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What is Canal 3?

Canal 3 is Alana’s MCP (Model Context Protocol) server. It exposes your product catalog as a set of tools that AI agents — Claude, GPT-4, Cursor, Windsurf, and any MCP-compatible client — can call directly during a conversation or workflow. Unlike the REST API (Canal 2), MCP tools are designed for agent consumption: structured inputs, structured outputs, no pagination boilerplate.

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22 Tools Across 6 Categories

CategoryToolsDescription
Catalog4Search and browse products
Optimization4AI-powered content optimization
Search3Advanced search and recommendations
Media/Context3Image and brand context tools
Analytics3Performance and query analytics
Feed3Feed generation and status
See the individual category pages for full parameter references.

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Transport

Canal 3 uses SSE (Server-Sent Events) transport over HTTPS: 
https://app.alana.shopping/api/mcp/sse
Most MCP clients default to SSE. No WebSocket configuration required.

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When to Use MCP vs REST

Use caseRecommended
AI agent needs product data during a conversationMCP (Canal 3)
Scheduled batch sync to an external platformFeed API (Canal 1)
Custom dashboard or app integrationREST API (Canal 2)
Platform-native product feed (Google, Meta)Feed API (Canal 1)

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Quick Start

  1. Get an API key from Settings → API Keys with mcp:read scope
  2. Configure your MCP client with the SSE endpoint and Bearer token
  3. Call tools like search_products or optimize_product from your agent
See Connecting Agents for client-specific setup instructions.

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Tool Filtering

Running all 22 tools adds context to every agent conversation. Use environment variables to load only the tools your use case needs: 
ALANA_MCP_GROUPS=catalog,search    # Load only catalog + search tools
ALANA_MCP_TOOLS=search_products    # Load only a specific tool
See Tool Filtering for full details.
Last modified on March 18, 2026