beehiiv beehiiv MCP, released by beehiiv in March 2026, lets AI chat tools connect to your beehiiv data so they can analyze it and take actions for you.
At launch, it was read-only and limited to early access for paid plans. Since then, it has evolved quickly: it was opened to all users, gained write access (creating drafts, building automations, and more), and new tools were added again in October.
Based on the latest information as of October 2026, this article explains what beehiiv MCP can and can’t do, which plans support it, and how it helps creators who don’t work in English, for whom the English-only interface can be a barrier.
What Is MCP?
MCP (Model Context Protocol) is a shared standard that lets AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude, Grok, and others) connect directly to external services and data.
Until now, if you wanted AI to analyze your beehiiv data, you had to copy the numbers and paste them into a chat. With MCP, the AI connects directly to your beehiiv account, reads your actual data, and then answers questions or takes actions.
How beehiiv MCP Has Evolved
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| March 2026 | v1 released. Read-only, and limited to early access for paid plans (rolling invitations) |
| Late April 2026 | v2 released. Opened to all users, with no waitlist or paid-plan requirement. Added segment creation in natural language, and access to podcast, automation, product, survey, and referral data |
| Around June 2026 | Write access added. AI can now create and edit posts, build multi-step automations, and create products, polls, and surveys |
| October 2026 (week of the 19th) | New MCP tools added. Supports drafting automations, segments, and posts; creating surveys, polls, and digital products; and approving Ad Network ads and Paid Recommendations |
beehiiv says total MCP tool calls have passed 8 million, and describes it as one of the company’s most popular features.
What Can beehiiv MCP Do Today?
According to the official help center, it currently supports the following operations.
Content and posts
- Create and edit post drafts
- Manage post templates
- Manage content tags
Subscribers and audience
- Create and manage subscriber tags and custom fields
- Create and edit segments and condition sets
- Create and manage surveys and polls
Growth and acquisition
- Manage signup flows
- Manage subscribe forms and form themes
- Review and manage recommendations
Monetization
- Review Ad Network ad campaigns and offers
- Review sponsorship deals
- Manage products and tiers (paid plans)
- Review paywalls
Automations, podcasts, and site
- Build and configure automation workflows and emails
- Review podcast shows, episodes, stats, and transcripts
- Edit page SEO titles and descriptions, manage redirects, and review site analytics
Other
- Upload and manage image assets
- Manage guest authors
- Manage external RSS feeds
For example, you can give the AI instructions like these:
- “Create a segment called ‘High Intent Free’ for free subscribers who opened emails 5 or more times in the last 30 days but haven’t upgraded to paid.”
- “Look at my website and tell me what to fix first for SEO.”
- “Based on my last 5 posts, draft a digest edition.”
- “Build an automation that emails new subscribers on day 1, day 3, and day 7.”
What It Still Can’t Do
According to the official help center, the following operations can’t be done through MCP and must be done in the beehiiv app.
- Publishing or scheduling posts: MCP can create and edit drafts, but publishing is done in the app
- Activating automations: You can build and configure them, but turning them on is done in the app
- Editing the body of website pages: SEO titles and descriptions can be edited, but the body content is not covered
- Writing to sponsorship deals or paywalls directly: These are view-only
- Access to payment information: Stripe billing and payment data can’t be accessed
Also, sending emails themselves is not currently possible through MCP. For production sends, beehiiv expects you to use its API (Send API), and says the API is better suited when you need consistent formatting and design.
What Was Added in the October 2026 Update
In the weekly roundup published by beehiiv’s CEO on October 23 (covering the week of October 19), the following MCP additions are highlighted.
- Create drafts of automations, segments, and posts through AI
- Create surveys, polls, and digital products
- Approve Ad Network ads and Paid Recommendations
- Manage group subscription deals and seats (tied to a new feature supporting custom pricing and invoice billing)
- Onboarding guide: If you ask Claude, ChatGPT, or Grok to “help me set up my publication,” MCP checks which items are already configured and which are missing, then walks you through the remaining steps
The same week also brought many other improvements beyond MCP, including editing posts on mobile, sender settings per newsletter, pre-send safety checks (such as DMARC warnings), date range selection on the dashboard, and opening the Send API to the Pro plan.
What’s in It for Creators Who Don’t Work in English?
① A lower barrier from the English-only interface
beehiiv’s dashboard is available only in English, and with so many features, it is easy to feel lost about where things are. With MCP, you can tell the AI in your own language, such as “show me my subscriber trend” or “create a segment for free subscribers,” without hunting through screens.
② No need to read English reports yourself
Analytics are full of English technical terms. You can ask the AI to “summarize this month’s performance in plain language in my language,” and it will explain the key numbers for you.
