Install the Pendraic MCP server

Step 1 — Mint your install token

1. Sign in to pendraic.com.
2. Open Account → AI → Connect via MCP: https://www.pendraic.com/app/account?tab=ai
3. Click Mint MCP token. Copy the token (shown once — keep it private; treat like an API key).
4. The token is a JWT signed by Pendraic. It carries your user id and tier; you can revoke it any time from the same page.

Step 2 — Pick your host

Use the snippet for the AI client you want to connect.

Claude Desktop

Edit ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on macOS, %APPDATA%/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on Windows, or ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on Linux. Add the pendraic entry under mcpServers:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pendraic": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://mcp.pendraic.com/api/mcp",
        "--header",
        "Authorization:${AUTH_HEADER}"
      ],
      "env": {
        "AUTH_HEADER": "Bearer YOUR_TOKEN_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace YOUR_TOKEN_HERE with the token you minted. Restart Claude Desktop for the change to take effect. Verify by typing "list my Pendraic bookshelves" — you should see your real bookshelves come back.

ChatGPT (custom GPT or remote MCP)

In the GPT builder or your remote MCP settings, add a new server:

Server URL: https://mcp.pendraic.com/api/mcp
Transport:  HTTP / streamable-http
Header:     Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN_HERE

Codex (CLI / IDE plugin)

In your Codex MCP config (typically ~/.codex/config.toml or your IDE's MCP panel), add:

[mcp_servers.pendraic]
url = "https://mcp.pendraic.com/api/mcp"
headers.Authorization = "Bearer YOUR_TOKEN_HERE"

Cursor

Open Cursor Settings → MCP Servers → Add Server and use:

Name:    pendraic
URL:     https://mcp.pendraic.com/api/mcp
Headers: Authorization=Bearer YOUR_TOKEN_HERE

Cowork (Claude Cowork mode)

Tell Cowork to install the Pendraic MCP server using your token: "Install the Pendraic MCP server. Token: YOUR_TOKEN_HERE." Cowork will write the entry to your Claude Desktop config and prompt you to restart.

Step 3 — Verify

Restart your client, then ask: "list my Pendraic plan_kinds". You should see 22 host-runnable plan kinds returned. If you get "tool not found", restart your client. If you get "unauthorized", re-mint the token and update the config.

Troubleshooting

• Tools don't appear. Restart the client. MCP servers are picked up at startup.
• "Unauthorized" or "token revoked". Mint a fresh token from https://www.pendraic.com/app/account?tab=ai and update your client config.
• "tier_required: premium". The MCP server is Premium-tier only. Upgrade from /pricing.
• Token rotation. Tokens last 30 days by default. Mint a new one before expiry; the old one continues to work until it expires or you revoke it.

What you can do once connected

Your AI assistant gets the full Pendraic toolset: outline a novel, seed a Story Index, build a world, draft prose scene-by-scene, run editorial passes, persist everything to your account. The inference runs on your AI subscription (Claude Pro, ChatGPT Plus, etc.) — Pendraic provides the structural layer and persists the work. See Pendraic for MCP users for the full feature breakdown.