Connect the MCP Server to Claude, Cursor & More

What is the MCP server?

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that lets AI assistants use external tools. The Directify MCP server exposes your directory’s management actions — creating listings, categories, tags, custom fields, organizers, articles, and pages — as tools the AI can call. Once connected, you simply chat:

“Add a listing called Bella Trattoria, Italian category, price range $$, and link it to the Acme Events organizer.”

…and the assistant does it for you.

Video walkthrough

Connecting the Directify MCP server to Claude

Step 1 — Get your credentials

Generate an API token (config-file setups only)

Claude.ai, Claude Desktop connectors and ChatGPT sign you in with your Directify account when you connect — no token needed. For clients you configure by file (Claude Code, Cursor, mcp-remote), go to Settings → API in your Directify dashboard and click the Key icon to generate a token. Copy it — it’s shown only once.

Note your Directory ID

Find it in the dashboard URL (/app/{directory_id}/...). It’s optional in most setups — if you skip it, the assistant will ask which directory to use, or you can say “list my directories”.

Step 2 — Choose remote or local

Remote (recommended)

Use our hosted server at https://mcp.directify.app/mcp. No installation — nothing to install or update.

Local

Run the directify-mcp npm package on your own machine. Requires Node.js 18+.

Step 3 — Add it to your AI client

Replace YOUR_API_TOKEN with your token and YOUR_DIRECTORY_ID with your directory’s ID in the examples below.

Claude.ai & ChatGPT
Claude Desktop
Claude Code
Cursor
Other clients

Both connect to the hosted server with a sign-in, so there is nothing to paste.

Add the connector

Claude: open Directify in the Claude Connectors Directory and click Connect. (It is also under Settings → Connectors → Browse connectors in Claude; you can still add it as a custom connector with the URL https://mcp.directify.app/mcp.)ChatGPT: in developer mode go to Settings → Connectors → Create and enter https://mcp.directify.app/mcp.

Click Connect and sign in

You land on a Directify page that shows which client is asking and what it will be able to do. Sign in if you are not already, then click Approve. You are sent straight back to the chat.

Approving creates an API key named after the client (for example Claude (MCP)) under Settings → API; delete it there to disconnect. Prefer an existing key? The sign-in page has a Paste an API key instead link. API access needs the Starter plan or higher.

Open Settings → Developer → Edit Config, or edit the file directly:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Remote (recommended):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "directify": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y", "mcp-remote",
        "https://mcp.directify.app/mcp",
        "--header", "Authorization:Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN",
        "--header", "X-Directory-ID:YOUR_DIRECTORY_ID"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Local:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "directify": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "directify-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "DIRECTIFY_API_TOKEN": "YOUR_API_TOKEN",
        "DIRECTIFY_DIRECTORY_ID": "YOUR_DIRECTORY_ID"
      }
    }
  }
}

Fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop (not just close the window) for the change to take effect.

Run one command from your terminal.Remote (recommended):

claude mcp add directify -- npx -y mcp-remote \
  https://mcp.directify.app/mcp \
  --header "Authorization:Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
  --header "X-Directory-ID:YOUR_DIRECTORY_ID"

Local:

claude mcp add directify \
  --env DIRECTIFY_API_TOKEN=YOUR_API_TOKEN \
  --env DIRECTIFY_DIRECTORY_ID=YOUR_DIRECTORY_ID \
  -- npx -y directify-mcp

Verify it’s connected with claude mcp list.

Create or edit .cursor/mcp.json in your project (or ~/.cursor/mcp.json for all projects).Remote (recommended):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "directify": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y", "mcp-remote",
        "https://mcp.directify.app/mcp",
        "--header", "Authorization:Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN",
        "--header", "X-Directory-ID:YOUR_DIRECTORY_ID"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Local:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "directify": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "directify-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "DIRECTIFY_API_TOKEN": "YOUR_API_TOKEN",
        "DIRECTIFY_DIRECTORY_ID": "YOUR_DIRECTORY_ID"
      }
    }
  }
}

Then open Cursor Settings → MCP and confirm directify shows a green dot.

Any MCP-compatible client that supports remote servers can connect via the mcp-remote bridge using the same pattern:

npx -y mcp-remote https://mcp.directify.app/mcp \
  --header "Authorization:Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
  --header "X-Directory-ID:YOUR_DIRECTORY_ID"

For clients that natively support remote MCP over OAuth, add https://mcp.directify.app/mcp as the server URL and sign in with your Directify account when prompted (see the Claude.ai & ChatGPT tab) instead of passing a token header.

