Gainsight adds MCP support for AI retention workflows

Gainsight has added support for the Model Context Protocol across Gainsight CS and Staircase AI. The update lets customer success and revenue teams build AI agents that run retention workflows using data from both systems.

The integration combines customer records and workflow tools in Gainsight CS with signals that Staircase AI pulls from unstructured communications such as email, Slack messages, meetings and support interactions. Those signals include sentiment, risk, stakeholder engagement and potential expansion opportunities.

The announcement reflects a broader shift among business software providers to make their platforms accessible to AI agents as well as human users. Model Context Protocol, or MCP, is emerging as a standard way for software tools to expose data and actions to large language model-based assistants.

Gainsight CS stores information such as health scores, product usage and telemetry, along with renewal and contract data. It is also where teams manage calls to action, success plans and automated journey programmes.

Linking that information with Staircase AI through MCP allows teams to build agents that determine and carry out next steps for customer accounts. Gainsight cited examples including identifying risk, preparing quarterly business reviews, managing renewal playbooks and escalating issues.

Ori Entis, Executive Vice President & General Manager of Product and Engineering at Gainsight, described the change as part of a broader shift in how users interact with software. "We've spent over a decade building the most advanced CS platform. Now, everyone is a builder in the age of AI. Our job is to support that creativity. Agents are becoming force multipliers for every user and MCP allows both humans and agents to tap into the full power of Gainsight," Entis said.

How it works

Users can query customer data in natural language, combining structured information such as renewal timelines and health scores with softer indicators such as sentiment trends and relationship maps. Agents built on the protocol can then take actions directly in Gainsight CS, including updating records, managing tasks, logging activities and creating success plans.

The approach is designed to reduce the engineering work needed to build custom workflows. Teams can set up multi-step processes that span pre-sales to post-sales handoff, adoption tracking, save motions, renewals and account growth efforts.

Chuck Ganapathi, Chief Executive Officer at Gainsight, said the company sees software interfaces becoming less dependent on traditional screens and menus. "Software is going headless. Agents don't need dashboards and buttons; they need context and the ability to act. MCP makes Gainsight the intelligence and action layer behind every AI-driven retention workflow, wherever it runs," Ganapathi said.

Customer example

PartsSource is among the early adopters using the new support, according to Gainsight. The healthcare technology company is using the framework as it expands its use of AI and agent-led workflows.

Brad Casemore, Chief Customer Officer at PartsSource, outlined how the company expects to use the system. "As we double down on AI and agent-led workflows, having trusted customer intelligence embedded directly into those experiences is critical," Casemore said. "With Gainsight MCP, we can bring real-time customer insights directly into our AI workflows and take action instantly, without jumping between systems. It's creating a stronger foundation for AI across our entire customer ecosystem."

Security controls

MCP support uses the existing role-based access controls and governance frameworks already in place across Staircase AI and Gainsight CS. That means customer data remains subject to the same permissions when accessed through external AI tools.

This is likely to matter for enterprises weighing how far to extend internal and customer data into general-purpose AI environments. Concerns around permissions, data leakage and oversight remain central as companies test agent-based software in sales, support and account management.

Gainsight said the new MCP support is available now for both Staircase AI and Gainsight CS. It is also being made available through approved AI ecosystem partners, including the Claude ecosystem.