Connecting the AI Assistant

To make your store truly your own and unlike the rest, you will need an AI assistant — a jack of all trades: a developer, an analyst, and a regular content manager all in one. This page is only about connecting it: what to download, what to install, and how to link the AI assistant to your store. To learn how to work with it, see the section working with the AI assistant.

How the integration works

Melbis Shop communicates with artificial intelligence via the MCP protocol. This means you are not tied to a single provider and are free to choose any AI assistant that supports this protocol.

The widest-open door is to register at https://openrouter.ai/ and install Cherry Studio: this gives you the full range of models available today and lets you work with them via API.

Still, as of today — and the year is 2026 — we strongly recommend starting with Claude Code. It is the simplest path with very high-quality results, and the MCP protocol itself is their brainchild, polished better than anyone else has managed.

Below we will walk through the installation and connection process specifically for Claude Code.

Step 1. Install Claude Code

First, download the application from the website: https://claude.com/product/claude-code. Click the "Download for Windows" button and follow the installer's prompts.

Install Claude Code on the same computer where the Melbis Shop client application is installed: the AI assistant works side by side with it, using its data.

The installer will download everything it needs on its own — this takes a couple of minutes.

Step 2. Install Git

Next, you will need the Git package — it tracks file versions. Most likely, you will never see it working with your own eyes, but Claude Code requires it.

You can download it here: https://git-scm.com/install/windows. There are several download options on the page — you need the standard installer, the "Git for Windows/x64 Setup" link.

The Git installer will ask many different questions — do not worry and do not read too deeply into them: just click "Next" and continue, the default values are fine.

Step 3. Install Python

Another required package is the Python programming language. The AI assistant uses it to write and run small scripts for its work: parsing a price list, recalculating an export, processing a batch of images. You will not write anything in Python yourself, but without it the AI assistant is helpless.

You can download it here: https://www.python.org/downloads/windows/. There are many options on the page, but you need only one: in the left column, "Stable Releases", take the topmost, latest version and click the "Windows installer (64-bit)" link under it.

Stay away from the right-hand "Pre-releases" column: those are preview versions for testing. And do not confuse the installer with the "Windows embeddable package": that is a stripped-down build for embedding into other programs.

Run the downloaded file. On the installer's first screen, at the very bottom, be sure to check "Add python.exe to PATH" — without it, the AI assistant may not find Python. Then click "Install Now".

After that, the installer will handle the rest. When you see "Setup was successful", click "Close".

If Claude Code was open while you were installing Git and Python, close it and start it again — otherwise it may not detect them.

Step 4. Register with Claude

Now you need an account. You can create one directly from the installed Claude Code or on the website https://claude.ai/login. The easiest and most reliable way is to sign in with Google or Apple, just as you already did when buying a server on DigitalOcean and registering a domain on Cloudflare.

Step 5. Subscription

Here you will have to pay: today Claude Code works only with a paid subscription. The simplest plan will be enough — Pro: $20 per month when billed monthly, or $17 per month if you pay for a full year upfront.

Step 6. On the Melbis Shop side

And here you do not need to do anything. The MCP server is included in the Melbis Shop distribution, it is already installed on your computer along with the program — there is nothing extra to install.

You also do not need to buy separate licenses for the AI assistant: it works on behalf of the user specified in the Melbis Shop program, with the same permissions.

All that is required from you is to launch the Melbis Shop program, open the desired store, and as usual enter your login and password.

If you like, open the "AI Assistant" tab and click "Check Connection" — the program will check the connection to the MCP server.

The same tab also contains a ready-made MCP server configuration. Claude Code does not need it: it connects to the store on its own through the project's working folder. But other programs — for example, Cherry Studio — will require you to enter it manually, and that is where the "Copy" button comes in handy: it copies the configuration to the clipboard.

There is also a "Store passwords in the system registry" checkbox there. Enable it — and the password will be saved in the system registry, while the MCP server will continue to work even when the Melbis Shop program is closed.

Step 7. Set up Claude Code

Now go back to Claude Code. In the upper-left corner, switch to the "Code" tab — this is the developer mode. Before and after:

Now you need to specify the project you will be working with. Above the prompt line, select the "Local" mode and the folder that contains your store's local database.

Forgot where that folder is? Check in the Melbis Shop program: "System" > "Stores".

You can also specify the folder where the program itself is installed — usually C:\Program Files (x86)\Melbis\Melbis Shop 6.5.1\. This is more universal: the AI assistant will work with whichever store is currently open in the program. But if you have several stores, it is more convenient to specify a particular project folder — then you always know exactly which store is being worked on, and you will not make mistakes.

After selecting the folder, Claude Code will ask whether you trust its contents.

Below the prompt line is the AI assistant's operating mode — usually "Manual". We recommend switching it to "Auto" right away: otherwise it will ask for permission for every file read and file creation in the working folder.

And on the right below the prompt is the choice of model and the level of effort the AI assistant will apply to the task. Set a strong model right away — for example, Opus 5 — and a medium effort level, such as High.

There is no point in cranking the effort up to the maximum right from the start: on simple tasks, this will only slow things down and make the work more complicated. You can change the model and effort level as you go if you are not satisfied with the AI assistant's answers and actions.

Connection complete

The AI assistant is installed, linked to the store, and knows where the project is located. To learn how to work with it — where to start, how to assign tasks, and how to open its tools to your employees — see the section working with the AI assistant.

Guide

Store Launch Server Purchase Domain registration Program Installation Server installation Purchase a License AI Assistant Integration Working with an AI assistant