The X-Directory-ID / DIRECTIFY_DIRECTORY_ID value is optional. Omit it to let the assistant work across all your directories — it’ll ask which one to use, or you can call list_directories.

Step 4 — Try it out

Restart your AI client, then ask:

“List my Directify directories.”

“Create a listing called ‘Blue Bottle Coffee’ in the Cafés category.”

“What custom fields does this directory have? Add a filterable ‘Price Range’ select field with options $, $$, $$$.”

“Create an organizer ‘Acme Events’ and link these three listings to it.”

“Which languages does this directory have? Add Spanish translations for the names and descriptions of my five newest listings.”

“Switch the directory to the Ocean palette, use the Inter font, hide the footer’s Quick Links column and show me the homepage on a phone.”

What can it do?

The MCP server exposes tools for every major part of your directory:

Area	Examples
Directories	list directories you own, list a directory’s languages
Listings	list, get, create, update, delete, bulk-create, check-exists, set custom field values, link organizers
Categories	list, get, create, update, delete
Tags	list, get, create, update, delete
Custom Fields	list, get, create, update, delete field definitions
Organizers	list, get, create, update, delete
Articles	list, get, create, update, delete, toggle published
Custom Pages	list, get, create, update, delete, toggle published
Redirects	list, get, create, update, delete URL redirects
Theme	`get_theme` reads the whole design plus the valid options for the template; `update_theme` changes template, colors, fonts, hero, homepage sections, footer, images, labels and CSS vars; `preview_theme` screenshots a page so the assistant can see the result
Translations	read any record in one of the directory’s languages, write translations with any create or update

Restyling a directory

The theme tools cover everything the Theme Editor controls. The assistant calls get_theme first — its options block lists the valid templates, themes, fonts, palettes, section keys and per-template settings — then update_theme with only the keys to change, and preview_theme to look at the page at phone, tablet or desktop width. Brand images are set from URLs, and multilingual directories take translations for the hero texts and labels. See the Theme API for every key.

Multilingual directories

On directories with more than one language, the assistant can work in every language:

list_languages shows the directory’s default language (the one records’ own text is written in) and its extra languages.
Reading: the list and get tools take an optional locale (e.g. es) and return text in that language.
Writing: the create and update tools take translations, keyed by language code, e.g. {"es": {"name": "Café de Joe"}}. Listings also take source_locale when their own text isn’t in the default language.

Records of multilingual directories include their translations, so the assistant can see what’s missing before filling it in. See Languages & Translations for the fields each resource translates.

Troubleshooting

The server doesn't appear / shows as failed

Make sure you have Node.js 18+ installed (node --version) — npx needs it.
Fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop (closing the window isn’t enough).
Double-check the JSON is valid (no trailing commas, matched brackets).

"Authentication failed" or 401 errors

Your API token is missing, mistyped, or revoked. Generate a fresh one at Settings → API and update your config. The header format is exactly Authorization:Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN (note the single space after Bearer).

"Access denied" or directory not found

The token must belong to the account that owns the directory, and the X-Directory-ID must be one of your directories. Ask the assistant to “list my directories” to see valid IDs.

Rate limited (429)

The API allows 120 requests per minute per directory. For large bulk jobs, ask the assistant to batch the work or slow down.

Prefer the terminal or want to script things? Use the Directify CLI instead — same actions, no AI required.

Get Started

Directories

Listings

Categories

Integrations

Ads

Forms

Settings

Paid Submissions

Membership

Blog

Content

Custom Pages/Links

AI & Automation

API

Connect the MCP Server to Claude, Cursor & More

What is the MCP server?

Video walkthrough

Step 1 — Get your credentials

Step 2 — Choose remote or local

Remote (recommended)

Local

Step 3 — Add it to your AI client

Step 4 — Try it out

What can it do?

Restyling a directory

Multilingual directories

Troubleshooting

​What is the MCP server?

​Video walkthrough

​Step 1 — Get your credentials

​Step 2 — Choose remote or local

Remote (recommended)

Local

​Step 3 — Add it to your AI client

​Step 4 — Try it out

​What can it do?

​Restyling a directory

​Multilingual directories

​Troubleshooting

What is the MCP server?

Video walkthrough

Step 1 — Get your credentials

Step 2 — Choose remote or local

Step 3 — Add it to your AI client

Step 4 — Try it out

What can it do?

Restyling a directory

Multilingual directories

Troubleshooting