---
title: "MCP connector: Claude and ChatGPT"
description: "Éclair’s MCP connector opens your site to Claude and ChatGPT with your subscription, no API key: drafts and suggestions, nothing ever published."
url: "https://eclaircms.org/en/documentation/mcp-connector"
lang: "en"
author: "Thierry Gustin"
published: "2026-10-30"
updated: "2026-11-01"
---

# MCP connector: Claude and ChatGPT

> **Key takeaways** — Éclair’s MCP connector lets Claude or ChatGPT work on your site with the subscription you already have: no API key, no cost for the site. Your site must use HTTPS. Turn it on in Settings › AI assistant, paste its URL into your AI and give your approval: it reads your content, creates drafts and prepares suggested changes. Nothing is published or deleted without you.

Éclair’s MCP connector opens your site to Claude and ChatGPT, with the subscription you already have. Your AI reads your content, gets your editorial profile and Éclair’s SEO and GEO rules, writes drafts and prepares changes that you review. No API key, no cost for the site, and nothing is published or deleted without you.

![On the left, Claude asks for access to the site: read, create drafts, suggest changes, never publish or delete. On the right, the MCP connector URL and the connected apps](https://eclaircms.org/media/2026/11/en-mcp-connector.webp)
*The approval page, on your site, and the MCP section of Settings › AI assistant with its connected apps.*

## What is the MCP connector?

MCP (*Model Context Protocol*) is the open standard that connects AI assistants to tools, described at [modelcontextprotocol.io](https://modelcontextprotocol.io). Éclair’s MCP connector, added in version 1.4.0, turns your site into one of those tools: Claude and ChatGPT read it and prepare work on it, from their own app.

It complements the [built-in AI assistant](https://eclaircms.org/en/documentation/ai-assistant) without replacing it:

| Criterion | Built-in AI assistant | MCP connector |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Where you work | In the Éclair admin | In Claude or ChatGPT |
| What you pay | Your API key, for what you use | Nothing more than your subscription |
| Image generation | Yes (GPT Image 2.5, FLUX 3 or Ideogram 3) | No |
| Publishing, deleting, changing site settings | Never | Never |

For an overview of AI in Éclair, also read our page on [AI in Éclair](https://eclaircms.org/en/ai).

## What do you need to use the MCP connector?

- **A site that uses HTTPS**: Claude and ChatGPT refuse any other URL.
- **A compatible Claude or ChatGPT plan**: see the table below.
- **An administrator account**, or an editor account if “Editors can use the assistant” is checked in Settings › AI assistant.
- **Ideally, Éclair installed at the root** of a domain or subdomain: some apps look for authorization at the root of the domain.

## Which Claude and ChatGPT plans are compatible?

Plans checked on October 30, 2026:

| Plan | Read the site | Drafts and suggestions |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Claude** Free, Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise | ✅ | ✅ (Free: only one custom connector) |
| **ChatGPT** Business, Enterprise, Edu | ✅ | ✅ |
| **ChatGPT** Pro | ✅ | ❌ (read-only) |
| **ChatGPT**, other plans | Not listed in OpenAI’s help | — |

Sources: [Claude’s help on custom connectors](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/11175166-getting-started-with-custom-connectors-using-remote-mcp), [OpenAI’s help on custom MCP servers](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/12584461-connecting-custom-mcp-servers-in-chatgpt) and [OpenAI’s documentation](https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/guides/custom-mcp-server). These plans change quickly: check in your app.

## How do you turn on the MCP connector?

Allow three minutes, in three stages: Éclair, your AI, then your approval.

### In Éclair

1. Check that your site opens properly over `https://`.
2. In **Settings › AI assistant**, scroll down to the **Claude or ChatGPT with your subscription (MCP)** section, at the bottom of the page, and turn on **Allow MCP connections**.
3. Click **Save**. The **Connector URL** appears, in the form `https://your-site.com/_eclair/mcp`: click **Copy**.

### In Claude

On the web or in the desktop app:

1. Open *Customize › Connectors*, then *Add › Add custom connector*.
2. Give it a name, for example “My site”, paste the connector URL and click **Continue**.
3. Keep the detected authentication settings, then click **Add**.

On Team and Enterprise plans, an organization owner adds the connector; members then click **Connect**.

### In ChatGPT

On the web:

1. Open *Plugins › +*, then *Add custom MCP server*.
2. Give it a name and paste the URL into the **Connection** field.
3. Choose **OAuth** authentication, accept the warning, then click **Create as a plugin**.

### Your approval, on your site

1. A page on your site opens: “Connect Claude to your site” or “Connect ChatGPT to your site”. Log in if needed, two-factor authentication included.
2. Check the app and its return URL, `claude.ai` or `chatgpt.com`, shown below the list of permissions.
3. If you logged in more than 15 minutes ago, confirm your password. Then click **Allow**.

