Getting Started
What is MCP?
Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open protocol introduced by Anthropic that standardizes how AI platforms connect to external tools, systems and data sources.
In technology, a "protocol" is a shared set of rules that lets different systems communicate consistently. HTTP, for example, is the protocol that lets any browser reliably load any compatible website. MCP works similarly for AI. Instead of standardizing communication between browsers and websites, it standardizes how AI models connect to business systems, databases, files and proprietary data sources like IBISWorld's.
What is the IBISWorld MCP Server?
The IBISWorld MCP Server is a secure connection between IBISWorld's research and the AI platforms you already use. Once it's enabled, you can bring IBISWorld's industry research directly into a platform like Claude or ChatGPT, asking natural-language prompts or building agentic workflows that deliver sourced, structured answers without needing to copy/paste or attach IBISWorld data.
What kinds of questions can I ask?
Prompts work best when they read as a clear question or request and include geographic specificity. The MCP Server can help with industry-level questions (market size, growth, competitive landscape), company-level questions, region-specific questions, business environment and macro indicators (rates, demographics, regulation), procurement questions and supply chain trends.
Below are a few examples of how our customers put MCP to work:
Use Case | Prompt |
Credit Memo & Loan Origination | Pull current industry conditions for Full-Service Restaurants in the US. Give me a 4-5 sentence risk narrative I can drop into a credit memo, plus a summary table of the top 5 risk factors (input costs, demand volatility, competition, regulation, labor) with a one-line rationale for each. |
Annual Review & Portfolio Monitoring | Compare my borrower's YoY revenue growth against the current growth in the Australian Wine Production industry. Flag with a stop-light system whether they're outperforming, in line or lagging the sector, and call out headwinds to raise at renewal. |
Audit Preparation & Risk Assessment | Generate a risk factor summary for Auto Parts Manufacturing in the US ahead of my audit engagement. Pull current industry-level financial ratios (margins, revenue per employee, key cost structure) and flag any ratios where the sector is seeing unusual volatility. Use red to call out the high-risk areas that auditors should plan more substantive testing around. |
Deal Screening & M&A Diligence | Run a market screen on UK Craft Beer Producers as a potential acquisition target. Summarize market size, growth trajectory, fragmentation/consolidation trend and key risks. Visualize an attractiveness rating across growth, competitive intensity, and regulatory risk so I can decide whether this is worth pursuing further. |
Pre-Call Planning | I have a call with a prospect in the Canadian Homebuilding industry in 30 minutes. Give me the industry's top 3 growth drivers, top 3 risks and how they likely stack up against industry peers – framed as talking points I can use to sound credible fast. |
Strategy & Market Entry | We're evaluating entry into Heavy Equipment Rental in the US. Compare market size, growth rate and competitive landscape for the industry across Georgia and Florida, and flag which looks more attractive for new entrants. |
Benchmarking Borrower vs. Industry | My borrower is in the UK Gyms & Fitness Centers industry with revenue of [X] and historical growth of [X%]. Using IBISWorld data, tell me what typical profitability margins and leverage levels look like for this industry and help me determine whether the borrower is performing in line with, above or below industry peers. |
Going Concern Analysis (Accounting/Audit) | I'm performing a going concern analysis on my client. Using IBISWorld, provide the five-year outlook for the German Software Publishing industry. Is it growing, in structural decline or facing disruption that could threaten operators' viability? |
Corporate Finance Information Memorandums | Using IBISWorld data for Ice Cream Production in the US, draft a concise industry overview section for an Information Memorandum. Cover market size, growth drivers, competitive dynamics and outlook in the memo and use factual, investment-grade bullet points. |
Category Strategy & Planning | Based on IBISWorld data, draft a summary of the US Facilities Management industry for our procurement category strategy document, including market size, growth outlook, major players and key risk factors. |
Which IBISWorld research products can I access through MCP?
The MCP Server provides access to your organization's licensed products. You can review data availability in detail on our data navigator, cross-comparing with your license details to understand exactly what is available.
Can I use Atlas or other bulk-data tools through MCP?
No, not at this time. If you have a specific use case for accessing Atlas via MCP, please let your client relationship manager know so we can log your feedback and factor it into our planning.
What tools does the MCP Server use to answer my questions?
The IBISWorld MCP Server exposes a set of purpose-built tools designed to search and surface the IBISWorld products and industries most relevant to your prompt. You can learn more in our developer documentation.
Which AI platforms work with the IBISWorld MCP Server?
As of July 2026, the IBISWorld MCP Server is compatible with three platforms: Claude, Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT. We are currently testing compatibility with additional AI platforms that will go live in the next several months. If you have questions about whether specific platforms are on our roadmap, please contact your client relationship manager.
Can I connect the MCP Server to more than one AI platform?
Yes. Once your organization subscribes to MCP, you can connect to any of the supported platforms.
Setup & Access
How do I get set up?
Two things need to be in place:
MCP on your license. Your client relationship manager can confirm your current setup and make any needed changes.
The connector enabled in your AI platform. Install IBISWorld from the Claude Connectors Directory or use the steps provided by your client relationship manager for other AI platforms.
Do I need a separate login for MCP?
No. Every user authenticates with their existing IBISWorld username and password the first time they connect. The same credentials you already use on the IBISWorld platform will work in your AI platform. Access is enabled at the account level (not per user), so any active users on your license can connect this way, as long as they also have a paid seat on a supported AI platform.
Does MCP only return content included in my license?
Yes. Because access is tied to your individual IBISWorld login, the MCP Server only returns content from the products in your license. This is the same content you're entitled to see on the IBISWorld platform today. An MCP subscription doesn't open up any data beyond that.
Data, Sourcing & Attribution
Is IBISWorld's data still properly sourced and citable through MCP, or does it get "flattened" into a generic AI response?
Every answer is designed to stay grounded and traceable to specific IBISWorld reports. That attribution happens in a few ways:
Organic citation: the AI model may mention IBISWorld by name or link to the source report directly in its reply. This happens often, but isn't guaranteed unless you use one of the approaches below.
Gated projects or agents: you can set up a project or agent with instructions that restrict it to IBISWorld content, so every answer you receive is confirmed to come from our source, with no external data mixed in.
Explicit citation instructions: you can write instructions requiring that any response using our MCP Server cite the specific report it drew from, for maximum transparency.
Why do outputs from MCP look different across AI platforms?
This comes down to how each platform's model interprets and formats the same underlying data. MCP standardizes how the AI connects to IBISWorld's research, but each platform's model still decides how to synthesize and present that information in its reply. So, the same prompt can produce a differently formatted answer in Claude versus Copilot versus ChatGPT.
Pricing & Terms
How is MCP priced?
Pricing depends on factors like your organization's size, expected volume of usage, the country modules you subscribe to and your overall product mix. Your client relationship manager can put together a customized quote.
Are there specific terms and conditions for MCP?
Yes. MCP is governed by additional terms beyond your standard IBISWorld agreement. Your client relationship manager can walk you through the details and provide addendums, as needed.
Security & Compliance
Does IBISWorld capture or store the specific questions I ask through MCP?
No. IBISWorld doesn't capture the specific prompts you submit through MCP. To support subscription compliance and help us catch bugs, we track which tools (for example, search_report or search_segment_benchmark) were used to generate a response, but this is tracked at the account level only.
Is there security documentation available for MCP?
Yes, a comprehensive security document is available through your client relationship manager, covering how data flows through the MCP Server and the architecture behind it.