Devart MCP Server for Zoho CRM (ADO.NET)

Version 1.1.0

What's new · Changelog

Devart MCP Server for Zoho CRM

Devart MCP Server for Zoho CRM enables AI clients to interact with your data through a secure server running in your environment. It turns a regular AI chat into a practical way to work with real-world business data — and it is faster than conventional export or manual querying.

Key benefits

Devart MCP Server for Zoho CRM allows you to:

• Work with data intuitively through natural language.
• Retrieve the required data for analysis within minutes.
• Report on your data faster with AI-powered assistance.
• Minimize manual data handling and integration maintenance.

How it works

Devart MCP Server for Zoho CRM helps AI clients communicate directly with Zoho CRM databases using natural-language prompts. It translates AI requests into structured queries, executes them through Devart connectivity drivers, and returns clean, structured results for seamless AI-powered data access.

Quick start

To get started with Devart MCP Server for Zoho CRM:

1\. Download and install Devart ODBC Driver for Zoho CRM.

2\. Download and install Devart MCP Server for Zoho CRM.

3\. In Devart MCP Server for Zoho CRM, configure your data connection and integration settings.

4\. Run your first natural-language query.

Manual installation and configuration

Prerequisites

Before building and running Devart MCP Server for Zoho CRM, ensure the following components are installed:

• .NET 8 SDK
• ADO.NET connection — Devart.AI.McpServer.AdoNet.ZohoCrm.csproj Devart dotConnect for Zoho CRM (installed automatically via NuGet during build)
• ODBC connection — Devart.AI.McpServer.Odbc.ZohoCrm.csproj Devart ODBC Driver for Zoho CRM (requires manual download and installation)

Step 1: Clone the repository

Clone the project repository and navigate to the project directory:

1\. Open Command Prompt.

2\. Enter the following command:

git clone https://github.com/devart-ai-connectivity/devart-mcp-server-zoho-crm.git
cd devart-mcp-server-zoho-crm

Step 2: Build the MCP Server from source

You can build Devart MCP Server for Zoho CRM from source using either of the supported database connectivity technologies: ADO.NET or ODBC.

• To build the MCP server with ADO.NET, run the following command:

dotnet publish Devart.AI.McpServer.AdoNet/Devart.AI.McpServer.AdoNet.ZohoCrm/Devart.AI.McpServer.AdoNet.ZohoCrm.csproj -c ReleaseZohoCrm /p:TargetFramework=net8.0

The Devart dotConnect for Zoho CRM NuGet package is downloaded and restored automatically.

• To build the MCP server with ODBC, select the command based on the bitness of your data source.

For 64-bit data source, run the following command:

dotnet publish Devart.AI.McpServer.Odbc/Devart.AI.McpServer.Odbc.ZohoCrm/Devart.AI.McpServer.Odbc.ZohoCrm.csproj -c ReleaseZohoCrm -r "win-x64" /p:TargetFramework=net8.0

For 32-bit data source, run the following command:

dotnet publish Devart.AI.McpServer.Odbc/Devart.AI.McpServer.Odbc.ZohoCrm/Devart.AI.McpServer.Odbc.ZohoCrm.csproj -c ReleaseZohoCrm -r "win-x86" /p:TargetFramework=net8.0

Note

The target platform must match the bitness of your ODBC data source.

Step 3: Configure the database connection for the MCP Server

1\. Create an mcpserver.json configuration file in the directory containing the built MCP Server executable.

2\. In the file, configure the database connection.

• Configure a connection with ADO.NET.

Add the following configuration to the mcpserver.json file:

{
  "Connections": [
    {
      "Name": "my_zohocrm",
      "ConnectionString": "Authentication Type=OAuthInteractive;Domain=crm.zoho.com;License Key=your_license_key;",
      "ProtocolType": "stdio"
    }
  ]
}

• Configure a connection with ODBC.

Add the following configuration to the mcpserver.json file:

{
  "Connections": [
    {
      "Name": "my_zohocrm",
      "DsnName": "your_dsn_name",
      "ProtocolType": "stdio"
    }
  ]
}

• Configure a connection with ODBC using a connection string.