> **“Unknown app”** — If the page says “Unknown app: only accept if you just added it yourself.”, the return URL is neither Claude’s nor ChatGPT’s. Click **Deny** if you didn’t start the request yourself.

You’re all set. Ask, for example: “Look at my site and suggest 5 article ideas”, “Write a draft article about servicing an e-bike” or “Review my home page and suggest a more direct tagline”.

## What can the AI do on your site?

It starts with `get_site`, then uses the built-in assistant’s tools, except image generation, which is paid for with the site’s key:

| Tool | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| `get_site` | Site inventory (pages, posts, products, categories and their IDs), editorial profile, SEO and GEO rules |
| `search_content` · `get_content` | Search for content, read it in Markdown |
| `find_media` | Search for an image in the media library |
| `create_draft` | Create a post, a page or a product page **as a draft**, in Markdown or, since 1.7, in layout sections (banner, features, FAQ…) |
| `update_content` | Edit a draft; for published content, prepare a **suggestion** |

Each draft comes back with a link to **open it in Éclair**. Each suggestion comes back with a link that **applies it in the editor** without saving it, along with the list of changes: you review it, then save, or you close it and nothing changes. On top of that, Claude and ChatGPT ask for your approval before each write action, depending on their own settings.

The AI can’t publish, delete, or touch the settings and accounts. Publishing remains a human click, in Éclair.

## Is the MCP connector secure?

- **Off by default**: as long as it’s off, none of its URLs respond.
- **OAuth 2.1**: PKCE required, automatic app registration without storing anything, return URL checked for an exact match, no open redirects.
- **Your explicit approval**, after you log in to your account (two-factor authentication included), on a page that never reveals your admin URL.
- **One-hour tokens**, renewed automatically and replaced at each renewal; if an old refresh token were ever reused, the connection would be cut. After 60 days without use, you have to give your approval again. Only token hashes are stored, and they’re excluded from backups.
- **Access is revoked in one click**: a **Revoke access** button for each app in Settings › AI assistant. Turning off the connector cuts off every app, and so does changing your password or clicking **Log out my other devices** in My profile.
- **The same permissions as the built-in assistant**, and at most 60 changes per hour per app, to prevent loops.
- **Lightweight**: the MCP server and authorization fit in under 25 KB of PHP, with no dependencies.

What goes to Anthropic or OpenAI: the content the AI reads to answer you, under the terms of your subscription. The site’s other protections are described in the [Security](https://eclaircms.org/en/documentation/security) guide.

## What should you check if the connection fails?

| Symptom | What to check |
| --- | --- |
| The AI can’t reach the site, or authorization fails | Does the site use HTTPS, and does the URL end with `/_eclair/mcp`? On Apache, keep Éclair’s `.htaccess` up to date: it passes along the authorization header that some hosts strip. |
| Éclair is installed in a subfolder | Some apps look for authorization at the root of the domain: install Éclair at the root of a domain or subdomain instead. |
| A firewall or bot protection (Cloudflare…) is active | Let `/_eclair/` and `/.well-known/` through. |
| “Invalid authorization link: start the connection again from Claude or ChatGPT.” | Add or connect the connector again from your AI. |
| “The AI assistant isn’t enabled for your account.” | Your account is an editor account: an administrator needs to check “Editors can use the assistant”. |
| A suggestion no longer applies | The content has changed since then: ask the AI for the change again. |
| The AI asks for your approval again | That’s normal after 60 days without use, a password change or logging out your other devices. |
| The AI reports too many changes | Beyond 60 changes in one hour, the next ones are refused: try again later. |

Other issues? See the [Troubleshooting](https://eclaircms.org/en/documentation/troubleshooting) guide or the connector section of [Éclair’s official guide](https://github.com/Jacckisback/eclair-cms/blob/main/docs/GUIDE.en.md#mcp-connector-claude-and-chatgpt).

## Questions about the MCP connector

### Does the MCP connector cost anything?

No. It uses your Claude or ChatGPT subscription: no API key, no cost for the site. Image generation isn’t even offered to the connector, so that it never spends anything.

### Can Claude or ChatGPT publish a post without me?

No. They create drafts and prepare suggestions; publishing, deleting and changing the site’s settings remain human clicks, in Éclair.

### How is it different from the built-in AI assistant?

The built-in assistant works in the admin with your API key, images included. The MCP connector works from Claude or ChatGPT with your subscription, without images. Both follow your editorial profile and never publish anything.

### How do I revoke an AI’s access to my site?

In Settings › AI assistant, click **Revoke access** next to the app. Turning off the connector cuts off every app at once.

### Does the connector work without HTTPS?

No: Claude and ChatGPT refuse URLs that don’t use HTTPS. First turn on HTTPS for your site, as explained in the [installation guide](https://eclaircms.org/en/installation).