> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.zivio.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# MCP server

> Connect Claude or ChatGPT to your Zivio data

### What it is

Zivio provides a [Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io) server, which lets
AI assistants such as Claude and ChatGPT answer questions about your Zivio data directly —
and, if you allow it, make changes. You ask in ordinary language; the assistant works out
what to look up.

Nothing needs to be built or coded. You connect the assistant once, and it can then answer
things like:

> Which projects are awaiting my approval?
>
> Show me invoices over £10,000 raised this quarter, newest first.
>
> Which suppliers bid on the website redesign, and what did they quote?

<Note>
  The assistant works through your own Zivio account and inherits exactly the same
  permissions. It can only see and do what you can. See [Scopes](/v4/scopes) for how access
  is granted.
</Note>

### Connecting

You will need your tenant's MCP address:

```
https://<your-tenant>.zivio.net/mcp
```

<Note>
  On Team, Enterprise and Business plans this is usually set up once by whoever administers
  your AI tool, and everyone else simply connects to it. If you are not an administrator,
  send them this page.
</Note>

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Claude">
    Custom connectors work on Claude, Claude Desktop and Cowork, on every plan — Free
    accounts are limited to one.

    **On a Pro or Max plan**

    <Steps>
      <Step title="Open your connector settings">
        Go to **Customize → Connectors**.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Add the Zivio server">
        Click **+**, choose **Add custom connector**, and paste
        `https://<your-tenant>.zivio.net/mcp` as the remote MCP server URL.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Finish and sign in">
        Click **Add**, then authorise the connection with your Zivio account when prompted.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Switch it on in a chat">
        In any conversation, click **+**, choose **Connectors**, and enable Zivio. Connectors
        are toggled per conversation.
      </Step>
    </Steps>

    **On a Team or Enterprise plan**

    An Owner adds it once for everyone: **Organization settings → Connectors → Add**, hover
    **Custom**, choose **Web**, then paste the URL and click **Add**. Everyone else then goes
    to **Customize → Connectors**, finds Zivio in the list, and clicks **Connect** to sign in.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="ChatGPT">
    <Warning>
      ChatGPT requires **developer mode** before it will accept a custom MCP server, and it
      is available only on paid plans on the web. On workspace plans an administrator has to
      turn it on. This is more involved than the Claude setup.
    </Warning>

    <Steps>
      <Step title="Turn on developer mode">
        Open **Settings → Security and login** and switch on **Developer mode**. On Business,
        Enterprise and Edu workspaces this is an administrator setting, found under workspace
        permissions rather than personal settings.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Add the Zivio server">
        Go to the **Plugins** section of settings, click **+**, and enter
        `https://<your-tenant>.zivio.net/mcp` as the server URL. Choose **OAuth** as the
        authentication method and sign in with your Zivio account.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Use it in a conversation">
        Click **+** in the message box, choose **Developer mode**, and select Zivio.
      </Step>
    </Steps>

    <Note>
      OpenAI renamed **Connectors** to **Plugins** in July 2026, and developer mode moved
      from *Connectors → Advanced* to *Settings → Security and login*. If your menus do not
      match, look for whichever of the two names your version uses.
    </Note>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

<Tip>
  Start with read-only access. Add the ability to make changes only once you are comfortable
  with how the assistant behaves on your data.
</Tip>

### What the assistant can do

Once connected, the assistant has three capabilities. You never invoke these yourself — it
chooses between them as it works.

|            | What it does                                                                                                               |
| ---------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Search** | Finds the right part of Zivio for your question, and reads the real field names, filters and valid values before querying. |
| **Read**   | Fetches records — lists, individual records, totals.                                                                       |
| **Write**  | Creates, updates or deletes records. Only available if your access includes write [permissions](/v4/scopes).               |

<Warning>
  Writes happen immediately against live Zivio data. There is no draft or undo step, so
  confirm what the assistant is about to change before you ask it to proceed.
</Warning>

### What to expect

* **Ask in plain language.** "Which draft projects are over £10,000?" or "show me invoices
  awaiting approval this month" is enough — the assistant works out how to query Zivio.
* **It reads live data**, not a stale copy, and not something remembered from training.
* **It only sees what you see.** The connection carries your own permissions, so records you
  cannot access in Zivio stay invisible to the assistant.
* **Check figures involving money.** Zivio stores amounts in minor units — pennies rather
  than pounds — and while the assistant is told this, it is worth a glance.
* **Large questions get sampled.** There is a cap on how many queries the assistant can run
  per message, so very broad requests come back partially answered. Narrowing the question
  works better than repeating it.

### Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="It says it cannot find anything on that topic">
    Long, specific questions can narrow the search to nothing. Try again with a few
    distinctive words — "supplier scorecard" rather than a full sentence — then add detail
    once it has found the right area.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="It mentions insufficient scope or permissions">
    Your connection does not include access to that part of Zivio. The message names what is
    needed; pass it to whoever set up your access. See [Scopes](/v4/scopes).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="It cannot see a record you can see in Zivio">
    Check you are connected as the right user. The assistant inherits the permissions of the
    account it was authorised with, which may not be the account you are signed into Zivio
    with in your browser.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="It refuses to change something">
    Read and write access are granted separately, and many connections are deliberately
    read-only. If the assistant can find a record but not update it, ask your administrator
    whether write access is appropriate for your use.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>