Smartsheet MCP Server and Claude: What It Actually Means for Your Business

The Smartsheet MCP Server launched for general availability in March 2026, and it deserves more attention than most product releases. Here is what it is, what it can actually do, and why it matters for the Clients that we work with.

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Tim Saunders

by Tim Saunders – Head of AI & Technology

What Is MCP and Why Does It Matter?

MCP stands for Model Context Protocol. Introduced by Anthropic in November 2024, it is an open standard that gives AI models a common language for talking to external tools and data sources. Think of it less as a feature and more as infrastructure. Before MCP, connecting an AI assistant to an enterprise platform required custom code for every combination. MCP collapses that into a single standardised interface.

The growth of the protocol reflects genuine enterprise appetite. From roughly 100,000 SDK downloads at its launch, MCP scaled to more than 97 million monthly downloads as of early 2026. In December 2025, Anthropic donated governance of the protocol to the Linux Foundation’s Agentic AI Foundation, co-founded by Anthropic, Block and OpenAI. This is no longer a proprietary Anthropic standard. It is quickly becoming the default connectivity layer for enterprise AI.

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Claude Logo

What Smartsheet Has Actually Launched

The Smartsheet connector for Claude became generally available in March 2026, allowing users to connect Smartsheet directly to Claude through the MCP Server integration.

The practical capabilities are significant. Claude securely accesses live sheet data to analyse task progress, overdue items, and key risks, then quickly summarises status, highlights priorities, or generates new project plans. Critically, this is not read-only. Users can update task status and dates, add or modify columns, manage risks, or create new assets such as a visual project summary or presentation deck, directly from a Claude conversation.

That bi-directionality matters. This is not a reporting layer. It is an execution layer, but strong governance is required on how to implement it and ensure guard rails are in place to prevent misuse.

What This Looks Like in Practice

Consider a programme manager overseeing a portfolio of 40 construction projects. Previously, generating an executive risk summary required navigating multiple sheets, exporting data, and manually writing the narrative. Now, you can ask “What are the top blockers in Q3?” or “Summarise project risks for exec review” and receive a contextually rich, intelligent response in seconds, saving time to generate and giving more time to review and act.

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Our View

As Head of AI and Technology here at Cheetah Transformation, I have been tracking the MCP story closely since Anthropic first introduced the protocol. What Smartsheet has delivered here is not a bolt-on. It represents a fundamental change in how teams can interact with their project data going forward. The organisations that move quickly to embed this into their workflows will build a meaningful operational advantage. We will continue to monitor this closely to ensure that our existing client base can benefit from this release.

Sources

  • Anthropic: Model Context Protocol introduction (The Verge, November 2024)
  • MCP adoption in 2026 (Knak, 2026)
  • Donating the Model Context Protocol to the Linux Foundation (Anthropic, December 2025)
  • Smartsheet MCP Server now generally available (Smartsheet, March 2026)@
I rarely come across real talents who stand out like Rob Eberstein and Gary Thornton.
I have worked with them in a very challenging Smartsheet implementation in the Pharma field. They dealt with tough situations effortlessly. Rob and Gary were always available to listen to any questions we had and found creative solutions. Cheetah Transformation earned doubtless my highest recommendation.

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We lacked a dependable, centralised system for escalating decisions or communicating outcomes back down the chain
We now don’t need to spend time digging through months of emails to find a particular discussion from a meeting or chase meeting participants for status updates. Those micro-frustrations used to add up and slow everyone down. Now, everything’s in one place, saving us time. I’ve loved working with Cheetah, they’re fantastic at actively listening, interpreting our vision—even when we’re not using technical language—and translating that into a functional solution.

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The team was first class all the way
I worked with Gary Thornton and Rob Eberstein from Cheetah on a complex SmartSheet Implementation. I was the Exec Sponsor for the implementation, and could not be happier with the results. The team was first class all the way, and SmartSheet is now a foundational application in my organization for managing both internal and external projects. Gary and Rob always made themselves available, gave expert insights and always delivered. They are also just really great people. I highly recommend them!

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5 star services, from start to finish
As a specialist fit out business, it is extremely hard to find a solution that is compatible with our processes & vision. What Cheetah have delivered, has surpass our expectations and I'm excited to see the improvements this will make to our business, and for our delivery partners and clients. Cheetah team have supported us, all the way and been a great bunch of people to work with. We look forward to phase 2, later this year where we introduce other departments & our quality management system integrated into our PMS. See you on Phase 2!

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They went above and beyond at every step
Working with Cheetah Transformation has been an outstanding experience that truly elevated our project management capabilities. Gary and Youssef were exceptional throughout—highly knowledgeable, consistently responsive, and a pleasure to partner with. Their solution not only met our needs but transformed the way we manage projects, bringing significantly greater efficiency and transparency to our workflows. They went above and beyond at every step, and we couldn’t be more pleased with the results. Highly recommended.

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A great partner for any team looking to improve execution and clarity through smart digital solutions
I highly recommend Youssef for his outstanding support during the Smartsheet implementation. His deep understanding of both the tool and the needs of our teams led to the development of a robust solution that brought much-needed transparency to our project management processes. Youssef went beyond expectations—not only ensuring the system was technically solid, but also continuously improving it by adding meaningful information while simplifying the inputs required from users. His ability to balance structure with usability made a real difference in user adoption and overall project visibility. A great partner for any team looking to improve execution and clarity through smart digital solutions.

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Outstanding service and expertise – driving productivity and collaboration at scale
We’ve been working closely with Cheetah Transformation, and I cannot overstate the value that they bring to our team. Their depth of knowledge in Smartsheet, combined with their responsiveness, problem-solving mindset, and consistently friendly demeanor, has made a huge difference to our operations. Smartsheet, when implemented effectively, is a game-changer. It automates repetitive project tasks, provides intuitive and visually engaging dashboards, and creates a single source of truth that enhances visibility across functions. With Cheetah Transformation’s expert support, we were able to harness these capabilities — saving time, increasing productivity, and improving collaboration across multiple teams and time zones.

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We now have a solid foundation to identify inefficiencies, spot gaps in responsibility, and flag issues early without having to dig through email chains from months ago

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As a result, we’re seeing significant returns on investment.

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Excellent support and solutions from Rob & Hanna
Our events team have worked with Cheetah Transformation for over a year now, and they have helped us create a bespoke project management tool with Smartsheet, that has been pivotal in the way we work and how we report on our business.

  • Emily Jewell, News UK

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