Connect Cited to Claude Desktop with MCP
Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that lets AI assistants like Claude communicate directly with external tools and data sources. Instead of copying and pasting information between applications, MCP creates a live connection so Claude can pull data from Cited, run audits, and deliver recommendations inside your conversation.
With the Cited MCP integration, Claude Desktop becomes your GEO copilot. Ask questions in plain English and get actionable insights about your AI search visibility without ever leaving the chat window.
Setup Options
There are three ways to connect Cited to Claude Desktop. Choose the option that fits your workflow.
Option A: Claude Desktop Custom Connector (Recommended)
This is the fastest way to get started. No command-line tools required.
- Open Claude Desktop and go to Settings > Customize > Connectors.
- Click Add Connector.
- Enter the following URL:
https://mcp.youcited.com/mcp
- Save the connector. Claude Desktop will handle the rest.
This method uses Anthropic's built-in connector system and is the simplest to maintain. Updates to the Cited MCP server are picked up automatically.
Option B: Remote via npx
If you prefer to configure MCP servers through the Claude Desktop config file, you can use the mcp-remote package to connect to the hosted Cited server.
Add the following to your Claude Desktop MCP configuration:
{
"mcpServers": {
"cited": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["mcp-remote", "https://mcp.youcited.com/mcp"]
}
}
}
This approach requires Node.js to be installed on your machine. The mcp-remote package is fetched automatically by npx the first time you connect.
Option C: Local stdio
For developers who want a locally running MCP server, the cited-mcp Python package provides a stdio-based connection.
- Install the package:
pip install cited-mcp
- Add the following to your Claude Desktop MCP configuration:
{
"mcpServers": {
"cited": {
"command": "cited-mcp",
"env": {
"CITED_TOKEN": "your-api-token-here"
}
}
}
}
Replace your-api-token-here with the API token from your Cited account settings.
Authentication
When you first use a Cited tool in Claude Desktop (Options A and B), an OAuth flow opens your default browser and prompts you to log in to your Cited account. After you authorize access, the session token is stored locally so you do not need to log in again until the token expires.
For Option C (local stdio), authentication is handled through the CITED_TOKEN environment variable. Generate a token from your Cited dashboard under Account > API Tokens.
Scopes
The Cited MCP server requests a single coarse cited scope at authorization time. Claude Desktop displays this in the consent prompt. Granting it gives Claude access to every tool the MCP server exposes, scoped to your user — Claude cannot see businesses, audits, or recommendations belonging to other users.
If you're inspecting the OAuth metadata directly:
curl -s https://mcp.youcited.com/.well-known/oauth-authorization-server | jq .scopes_supported
# → ["cited"]
Cited's resource metadata (at https://youcited.com/.well-known/oauth-protected-resource) advertises the same single cited scope, in line with RFC 9728 §3.3 (the resource field matches the metadata host). When Cited adds finer-grained scopes (cited:business:read, cited:audit:write, etc.) we'll publish them to both endpoints simultaneously.
Example Workflows
Once connected, you can interact with Cited through natural conversation. Here are some common starting points.
Get a full action plan
"What should I do to improve my GEO?"
Claude calls get_action_plan and returns a prioritized list of actions ranked by impact and effort. Each action includes a description, expected improvement, and implementation guidance.
Find quick wins
"Show me quick wins"
Claude calls get_quick_wins and surfaces low-effort, high-impact actions you can implement immediately. These are the changes that deliver the fastest results.
Run a complete audit
"Run an audit for my business"
Claude triggers the full audit pipeline: crawling your site, analyzing structured data, evaluating content quality, checking AI crawler access, and benchmarking against competitors. Results are delivered as a structured report with scores and recommendations.
Track progress
"I've done the schema fix, what's next?"
Claude calls mark_action_done to record the completed action, then calls get_action_plan to refresh your list with updated priorities. This creates a working loop where you can knock out tasks one at a time.
Available Tool Categories
The Cited MCP server exposes tools organized into six categories:
- Business -- Manage your business profiles, domains, and settings. Look up business details and configure tracking.
- Audit -- Run GEO audits that analyze your AI search visibility across multiple platforms. Review past audit results and track changes over time.
- Recommendations -- Get specific, actionable recommendations for improving your GEO. Each recommendation includes impact scores, effort estimates, and step-by-step implementation instructions.
- Solutions -- Access pre-built solutions for common GEO issues like missing schema markup, poor content structure, or blocked AI crawlers.
- Action Plan -- Work with a prioritized task list. Mark actions as complete, skip items, and get an updated plan that reflects your progress.
- Analytics -- View metrics and trends for your AI visibility, citation rates, share of voice, and other key performance indicators.
Troubleshooting
If Claude Desktop does not show Cited tools after setup, verify the following:
- Your Claude Desktop version supports MCP (version 1.0 or later).
- For Option B, Node.js is installed and
npxis available in your system PATH. - For Option C,
cited-mcpis installed in a Python environment that Claude Desktop can access. - Your firewall or VPN allows outbound connections to
mcp.youcited.com.
If the OAuth login window does not appear, try restarting Claude Desktop and initiating a new conversation. The authorization prompt is triggered the first time a Cited tool is invoked in a session.
If the OAuth callback completes in your browser but Claude Desktop doesn't pick up the token, the callback URL may have been cached at the old /auth/oauth-complete path. Hard-refresh the callback page; the current path is /oauth-complete (no /auth/ prefix). Clear browser cache for youcited.com if the issue persists.