③ AI can take on English-language setup work
Tasks like creating automations, segments, and surveys can take time to understand. You can have them built from instructions in your own language. You can review what was created in the app before publishing or activating it.
④ Easier sponsor outreach and media kits
When you want an English media kit for international sponsors, you can ask, “Based on my beehiiv data, draft an English media kit.” That lets you go from collecting data to writing the text in one step.
⑤ Faster decisions about what to do next
When you run a newsletter alone, it’s easy to look at the numbers and get stuck on “so what should I do?” If you ask the AI for suggestions based on your real data, you can do data-driven self-coaching.
How to Get Started
Steps
- Log in to beehiiv and open Settings at the bottom left
- Select MCP from the left menu
- Choose the AI tool you want to use (Claude, Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, or Other)
- Follow the on-screen instructions to grant access and connect
The connection URL is https://mcp.beehiiv.com/mcp. Official guides are available for Claude, Claude Code, Cursor, and Codex. Any other AI tool that supports remote MCP can connect through “Other.” The weekly roundup says it can be used with Claude, ChatGPT, and Grok.
If you plan to give instructions in a language other than English, choose an AI tool that handles your language well.
Supported Plans
Since late April 2026, beehiiv MCP has been available to all users. However, what you can do depends on your plan.
| Plan | What you can do with MCP |
|---|---|
| Free (formerly Launch, up to 2,500 subscribers) | Read-only (analysis, research, suggestions) |
| Lite (formerly Scale) and higher paid plans | Read and write (post drafts, segments, building automations, and more) |
On October 1, 2026, beehiiv changed its plan names and pricing (Launch → Free, Scale → Lite, Max → Pro). With annual billing at 1,000 subscribers, Lite is roughly $49 per month and Pro is roughly $95 per month, and prices rise as your subscriber count grows. These amounts are estimates based on third-party sources, so check the official pricing page for the latest prices.
Things to Keep in Mind
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Available to all users, and you can try read-only features (analysis) even on the free plan
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You can work with instructions in your own language, without having to navigate the screens or English settings
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AI can handle drafts and building automations, while you check and approve publishing and activation yourself, which helps prevent mistakes
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You can use it from AI tools you already use, such as Claude, ChatGPT, and Cursor
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Write access requires a paid plan, and Free is read-only
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Publishing and scheduling, activating automations, and sending emails can't be done through MCP
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MCP has no fixed version, so tool behavior and response formats may change without notice
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Because the connected AI tool will handle your subscriber data, you are responsible for managing privacy
Key points to remember:
- Permissions match your account role: The data you can see through MCP is limited to what that user can see in the app
- Refreshing tools: If new tools are added but don’t appear on the AI side, in Claude choose Refresh tools list from the “MCP tools dropdown.” In other AI tools, disconnect and reconnect once
- Multiple workspaces: If you add a parameter such as
?account=1or?account=2to the end of the connection URL, you can connect multiple accounts to the same AI tool - Handling subscriber data: Custom fields collected through subscribe forms, such as names and company names, may also be accessible to the AI. Check that the AI tool you connect complies with your own privacy policy and relevant laws
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use it on the free plan?
Yes. However, the free plan is read-only, so it is mainly for requesting analysis and suggestions. Write actions such as creating post drafts or segments require a paid plan.
Could the AI publish a post on its own?
No. Publishing or scheduling posts and activating automations can’t be done through MCP, and must be done in the beehiiv app.
How do I choose between MCP and the API?
Use the API when you want stable specifications for things like production sends. Use MCP when you want the AI to work flexibly. The API is versioned for long-term compatibility, while MCP is continuously improved for AI use, so its behavior may change.
Can it see payment information?
No. Stripe billing and payment data can’t be accessed through MCP.
Summary: From “Reading the Dashboard” to “Asking AI, Then Checking It Yourself”
In just a few months since its debut, beehiiv MCP has evolved from a read-only analysis tool into a feature that lets AI handle building drafts, segments, and automations.
- Available to all users, and you can try analysis even on the free plan
- Write access requires a paid plan (Lite or higher)
- Publishing, activation, and sending are designed to be done in the app
For creators who don’t work in English, for whom the English-only interface has been a barrier, it greatly softens the downside of “beehiiv has great features, but the English interface is hard.” A good way to start is to connect on the free plan and ask for an analysis in your own language.
🎁 Get 20% off for 3 months when you sign up through this site: Start beehiiv for free →
For beehiiv’s basic features and pricing, see also our beehiiv review.
This article was compiled from beehiiv’s official help center, blog, and update information (updated October 27, 2026).
