Add ScoutRival to Claude Desktop.
Claude Desktop can connect two ways — a one-click sign-in through its Connectors, or a pasted token in the config file. Pick whichever your version offers.
Claude Desktop is the installed app for Mac and Windows, and it can reach ScoutRival two ways: a one-click sign-in through its Connectors, or a token you paste into the config file. Both give Claude the same tools — use whichever your version offers, and prefer the sign-in when it's there.
The Connectors route signs you in and leaves no token in a file. If your version of Claude Desktop has it, use it — the token file below is only for versions without the Connectors screen.
Connect with sign-in (Connectors)
This is the OAuth path. You'll need to be able to sign in to your ScoutRival account when Claude opens it.
Open Settings → Connectors
In Claude Desktop, open Settings and choose Connectors, then Add custom connector.
Paste the endpoint
Enter the ScoutRival server URL — https://user.scoutrival.com/api/mcp — and continue. There is no token to copy on this path.
Sign in and choose an access level
Claude opens ScoutRival so you can sign in and pick how much the connection can do — Read-only, Content or Full. Choose the level you want and Allow. Read-only reads everything and spends nothing; the higher levels let Claude generate content or run checks.
Connect with a token (config file)
If your version of Claude Desktop has no Connectors screen, add the server to the config file instead. First make a token at Settings → MCP in ScoutRival — see create an access token — then follow these steps.
Open the config file
In Claude Desktop, go to Settings → Developer → Edit Config. This opens claude_desktop_config.json in your editor.
Add the ScoutRival server
Paste the block below, replacing sr_mcp_YOUR_TOKEN with the token you created. If the file already has an mcpServers section, add the "scoutrival" entry inside it rather than repeating the outer braces.
Save, then fully restart
Save the file, then quit Claude Desktop completely and reopen it — a window close is not enough. Claude reads the config only at startup.
{ "mcpServers": { "scoutrival": { "url": "https://user.scoutrival.com/api/mcp", "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer sr_mcp_YOUR_TOKEN" } } } }
Verify it worked
After you reconnect or restart, the tools icon in Claude Desktop's message box shows ScoutRival's tools alongside anything else you've connected. Ask a question that uses them to confirm:
- "List my ScoutRival brands."
If it answers with your real data, you're connected. If the tools don't appear, toggle the connector off and on, or fully quit and reopen the app, so Claude re-reads the tool list. More fixes are in troubleshooting.
What to ask
Once ScoutRival's tools are live, ask Claude for your data or your work:
- "List my ScoutRival brands."
- "Give me today's brief for <your brand>."
- "How visible am I in AI answers?"
Reads are free and return the full dashboard view. Generating content or running a check spends credits and needs a Content-level token — or a connector you approved at that level. See scopes and access levels to raise access when you're ready.