Skip to main content

Backstory MCP

Connect AI clients to your live Backstory data.

The Backstory: You are using an AI assistant to prepare for a customer meeting but the AI assistant can’t give complete answers without the right context. Rather than switching to Backstory or your CRM to gather that information, you connect Claude to Backstory using the MCP integration so Claude can access your data directly. This lets you ask about your accounts and opportunities in plain language and get informed, up-to-date answers without leaving your AI assistant.

Backstory MCP is a secure connection that lets AI assistants and programmatic agents safely access your Backstory sales data using the Model Context Protocol (MCP), an open standard for connecting AI tools to external data sources. Once connected, clients like Claude, ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini, and n8n can answer plain-language questions about your accounts, deals, pipeline, and recent customer activity. Because access uses OAuth, the AI assistant can only reach data your own Backstory user account already has permission to view, so the connection never grants elevated access.

Find the Setup Article for Your AI Client

Each supported AI client has its own article covering both the administrator setup and the user connection steps in detail. Open the article for your client, and use the callout at the top of that article to jump to the section that applies to you.

How Authentication Works

When you connect to Backstory MCP, you sign in using your Backstory credentials. You do not need a CRM license to authenticate.

If your organization uses an enterprise identity provider such as Okta or Entra ID, Backstory MCP can accept credentials passed through your chosen chat client. Contact your Customer Success Manager or support@backstory.ai to discuss these options.

Access to Your Data

When you connect an AI client to Backstory MCP, it can only access the same accounts, opportunities, activities, and other sales data that you can already view in Backstory Engagement Dashboards.

Your Backstory administrator controls what data each user can access through User Access settings. Because your AI client authenticates using your Backstory account, it inherits those same permissions. It cannot view records you do not have access to, and connecting through MCP does not grant any additional permissions.

If you cannot retrieve information about a record through your AI client, verify that you have access to that record in Backstory Engagement Dashboards or contact your Backstory administrator.

Ask Questions Using MCP Tools

Once connected, your AI client reads the Backstory tool descriptions and automatically selects the right tool based on your question. You can ask in plain language, and the tools fall into four groups.

Find Accounts and Opportunities

  • Find Account
    ​    Example question: “Find TechCorp.”
    Searches Backstory for an account and returns matching records, opportunities, and related CRM data.

  • Find Record by CRM ID
    ​    Example question: “Look up Salesforce ID 0018b00002XYZ.”
    Resolves a CRM record ID directly to the corresponding account or opportunity.

  • Top Records
    ​    Example question: “Which accounts should I focus on this week?”
    Returns the most relevant accounts and opportunities based on engagement, ranking, filters, or admin-defined prioritization.

Get Strategic Summaries

  • Account Status
    ​    Example question: “What’s the health of the TechCorp account?”
    Generates a summary of risks, customer sentiment, key topics, and recommended next steps.

  • Opportunity Status
    ​    Example question: “Where does the TechCorp renewal stand?”
    Provides a deal-level summary including risks, momentum, and suggested actions.

  • Scorecard
    ​    Example question: “What are the MEDDICC answers for this deal?”
    Retrieves Closeplan or qualification Scorecards, including questions and answers.

Review Activity and Engagement

  • Recent Account Activity
    ​    Example question: “What happened with TechCorp in the last month?”
    Returns recent emails and meetings related to the account.

  • Recent Opportunity Activity
    ​    Example question: “Show recent activity for the TechCorp renewal opportunity.”
    Returns communications and meetings associated with a specific opportunity.

  • Engaged People
    ​    Example question: “Who is actively engaged with TechCorp?”
    Identifies internal and external contacts involved in recent communications.

  • Account Company News
    ​    Example question: “What’s happening with TechCorp lately?”
    Pulls insights from earnings calls, SEC filings, and public company reporting.

Run Advanced Sales Analysis

  • Ask Sales AI About Account
    ​    Example question: “Why is the TechCorp account at risk?”
    Uses CRM data, activity history, engagement, and scorecards to answer account-level questions.

  • Ask Sales AI About Opportunity
    ​    Example question: “What’s blocking this deal?”
    Provides opportunity-specific analysis using the full deal context.

  • Situation Search (beta)
    ​    Example question: “How have we handled objections like these in the past?”
    Takes a described issue or challenge, then creates a detailed situational description from your deal’s activity to find historically similar situations from opportunities in your organization. The tool returns up to four of the most similar deals, ranked by how closely they match the situation, complete with a situation profile, deal attributes (owner and amount), actions taken by the team, and the outcome of the deal.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is MCP?

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is a way for AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, or Microsoft Copilot to directly connect to and understand your Backstory data. Think of it as a bridge that lets AI assistants see your sales data, account information, and customer interactions in real time.

Is my data secure when I use Backstory MCP with a third-party assistant?

Yes. Connections use OAuth authentication, and the AI assistant can only access data your Backstory user account already has permission to view. The MCP server does not grant elevated access.

Do I need to do anything special to use the Backstory MCP tools?

No. Once connected, your client reads the tool descriptions and automatically selects the right tool based on your question. You can ask in plain language, such as "How is the [Account] renewal going?"

Do these tools work for accounts and opportunities that are not in my CRM?

No. The tools rely on records that exist in Backstory, which are sourced from your connected CRM. If a record is not in your CRM, it will not be available through these tools.

Need Help?

Contact your Customer Success Manager or support@backstory.ai.

Related Articles
Did this answer your question?