---
title: "Connecting Claude and other AI assistants to Talkspirit"
description: "Connect Claude, or any MCP-compatible AI assistant, to your Talkspirit organisation. Sign in from Claude on the web or the desktop app, or use an MCP key for Claude Code and other tools. The assistant acts with your own permissions."
category: integrations
section: api-and-webhooks
type: Tutorial
lastUpdated: 2026-09-17
locale: en
canonical: https://support.talkspirit.com/en/integrations/connect-claude-and-other-ai-assistants
---

# Connecting Claude and other AI assistants to Talkspirit


Talkspirit runs a **Model Context Protocol (MCP) server**, so an AI assistant such as Claude can read your organisation's data and act on it for you: look up tasks, create them, raise a tension, update a key result. The assistant connects as you, so it can only see and do what your own permissions already allow.

**The Talkspirit MCP server address is:**

```
https://mcp.talkspirit.com/mcp
```

You need this address for every method below.

**In summary:** if you use Claude in the browser or the desktop app, add a custom connector and sign in with your Talkspirit account. If you use Claude Code, another AI tool, or a script, create an MCP key and send it in a request header instead.

## Before you begin

- A Talkspirit account. Any member can connect an assistant; you do not need administrator rights.
- Your own permissions apply. Two colleagues asking the same question can get different answers, because each assistant sees only what that person can see.
- On Claude Team and Enterprise plans, an owner of your **Claude** organisation may have to approve a new connector first. That is Claude's own plan and setting, not Talkspirit's.

> **Note:** the steps inside Claude happen in Anthropic's own interface, whose layout and wording change independently of Talkspirit. Where a name has moved, look for the nearest equivalent.

## Which method should I use?

| How you use your assistant | Method | What you need |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Claude in a web browser | Sign in | Your Talkspirit login |
| The Claude desktop app | Sign in | Your Talkspirit login |
| Claude Code, another AI tool, or a script | MCP key | A key that starts with `tsk_` |

Signing in is the simplest option for everyday use: Talkspirit renews access for you and there is no key to store. Use an MCP key when the tool cannot show a sign-in window, which is the case for command-line tools and automation.

## Method 1: Claude on the web or the desktop app

The steps are the same in both, because connectors sync from your Claude account.

1. In Claude, open **Settings → Connectors** and choose to add a custom connector. The exact path depends on your Claude plan and permissions.
2. Give the connector a name, for example `Talkspirit`.
3. In the server address field, enter `https://mcp.talkspirit.com/mcp`.
4. Expand **Advanced settings** and enter `mcp-claude-desktop` in **OAuth Client ID**. This is required: without it, the sign-in is rejected. Leave **OAuth Client Secret** empty.
5. Select **Add**, then **Connect**, and sign in with your Talkspirit account in the window that opens.

![Claude's "Add custom connector" dialog, with the Talkspirit MCP server address entered and the OAuth Client ID mcp-claude-desktop filled in under Advanced settings, leaving the OAuth Client Secret empty](/images/integrations/connect-claude-and-other-ai-assistants/01-claude-add-custom-connector.png)

Claude then lists Talkspirit among its connected tools, ready to use in a conversation.

## Method 2: Claude Code and other MCP clients

These connect with an MCP key rather than a sign-in window. First create the key: open **Account → MCP keys**, select **Add MCP key**, choose **Read only** or **Read and write**, and copy the key. The full procedure, including expiry and revoking, is in [Create and manage MCP keys](/en/integrations/create-and-manage-mcp-keys).

For **Claude Code**, run this from your terminal (the MCP keys page shows the same command ready to copy):

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http talkspirit https://mcp.talkspirit.com/mcp \
  --header "X-API-Key: tsk_<your_api_key>"
```

Or declare it in `.mcp.json` for a project, or `~/.claude.json` for yourself:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "talkspirit": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.talkspirit.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "X-API-Key": "tsk_<your_api_key>"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

**Any other MCP client:** point it at `https://mcp.talkspirit.com/mcp` and send your key in an `X-API-Key` header on every request.

> **Warning:** treat an MCP key like a password. Never commit one to version control. Keep it in an environment variable, a password manager or a secrets manager, and use one key per machine or tool so you can revoke them independently.

## Checking that it worked

Ask your assistant who you are, for example *"Using Talkspirit, who am I?"*. It replies with your name, your organisation and how it authenticated. If it cannot:

- **Signed in:** confirm the connector is listed in Claude's settings and that you completed the Talkspirit sign-in window.
- **MCP key:** confirm the key is still **Active** on the **Account → MCP keys** page, and that the header is exactly `X-API-Key: tsk_…`.

## What the assistant can do

The assistant reads your organisation's circles, roles, tasks, meetings, goals, metrics and posts, and creates or changes a defined set of items, always with your own permissions. It never changes a circle or a role directly. [What the Talkspirit MCP server can do](/en/integrations/what-the-mcp-server-can-do) lists what it reads, creates, changes and removes, and what it cannot do.

## Working with several organisations

Requests run against your **active organisation**. If you belong to more than one, the assistant can list them all and show which one is currently active, so you can confirm where it is working before asking it to change anything.

For a connection you signed in to, the active organisation is the one from your Talkspirit session. A client that lets you set request headers can address a different organisation you belong to by sending its ID in an `X-Tenant-Id` header; an ID for an organisation you are not a member of is refused.

## Troubleshooting

| What you see | What it means | What to do |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `401 Unauthorized` | The sign-in expired, or the key is mistyped, expired or deleted | Sign in again, or check the key is **Active** at **Account → MCP keys** and create a new one if needed |
| `403 Forbidden` | Your account is not allowed to do that | The assistant only has your permissions. Check what your account can do in Talkspirit |
| The sign-in loops or is rejected | The OAuth Client ID is missing or wrong | Under **Advanced settings**, set **OAuth Client ID** to `mcp-claude-desktop` and leave the secret empty |
| It cannot reach the server, or times out | Network or firewall | Check that `mcp.talkspirit.com` is reachable. Corporate firewalls sometimes block it |
| `404` on something you know exists | The wrong ID, or it is in another organisation | Ask the assistant to look the item up by name rather than passing an ID, and confirm the active organisation |
| A large request times out | Too broad a query | Ask for a narrower one: filter by circle, or ask for fewer fields |

## Next steps

- [What the Talkspirit MCP server can do](/en/integrations/what-the-mcp-server-can-do)
- [Create and manage MCP keys](/en/integrations/create-and-manage-mcp-keys)
- [The Talkspirit Partner API](/en/integrations/partner-api)
- [How Spark processes your organisation's data](/en/administration-security/how-ai-processes-your-data)