Many teams now use the Zoho Analytics MCP server with Claude to build client reporting: querying tables, building reports, and running data checks. The one step that is missing is dashboards. This article gives Zoho's answer on whether dashboard creation is coming, what Zoho is doing instead, and how to plan around it. The position is as at 21 October 2026.
The issue
Reporting can be built end to end through the Zoho Analytics MCP server, up to the dashboard. Teams want tools to create and edit dashboards, add reports and KPI widgets, arrange tabs and layout, and publish and embed the result, so that the whole cycle can run through MCP. They would then fine-tune the finished dashboard in Zoho Analytics and with Zia.
What Zoho says
| Question |
Zoho's position |
| Will the default Zoho Analytics MCP server get dashboard tools? | No current plan. Zoho does not currently plan to support dashboard creation through the default MCP server. |
| Is dashboard creation coming at all? | Yes, through a different route. Zoho is working on dashboard creation and other related capabilities in a Zoho Analytics Plugin for Claude. |
| When? | Planned as part of Zoho's latest release, and expected before the end of this quarter. Zoho did not name the quarter or give a date. |
| Where will it work? | Zoho says the plugin is supported only through Claude Code CLI for now, because of a current limitation on Anthropic's side. |
| Will Zoho confirm? | It says it will update customers once the functionality is released. |
Read the timing with care. This is a statement of intent, not a release. Zoho did not say which quarter it means, which features will be in the first version, or which Zoho Analytics editions will include it. Treat the date as indicative, and do not promise a client a dashboard-building workflow until the plugin is out and you have tried it.
What this means in practice
- A plugin is not the same as the MCP server. The default MCP server will stay as it is. Dashboard creation is planned as a separate plugin, so it will need to be installed and set up separately.
- It will not reach every Claude user at first. Claude Code CLI is the command-line tool, used mainly by developers and technical consultants. People who use Claude through the web, desktop, or mobile app are, on Zoho's account, not covered for now.
- The rest of the workflow is unchanged. Tables, reports, and data checks through the MCP server continue to work as before. See Zoho Analytics MCP Server: Claude Desktop Connector Setup.
What to do now
This section is our own advice, not Zoho's.
- Split the work. Use Claude and the MCP server for the data layer, such as tables, reports, and checks, and assemble the dashboard in Zoho Analytics itself. Zia can help with the finishing touches, as teams already do.
- Make dashboards repeatable by hand. If you build similar client dashboards often, create a template dashboard and copy it, so the manual step stays short until the plugin arrives.
- Decide who would use the plugin. If your team works in the web or desktop app, the first release may not suit you. Technical consultants who already use Claude Code CLI are the likely first users.
- Apply the usual safeguards when it arrives. A tool that can create and publish dashboards, and possibly embed them, can expose data. Start with a test workspace, check what is shared and who can see it, and review the result before publishing. See Connecting Claude to Zoho: A Safe Setup Checklist and Prompting Guide.
- Watch for the release. We will update this article when Zoho announces it.
Need help? As a Zoho Partner serving the UK and Ireland, we can set up the Zoho Analytics MCP server with Claude, build your client reporting workflow, and plan for dashboard creation when the plugin is released. Email
zoho@1cloudconsultants.com or
raise a support request with 1 Cloud Consultants.