Integrations

Algolia

Connect Algolia to search your indices, add and update records, tune relevance with settings, synonyms and rules, and review search analytics.

API credentialsDeveloper & InfrastructureAlgolia API docsAlgolia MCP server overview

You paste two values into PopMCP: your Algolia Application ID and an API key (the Admin API key, the Write API key or a key you create), both copied from the API Keys page of the Algolia dashboard.

Setup time
2 min
Auth
API credentials
API base URL
https://{APPLICATION_ID}.algolia.net
Rate limits
Search and indexing scale with the plan and are not capped per minute for normal use, though indexing has per-application rate limits and keys can carry their own per-IP limit. The Analytics and A/B testing APIs allow 100 requests a minute per application. Agent Studio returns 429 with Retry-After when limited.

Before you begin

  • An Algolia account with at least one application. Any plan works, including the free Build plan
  • Access to the application's API keys: the owner and admins see the Admin API key; other team members see the keys their role allows
  • Search analytics, A/B testing, the Usage API and infrastructure monitoring need a plan that includes them (Premium or Elevate for most)

Get your credentials

Sign in and pick the application

Sign in at dashboard.algolia.com. If you have several applications, choose the one the AI should work on from the application menu at the top. One PopMCP connection works on one application; connect again for another one.

Open this screen →

Open API Keys and copy the Application ID and a key

Open Settings, then API Keys. Copy the Application ID at the top. Then copy the Admin API key to let the AI do everything, including managing API keys and A/B tests, or the Write API key for records, settings, synonyms, rules and analytics. The Search API key only searches.

Open this screen →

dashboard.algolia.com/account/api-keys
SearchAcme Store (ABCDE12345)
Settings / API Keys

API Keys

Use these keys to call Algolia's APIs. Keep the Admin API key secret.

Your API Keys
Application ID
ABCDE12345
Search API Key
9f1c********************e2a7
Write API Key
c41b********************07d3
Admin API Key
e8a2********************5b10
Copy Application IDCopy Admin API Key

Copy the Application ID and the key from the same page: a key only works with its own application.

Optional: create a key with fewer permissions

To limit what the AI can do, click All API Keys, then create a new API key. Give it a description such as PopMCP, tick the permissions (ACL) it should have, for example search, browse, listIndexes, settings, analytics and logs for read-only work, optionally limit it to some indices, and click Create. Paste that key into PopMCP instead of the Admin API key.

Open this screen →

dashboard.algolia.com/account/api-keys
SearchAcme Store (ABCDE12345)
Settings / API Keys / All API Keys

All API Keys

Create keys with their own permissions, indices and limits.

Create API key
Description
PopMCP
ACL
search, browse, listIndexes, settings, analytics, logs
Indices
Max API calls/IP/hour
CancelCreate

A key without addObject, deleteObject, deleteIndex or editSettings cannot change your data, whatever the AI asks.

Optional: copy the Crawler credentials

Only if the AI should manage the Algolia Crawler. On the left sidebar select Data sources, then Crawler, and open its Settings page. Copy the Crawler user ID and the Crawler API key: the Crawler has its own credentials, separate from the application's keys.

Open this screen →

dashboard.algolia.com/crawler/settings
SearchAcme Store (ABCDE12345)
Data sources / Crawler / Settings

Crawler settings

Credentials for the Crawler API.

Crawler API
Crawler user ID
3f9b2c1e-****-****-****-8a41d7e2c0b5
Crawler API key
a7d0********************91ce

Paste them into PopMCP

In PopMCP, paste the Application ID and the API key and connect. Leave the analytics region blank: PopMCP finds it. Crawler credentials and the Premium Usage API key and Monitoring API key go under More options when you need them. PopMCP checks the key by reading its own permissions.

Connect in PopMCP

Open your workspace, choose Algolia in the marketplace, and fill in the connect dialog:

FieldWhat to enter
Application IDtextIn the Algolia dashboard, open Settings, then API Keys. The Application ID is at the top of the page.
API keysecretOn the same page, copy the Admin API key (everything) or the Write API key (records, settings and analytics). Stored encrypted and used only on our servers.Encrypted with AES-256-GCM on save and never shown again.
Analytics regiontextLeave blank and PopMCP finds it. Only set it if analytics calls say the region does not match.
Crawler user IDtextFrom the Crawler's Settings page (Data sources, then Crawler, then Settings). The Crawler has its own credentials.
Crawler API keysecretOn the same Crawler Settings page, next to the user ID.Encrypted with AES-256-GCM on save and never shown again.
Usage API keysecretFor usage statistics (operations, records, capacity). Listed under Usage on the API Keys page.Encrypted with AES-256-GCM on save and never shown again.
Monitoring API keysecretFor server and infrastructure metrics. Listed under Monitoring on the API Keys page.Encrypted with AES-256-GCM on save and never shown again.

PopMCP verifies the credential against Algolia immediately. On success the connection flips to Verified and its MCP tools are provisioned.

Verify it worked

PopMCP marks the connection Verified as Algolia app ABCDE12345 and notes the key's kind and permissions and the application's analytics region. Asking the AI to list your indices, or to search one, shows your data.

Troubleshooting

"Algolia did not accept this Application ID and API key together."

Why: The key belongs to another application, was copied incompletely, or was deleted.

Fix: Copy the Application ID and the key again from the same API Keys page and paste only the values.

"Algolia has no application with the Application ID ..."

Why: The Application ID is mistyped, or a key was pasted into the Application ID box.

Fix: Copy the Application ID from the top of the API Keys page: it is about ten capital letters and digits, like ABCDE12345.

A tool answers 403 "Invalid Application-ID or API key" although the connection is verified

Why: Algolia gives this answer when the key lacks the permission a call needs. The error from PopMCP names the missing permission.

Fix: Reconnect with the Admin API key, or with a key that has that permission, or ask for something the current key can do.

Analytics or A/B testing tools answer 401 or 402

Why: The key lacks the analytics permission, or the plan does not include the Analytics or A/B testing API.

Fix: Use the Admin or Write API key or a key with the analytics permission; check the plan on the Billing page.

"The log processing region does not match"

Why: The application's analytics data lives in the other region (US or Europe).

Fix: PopMCP retries the other region by itself. If it keeps happening, set Analytics region to us or eu under More options; the dashboard shows it on the Infrastructure page (dashboard.algolia.com/account/infrastructure/analytics).

"The Crawler API uses its own credentials"

Why: A Crawler tool was used without the Crawler user ID and API key on the connection.

Fix: Copy both from Data sources, Crawler, Settings and add them under More options.

Reference

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