Pica Connect
Set up the Pica CLI and MCP server so your AI agent can send emails, post to Slack, update CRMs, and interact with 200+ platforms.
When This Skill Activates
When the skill activates, start by printing this welcome message:
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U N I V E R S A L I N T E G R A T I O N S F O R A I
Then follow the steps below.
Step 1: Check if Pica CLI is installed
Run this command to check:
If the command succeeds (prints a version number): Pica is installed. Skip to Step 3.
If the command fails (
): Continue to Step 2.
Step 2: Install Pica CLI
Install globally via npm:
bash
npm install -g @picahq/cli
After installation, verify it worked:
If this still fails, check that the npm global bin directory is in the user's PATH. Common fix:
bash
export PATH="$(npm prefix -g)/bin:$PATH"
Step 3: Run
This is the core setup step. Run:
What does
First run (no existing config):
- Prompts for a Pica API key (get one at https://app.picaos.com/settings/api-keys)
- Validates the key against the Pica API
- Asks which AI agents to install the MCP server into (Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf)
- Asks for global or project-level installation
- Writes the MCP config so the agent gets access to integration tools
Subsequent runs (config already exists):
Shows a status dashboard with the current API key, config path, and per-agent MCP installation status:
Current Setup
──────────────────────────────────────────
API Key: sk_test_...9j-Y
Config: ~/.pica/config.json
Agent Global Project
────────────── ────── ───────
Claude Code ● yes ● yes
Claude Desktop ● yes -
Cursor ○ no ○ no
Windsurf - -
- = not detected on this machine
Then offers targeted actions (only relevant options appear):
| Action | What it does |
|---|
| Update API key | Validates new key, re-installs MCP to all agents that have it |
| Install MCP to more agents | Shows only detected agents missing the MCP |
| Install MCP for this project | Creates project-level config files in cwd |
| Start fresh | Full setup flow from scratch |
Init flags
| Flag | Effect |
|---|
| Skip confirmations |
| Install MCP globally (available in all projects) |
| Install MCP for this project only |
Where MCP configs are written
| Agent | Global config | Project config |
|---|
| Claude Code | | |
| Claude Desktop | ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
| n/a |
| Cursor | | |
| Windsurf | ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json
| n/a |
After
completes, the agent will have access to these MCP tools:
| Tool | What it does |
|---|
| List all platforms and active connections |
search_pica_platform_actions
| Search for actions on a platform |
get_pica_action_knowledge
| Get full API docs for an action |
| Execute an action on a connected platform |
Step 4: First connection
After init completes, prompt the user:
Pica is set up! Your agent now has access to 200+ integrations.
What would you like to do first?
1. Connect a platform (e.g. Gmail, Slack, HubSpot)
2. Browse available platforms
3. Skip for now
If option 1: Ask which platform, then run:
This opens a browser for OAuth. The CLI polls until the connection is live. Common first connections:
,
,
,
,
,
.
If option 2: Run:
This shows all 200+ available platforms with categories.
If option 3: Let them know they can come back anytime:
No problem. When you're ready:
pica add gmail - Connect Gmail
pica platforms - Browse all platforms
pica list - See your connections
Step 5: Verify and use
Once a connection is added, verify it:
Output shows connection status and keys:
● gmail operational
live::gmail::default::abc123
If MCP tools are available, show the user what they can do:
You're all set! Try asking me to:
"Send an email to sarah@example.com about the project update"
"Post the release notes to #product in Slack"
"Create a Linear issue for the login bug"
"Check my calendar for tomorrow"
Using MCP tools (after setup)
Once the MCP is installed and connections are live, this is the standard workflow for any integration task:
1. list_pica_integrations -> get connection keys and platform names
2. search_pica_platform_actions -> find the right action
3. get_pica_action_knowledge -> read the docs (REQUIRED before execute)
4. execute_pica_action -> do the thing
Key concepts
- Connection key: Identifies which authenticated connection to use. Format:
live::gmail::default::abc123
- Action ID: Identifies a specific API action. Starts with . Get from search results.
- Platform name: Kebab-case identifier (, , , ). Get from .
CLI quick reference
| Command | Description |
|---|
| Set up API key and install MCP |
| Connect a platform via OAuth |
| List connections with keys |
| Browse all 200+ platforms |
pica search <platform> [query]
| Search for actions |
pica actions knowledge <id>
| Get API docs for an action |
| Execute an action |
Aliases:
= list,
= platforms,
= actions knowledge,
= actions execute.
All commands support
for machine-readable output.
Troubleshooting
Pica CLI is not installed or not in PATH.
bash
npm install -g @picahq/cli
If it's installed but not found, add the npm global bin to PATH:
bash
export PATH="$(npm prefix -g)/bin:$PATH"
The key is wrong, expired, or not a valid Pica key. Get a new one at
https://app.picaos.com/settings/api-keys. Keys start with
or
.
MCP tools not available after init
The agent needs to be restarted after MCP installation. For Claude Desktop, quit and reopen. For Claude Code, start a new session.
No apps have been connected yet. Run
(or any platform) to connect one.
Connection shows or
The OAuth token expired or was revoked. Reconnect:
Or reconnect from the dashboard at
https://app.picaos.com/connections.
Links