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Not a developer? Start at our Claude landing — setup in plain English.
MCP · Remote · Streamable HTTP

Connect BuiltWritten
to Claude

Add BuiltWritten as an MCP server in Claude and manage your books directly from conversation. Ask Claude to read chapters, edit structure, or start generation — all from your AI agent.

What Claude can do with your books

List and browse all your books
Read chapter structure and outlines
Read and edit chapter content
Start AI content generation
Update book title, author, metadata
Track generation job progress

Setup — pick your client

1

Install mcp-remote (one time)

Open your terminal and run:

npm install -g mcp-remote

Requires Node.js 18+. Run node --version to check.

2

Create an API key

Go to Settings → API Keys and click Create API key. Copy the token — it's only shown once. Use the Copy Claude config button to get the ready-made snippet.
3

Add to claude_desktop_config.json

Open ~/AppData/Roaming/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (Windows) or ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (Mac) and paste:

claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "builtwritten": {
      "command": "mcp-remote",
      "args": [
        "https://mcp.builtwritten.com/mcp",
        "--header",
        "Authorization:Bearer bw_live_YOUR_TOKEN"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Replace bw_live_YOUR_TOKEN with your actual key. Note: Authorization:Bearer has no space after the colon — this is required by mcp-remote.

4

Restart Claude Desktop

Fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop. You should see builtwritten appear in the MCP servers list under Settings → Developer.

Windows path issue?

If Claude Desktop shows "Server disconnected" on Windows, make sure mcp-remote is installed globally ( npm install -g mcp-remote) and use "command": "mcp-remote" not "command": "npx". The npx approach fails because Node.js is installed in a path with spaces.

Available tools

list_booksreadList all your books with status and metadata.
get_bookreadGet full details for a specific book by ID.
update_book_metadatawriteUpdate title, subtitle, author name/bio, ISBN.
get_structurereadGet the chapter/subchapter outline.
update_structurewriteReplace the full chapter outline.
get_contentreadRead text content for one chapter (by chapter number).
patch_subchapter_contentwriteReplace one subchapter's text.
start_generatewriteStart AI content generation. Returns job_id. Author+ plan required.
get_job_statusreadPoll a generation job's progress (0–100%).
get_coverreadGet the current cover editor state, preview URLs, notes, and generation metadata.
update_cover_designwriteUpdate cover canvas JSON and/or cover notes without rendering.
start_cover_generatewriteGenerate raw AI cover background art with anti-repetition diversity controls.
apply_cover_templatewriteAssemble title, subtitle, author, blurb, and art into a full cover layout; server auto-fits typography to match final render.
start_cover_renderwriteRender preview PNG, KDP PDF, and ebook JPEG; returns fitted cover_editor_state, typography_fit_notes, and render_warnings.
view_cover_artreadView either raw background art or the rendered full cover image.
evaluate_coverreadAI vision review of raw art or rendered cover (QA only; geometry uses server typography fit).

read scope — available on all plans (including Free). write scope — Author plan and above.

Troubleshooting

Claude says "I couldn't connect to BuiltWritten"

Check that the URL is exactly https://mcp.builtwritten.com/mcp (with /mcp suffix) and your token starts with bw_live_.

I get "INSUFFICIENT_SCOPE" errors

Write operations (editing content, generating) require a key with write scope and an Author+ plan. Free accounts get read-only access.

start_generate returns "TIER_REQUIRED"

Content generation requires the Author plan or above. Upgrade at /pricing.

I lost my API token

Tokens are never shown again after creation. Revoke the old key and create a new one at Settings → API Keys.

MCP works in Claude Desktop but not in claude.ai

Remote MCP server support may vary by client version. Make sure claude.ai shows "Connected" in the MCP settings. If not, try reconnecting.

Your data stays yours

API tokens are hashed at rest and never logged. You can revoke access at any time from Settings → API Keys or Connected Apps. Each call is logged so you can see exactly what Claude touched.

Create your API keyAPI reference
Tested with

Standard MCP server — connect Built&Written to any MCP-compatible AI client.