the next page number. Sortly: POST /api/v1/items/search. |
sortly_list_recently_updated_items | read | List recently updated items List items and folders changed since a Unix timestamp — the incremental-sync read ('what moved since yesterday?'). Without updated_since it behaves like sortly_list_items. Sortly: GET /api/v1/items/recent. |
sortly_list_custom_fields | read | List custom fields List the account's custom fields (id, name, type, applies_to). Call this before writing custom_attribute_values to get the right custom_attribute_id. Sortly: GET /api/v1/custom_fields. |
sortly_list_units | read | List units of measure List the units of measure available to the account (unit_name, unit_type, scale) — the values measured_quantity and purchase-order lines expect. Sortly: GET /api/v1/units. |
sortly_list_alerts | read | List alerts List stock (Quantity) and date (DateReminder) alerts, with is_fired showing which have already triggered — the quick way to find low-stock items. Sortly: GET /api/v1/alerts. |
sortly_list_jobs | read | List jobs List jobs (work orders that pull stock out), most recently updated first, filterable by name prefix and status. Paginated via meta.pagination.has_next. Sortly: GET /api/v1/jobs. |
sortly_get_job | read | Get one job Fetch a single job: status, folder_id (where its pulled items sit), dates, notes, custom field values and the version needed for updates. Sortly: GET /api/v1/jobs/{job_id}. |
sortly_list_purchase_orders | read | List purchase orders List purchase orders, most recently updated first, filterable by PO number and status. The list leaves out notes, terms, sub_total and line_items — use sortly_get_purchase_order for those. Needs Purchase Orders on the plan (else 402). Sortly: GET /api/v1/purchase_orders. |
sortly_get_purchase_order | read | Get one purchase order Fetch a single purchase order with its line_items (quantity vs received_quantity), vendor, addresses, charges, totals and version. Sortly: GET /api/v1/purchase_orders/{purchase_order_id}. |
sortly_get_purchase_order_receive_status | read | Get a purchase order's receive status Report the most recent receive against a purchase order: pending / completed / failed, with the line ids received, pending and failed (and why). Returns 404 until something has been received. Sortly: GET /api/v1/purchase_orders/{purchase_order_id}/receive/status. |
sortly_create_item | write | Create an item or folder Create a trackable item (type item) or a folder (type folder), optionally inside a folder via parent_id, with quantity, price, tags, custom fields, barcodes and a measured quantity. WRITE. Sortly: POST /api/v1/items. |
sortly_update_item | write | Update an item or folder Change fields on an existing item or folder — e.g. set a new quantity after a stock count, rename it, or relocate a folder via parent_id. Only the fields you pass change; pass null to clear a nullable field. Sending tags or custom_attribute_values replaces them. WRITE. Sortly: PUT /api/v1/items/{item_id} (returns 204). |
sortly_move_item | write | Move stock to another folder Move some or all of an item's quantity to another folder (items only — relocate a folder with sortly_update_item parent_id). A partial move splits off a new item with the same sid; a full move relocates the item; a matching item at the destination is merged, and the returned id is the destination's. Undo by moving it back. WRITE. Sortly: POST /api/v1/items/{item_id}/move. |
sortly_create_alert | write | Create an alert Create a stock alert on an item (type Quantity, e.g. threshold_method quantity_less_than with threshold_value 5, or less_than_or_equal_to_min_quantity), or a DateReminder on a datetime custom field (custom_attribute_id + before/after/same_day + threshold_interval). WRITE. Sortly: POST /api/v1/alerts. |
sortly_create_job | write | Create a job Create a job (and its job folder) in not_started status. Name must be unique in the company. Then use sortly_pull_items_into_job to record the stock it uses. WRITE. Sortly: POST /api/v1/jobs. |
sortly_pull_items_into_job | write | Pull items into a job Move quantities of existing items (from any folders) into a job's folder — how usage on a job is recorded. Up to 100 items per call; items are processed independently, so ALWAYS check data.errors (a partial failure still returns 200). Undo with sortly_return_items_from_job. Returns 403 on a completed job. WRITE. Sortly: POST /api/v1/jobs/{job_id}/items. |
sortly_return_items_from_job | write | Return items from a job Move items off a job's folder back into inventory (destination_folder_id, or All Items if omitted). Up to 100 per call; check data.errors — items are processed one by one. WRITE. Sortly: POST /api/v1/jobs/{job_id}/items/return. |
sortly_create_purchase_order | write | Draft a purchase order Create a purchase order in draft status (no stock or ordering happens until it is moved on in Sortly). Sortly computes amounts, sub_total and total from the lines; omit purchase_order_number to have one generated. Needs Purchase Orders on the plan (else 402). WRITE. Sortly: POST /api/v1/purchase_orders. |
