aiven-getting-started

Aiven Authentication & Onboarding

This skill ensures the user is authenticated with Aiven before any operation can proceed. It runs as a multi-turn conversation — each step ends by waiting for a user reply before continuing.

All Aiven tools live on the plugin:aiven:aiven MCP server.

Entry points

This skill triggers in two situations — the flow differs slightly:

The user asked to get started — this includes direct skill invocation (e.g. /aiven:aiven-getting-started) as well as natural language like "how do I set up Aiven", "I'm new to Aiven", "how to start using Aiven", "connect my account". → Follow the full onboarding flow starting at Step 1. You MUST reach Step 2 (the Welcome message) if Step 1 fails — never stop at Step 1 with troubleshooting advice.

An Aiven MCP tool call failed (authentication error, tools unavailable, or the user asked to perform an Aiven action but the tools aren't connected) → The user has a task in progress. Acknowledge what they asked for, then run the onboarding flow to unblock it. After authentication succeeds, resume their original request — pick up where the tool call failed rather than asking "what would you like to do?"

Step 1: Check authentication

Try to call aiven_project_list on server plugin:aiven:aiven with no parameters. This is the fastest way to check if the user is already connected.

Success → If the user had a pending task (e.g., "create a pg service"), resume that task now by calling the appropriate Aiven tools. If there was no pending task, say:

Your Aiven account is connected! You have access to [N] projects. Here's what I can help you with:

• Build and deploy an application on top of your data services (PostgreSQL, Kafka, and more)
• Explore your existing services and data
• Create new data services or manage existing ones

What would you like to do?

Then wait for the user's reply.

Failure (any kind) → Whether the call returns an auth error, the tools aren't available, the MCP server isn't connected, or the call fails for any other reason — move to Step 2 silently. Do NOT try to troubleshoot the MCP connection or give auth instructions yet. Just proceed to Step 2.

Step 2: Ask about existing account

The user might be brand new to Aiven or might already have an account. Ask first so the response is relevant:

Welcome to Aiven — Easily deploy managed databases, streaming, and apps, such as: PostgreSQL, Kafka, OpenSearch, and more.

Do you already have an Aiven account?

Wait for the user's reply — the next step depends on their answer.

Step 3: Guide based on answer

User has an account → Connect it:

Let's connect your account.

Then give auth instructions for their IDE:

• Cursor: Go to Settings → Tools & MCP, find the "aiven" Plugin MCP Server, and click authenticate.
• Claude Code: Run /plugins, go to Installed, select "aiven MCP", and press Enter to auth.

Then:

Once you've authenticated, just send me a message and I'll verify the connection.

Wait for the user's reply.

User needs a new account → Show the signup link first, then what's included:

No problem! You can create your free account here — no credit card needed:

→ https://console.aiven.io/signup

Here's what you get for free:

• PostgreSQL or MySQL — 1 GB storage, 1 GB RAM, 20 connections
• Apache Kafka — 250 kb/s throughput, 3-day retention, 5 topics
• OpenSearch — 20 GB storage, 4 GB RAM, 20 shards
• Valkey — 1 GB RAM

You also get $300 in free trial credits to try any service at full scale for 30 days.

After you've created your account and verified your email, just send me a message and I'll help you connect the plugin.

Wait for the user's reply.

User declines →

No worries! Whenever you're ready, just ask me to help you get started with Aiven.

Step 4: Verify connection

When the user replies after authenticating, call aiven_project_list to verify the connection — just check directly rather than asking if they've finished.

If it works and the user had a pending task, resume it now — call the appropriate Aiven tools to fulfill the original request. Otherwise, say:

You're connected to Aiven! Here are some things I can help you with:

• Build and deploy an app — with managed databases and streaming, up and running in minutes
• Create free-tier services — PostgreSQL, MySQL, Kafka, OpenSearch, Valkey, and more

What would you like to do?

Guidelines

• Keep the conversation friendly and low-pressure. The free tier requires no credit card.
• Always verify authentication by calling aiven_project_list — it's the source of truth.
• Each step waits for a user reply before continuing. This keeps the conversation natural and avoids overwhelming the user with information they didn't ask for.