Add the following configuration to the mcpserver.json file:

{
  "Connections": [
    {
      "Name": "my_zohocrm",
      "ConnectionString": "Driver={Devart ODBC Driver for Zoho CRM};Server=localhost;User ID=zohocrm;Password=your_password;Database=your_database;",
      "ProtocolType": "stdio"
    }
  ]
}

where:

• Name — The connection name.
• ConnectionString (applies to ADO.NET) — A database-specific connection string used to establish a connection to the target database.
• DsnName (applies to ODBC) — The name of your data source.
• ProtocolType — A transport protocol. The possible options are: stdio or http.
• HttpPort (required if ProtocolType is set to http) — The port number for the http protocol.

Step 4: Run the MCP server

After you configure the MCP Server, you can start it.

Note

This step is required only when ProtocolType is configured as http. If you use the stdio transport protocol, your AI client starts the server automatically.

• To start the server with ADO.NET, run the following command:

Devart.AI.McpServer.AdoNet.ZohoCrm.exe run my_zohocrm

• To start the server with ODBC, run the following command:

Devart.AI.McpServer.Odbc.ZohoCrm.exe run my_zohocrm

where my_zohocrm is the name of the ODBC connection.

Step 5: Integrate with Claude Desktop

1\. Open claude_desktop_config.json, the Claude configuration file.

Tip

If you can't locate the configuration file, it may not exist yet. To create it, open Claude Desktop and navigate to File > Settings > Developer, then click Edit Config. The folder with the claude_desktop_config.json file opens.

2\. Add one of the following objects, depending on the transport protocol used by MCP Server:

• STDIO

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "devart": {
      "command": "C:\\path\\to\\Devart.AI.McpServer.AdoNet.ZohoCrm.exe",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "my_zohocrm"
      ]
    }
  }
}

where:

• devart is the connector name that will appear in Claude Desktop.
• C:\\path\\to\\Devart.AI.McpServer.AdoNet.ZohoCrm.exe is the path to the executable file. For an ODBC connection, use Devart.AI.McpServer.Odbc.ZohoCrm.exe.
• my_zohocrm is the connection name specified in the mcpserver.json configuration file.
• HTTP

    "mcpServers": {
      "devart": {
        "command": "npx",
        "args": [
          "-y",
          "mcp-remote",
          "http://localhost:5000/sse"
        ]
      }
    }

where:

• devart is the connector name that will appear in Claude Desktop.
• 5000 is the MCP Server listening port.

3\. Save the file.

4\. Restart Claude Desktop.

Devart MCP Server for Zoho CRM is now integrated with Claude, and devart appears in the Claude Desktop app in Customize > Connectors.

You can also integrate Devart MCP Server for Zoho CRM with other AI clients such as Cline, Codex, Cursor, Visual Studio Code, Windsurf, Zed.

Supported clients

Devart MCP Server for Zoho CRM supports integration with the following AI clients:

• Claude Desktop
• Visual Studio Code
• Cursor
• Codex
• Windsurf
• Cline
• Zed
• ...and other MCP-compatible AI clients

Typical use cases

Devart MCP Server for Zoho CRM is a practical fit for teams working with Zoho CRM as their primary data source.

• Sales pipeline and deal tracking
  Let sales managers and reps query deal stages, expected close dates, deal values, and pipeline distributions directly from Zoho CRM.
• Lead and contact database analysis
  Search and analyze lead records, qualification statuses, source attribution, and follow-up histories stored in Zoho CRM.
• Territory and team performance reporting
  Compare deal performance across territories, sales teams, and individual reps using Zoho CRM opportunity and activity data.
• Activity and engagement history
  Access call logs, email records, meeting notes, and task histories from Zoho CRM contact and account timelines.
• Forecast and quota analysis
  Query forecast categories, quota assignments, and attainment data from Zoho CRM to support sales planning.
• Customer lifecycle and retention insights
  Analyze deal win/loss patterns, customer reactivation histories, and churn indicators from Zoho CRM data.

Licensing and activation

Devart MCP Server for Zoho CRM is distributed as a free single-source MCP server.

To connect to Zoho CRM, the server requires the corresponding Devart ODBC Driver for Zoho CRM, which is a paid product.

A 30-day free trial is available for the Devart ODBC Driver for Zoho CRM.

See the product page and documentation for the latest installation and activation details.

Support

• Documentation
• Submit a request
• Suggest a feature
• Join our forum

Other Devart connectivity solutions

• MCP Server Universal
• ODBC Driver for Zoho CRM
• dotConnect ADO.NET Provider for Zoho CRM