sortly_usage_status | Usage status (free-tier meter) Report the caller's current usage: the plan, calls used this month, the limit of the plan (the free monthly cap or the Pro fair use limit), remaining, and whether the limit is reached. Read-only; does not count against the meter. | |
sortly_request_feature | Request a missing feature Tell usefulapi that the user needs something the Sortly tools cannot do yet (a missing tool, field or filter). Call it only when the user asks for something none of the tools can do, and tell the user that you send the request. Do not call it for errors or for normal requests. Do not include personal data, credentials or customer records. Stored with the product name and the client type (for example Claude or Cursor), without the user's account. At most 5 requests per day. Does not count against the meter. | |
sortly_upgrade | Upgrade to Pro (unlimited*) Get Pro: unlimited tool calls (fair use limit: 10,000 a month) on Sortly (the free tier caps monthly usage). Plans: "monthly" — $9/month; "yearly" — $90/year (2 months free). Cancel any time: Pro then runs to the end of the paid period, so it also suits a one-time job. *A fair use limit applies. For heavy use (near Pro's limit): "plus" or "plus_yearly" — Pro+, $19/month or $190/year, unlimited tool calls (fair use limit: 100,000 a month); an existing Pro subscription changes to Pro+ in place (needs confirm: true; the price difference for the rest of the period is charged at once). Otherwise returns a short link to open in your browser (it opens Stripe Checkout); after payment the account upgrades automatically. Does not count against the meter. | |
sortly_cancel_subscription | Cancel the Pro subscription Cancel the caller's Sortly Pro subscription at the end of the paid period (no refund for the current period; Pro continues until then, then the free tier applies). Requires confirm: true. Run sortly_upgrade later to undo the cancel before the period ends. Does not count against the meter. |
| Plan | Price | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 50 tool calls / month |
| Proper user | $9/mo · $90/yr | Unlimited* |
*Pro fair use limit: 10,000 tool calls a month on this server. For more, write to [email protected].
Pro covers this Sortly server only. Subscribe with sortly_upgrade (it returns a Stripe Checkout link). Cancel any time with sortly_cancel_subscription: Pro continues to the end of the paid period, with no refund for the current period, and running sortly_upgrade before then undoes the cancel. Or write to [email protected].
No. usefulapi is an independent service. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Sortly. The server calls the Sortly API with your own Sortly access, so it sees only the data that your account can see.
Yes. In Claude, add this server's URL as a custom connector. In ChatGPT, add it as a custom MCP server in Plugins. Then log in once. Cursor, VS Code, Claude Code and Codex work too. See the setup steps.
The login page asks for your Sortly API secret key. See Before you connect for where to find it.
No. Add only the URL. Do not add an Authorization header or an API key to the client config. The server signs you in with OAuth: the login page asks for your Sortly API secret key. If the config has such a header, remove it: some clients then send that header instead of the login token, and every call fails with 401.
The login stores them encrypted in the authorization grant of your connection. The server uses them to call the Sortly API for you and to derive a private account id for usage metering. usefulapi does not show them on any page or in any reply. To stop all access, remove the connector and change or delete these credentials in Sortly.
Yes, if you approve it. 8 of the 20 Sortly tools can create or change data. The other 12 are marked read-only. Most MCP clients ask you to approve a tool call before it runs.
The Free plan gives 50 tool calls / month. Pro costs $9/mo or $90/yr, with unlimited tool calls (fair use limit: 10,000 tool calls a month), for this Sortly server only. Cancel any time: Pro then runs to the end of the paid period. Run sortly_usage_status to see how many calls you used.
Ask the AI to run sortly_upgrade: it returns a Stripe Checkout link. To cancel, run sortly_cancel_subscription. Pro continues to the end of the paid period.
Tell the AI what you wanted to do. It can send the request with sortly_request_feature. We store the text with the server name, the type of AI client and the tool you tried, not with your account, and read every request when we plan new tools. You can send up to 5 requests per day.
Any client that supports remote MCP servers (Streamable HTTP) with OAuth login: Claude (web and desktop), Claude Code, ChatGPT, Codex, Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf and others.
This is a Model Context Protocol endpoint — meant to be connected from an AI client, not opened in a browser. An invalid_token response at the URL is the auth gate working as designed; clients authenticate automatically.