Connecting AI assistants with MCP

Connect an AI assistant to HumanListening and you can ask questions of your data right where you’re already working. No exports, and no waiting for someone else to run a crosstab. Ask “How did CSAT move last quarter for the Superstore program?” and your assistant goes and finds out.

The connection runs on MCP (Model Context Protocol), an open standard that lets AI assistants talk to other systems. Because it’s a standard, the HumanListening side is identical whichever assistant you use: same address, same sign-in. What changes is where each assistant keeps its option for adding a connection, and how many of the details you have to type in yourself.

When to use this

Reach for an assistant when you want a quick answer without building a crosstab or dashboard — how a metric moved, what’s inside a data store, or which responses mention a theme. Your assistant can look things up, analyze what it finds and write it up for you. It can’t change your data, edit your surveys or touch anything else in the platform.

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Understanding MCP connections

A few terms come up in every assistant’s setup screens. Here’s what they mean.

Data store: A published dataset, such as survey responses or wrangled data, organized into variables and records. It’s what your assistant reads when you ask it something — the same data store you’d open in Data Wrangler.

Sub account: The container your data stores sit in, and the level MCP is enabled at. You might have access to lots of sub accounts but MCP on only a few, so it’s worth knowing which one you’re working in. See Getting started for how accounts and sub accounts fit together.

MCP server: The HumanListening address your assistant connects to. Everyone uses the same one: https://mcp.humanlistening.com/mcp. You’ll only see your own data, because you sign in with your HumanListening login when you connect.

Client ID: A name that tells HumanListening which application is asking to connect. For this connection it’s HumanListeningMCP, and there’s no client secret. Claude asks you to enter it. ChatGPT, Copilot and Gemini pick it up for you.

Connector: What most assistants call a saved connection to another system. You add the HumanListening connector once, and it stays connected.

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Before you start

Two things need to be in place before your assistant can reach your data.

MCP is enabled on your sub account. HumanListening switches MCP on per sub account, so it isn’t something you can turn on yourself. Account Admins and Sub Account Admins can request it from the Portal, as below. If that isn’t you, ask one of them or your Customer Success Manager.

Your assistant supports custom connectors. Most do, but some plans and organizations turn the setting off. If you can’t find a connectors option in your assistant’s settings, that’s usually why.

Requesting MCP access

1. Open the sub account - From your avatar menu, choose Manage Account (or Manage Sub Account if you’re a Sub Account Admin). Open the Sub Account Level tab, then pick the sub account you want MCP on from Select Sub Account.

2. In the Users tab, if neither the Agent nor MCP is enabled yet, you’ll see the Unlock Agent & MCP for this sub account banner. Click Request access.

   

3. Send the request - Check the account and sub account named in the dialog, then choose SEND REQUEST. The request covers both the Agent and MCP.

   

4. Wait to hear back - You’ll see a confirmation that your request has been sent, and HumanListening will follow up to discuss enabling access. Once MCP is switched on, it can take up to 15 minutes to start working.

No banner on the Users tab?

The banner only appears while both the Agent and MCP are switched off for that sub account. If it isn’t there, at least one of them is already on. The Monthly usage allowance card on the Users tab shows Not enabled next to whichever one is off. Account Admins can also check every sub account at once: go to the Account Level tab, open Feature Access and filter by MCP or Not enabled.

If the Agent is already on but MCP isn’t, there’s no Request access button to use. Ask your Customer Success Manager to enable MCP for that sub account.

MCP doesn’t follow dashboard role restrictions

Role-based restrictions that apply elsewhere in the platform, such as on dashboards, don’t apply to MCP. Anyone using it can read, query and export everything in the data stores they have access to in the sub account. Keep that in mind before you request MCP for a sub account.

Need to keep a sensitive field out? In Data Wrangler, open the data store and go to Variable View → Handle Personal Information, then tick Exclude this field from exports and AI/MCP access. See Personal information. The field is then left out of MCP and exports, and shows a block icon so you can spot it. You’ll need permission to modify the data store to change this setting.

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Connecting your assistant

One connection covers every MCP-enabled sub account you have access to, so you only set this up once per assistant. Pick yours to jump to its setup steps.

Claude Anthropic's assistant, on desktop or in the browser. Available now.

OpenAI ChatGPT Add HumanListening as a custom MCP server from Plugins in your browser.

Microsoft Copilot Upload the HumanListening plugin to Copilot Cowork.

Google Gemini Add HumanListening as a custom connector from Customize in your browser.

Using a different assistant? Any assistant that supports remote MCP servers can connect with the same details.

Using a work-managed assistant?

If your organization runs its AI assistant through Azure or another third-party gateway, connectors are usually locked down and set up centrally. Your IT admin can add the HumanListening MCP server once for everyone using the connection details below, so check with them before trying it yourself.

Connection details

These are the full details of the HumanListening connection. Claude, and any other assistant that asks for a client ID, needs all of them. ChatGPT only needs the name and server URL, Gemini only needs the server URL, and the Copilot plugin already has everything built in.

Field	Value
Name	Your choice — we suggest HumanListeningMCP
MCP server URL	https://mcp.humanlistening.com/mcp
Transport	Streamable HTTP
OAuth Client ID	HumanListeningMCP
OAuth Client Secret	None — leave it empty

Don’t skip the client ID

If your assistant asks for an OAuth Client ID, it’s often tucked away under Advanced settings and sometimes labelled optional. For HumanListening, it’s required. Leave it blank and the connector adds without complaint, then stalls at sign-in asking for a client ID you can no longer enter. Editing the connector afterwards doesn’t reliably fix it, so you’d need to remove it and start again.

Claude

Claude works the same in the desktop app and in your browser.

Where the custom connector dialog lives depends on your Claude plan, so we point you to Anthropic’s own instructions for that part. That way you’re always following their current menus.

1. Open the custom connector dialog - Follow Anthropic’s guide to custom connectors to find Add custom connector for your plan.

   

2. Enter the name and server URL - Use the Name and MCP server URL from Connection details. Claude labels the URL field Remote MCP server URL.

3. Add the client ID under Advanced settings - Expand Advanced settings, enter HumanListeningMCP as the OAuth Client ID and leave OAuth Client Secret empty. Anthropic’s guide calls this field optional, but HumanListening needs it.

   

4. Click Add, then Connect - Sign in with your HumanListening login, the way you normally would.

5. Choose Yes, allow - On the HumanListening permission screen, choose YES, ALLOW. Back in Claude, HumanListeningMCP now appears under Your custom connectors with a green tick.

   

Can’t find the connector option?

That’s more likely an organization setting than your plan. Custom connectors are available on Free, Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans, with Free limited to one connector. If your organization has them turned off, your admin can follow Anthropic’s guide to authorizing connectors for an organization.

ChatGPT

Set up the connection in ChatGPT in your browser. You only need the name and server URL. ChatGPT finds the rest of the details itself.

1. Open Plugins - In ChatGPT, choose Plugins from the left-hand menu.

   

2. Add a custom MCP server - Open the Add menu at the top right of the Plugins page and choose Add custom MCP server.

   

3. Enter the name and server URL - Give the connection a Name, such as HumanListening MCP. Under Connection, keep Server URL selected and enter https://mcp.humanlistening.com/mcp. Leave Authentication set to OAuth.

4. Confirm and create - Tick I understand and want to continue, then choose Create as a plugin.

   

5. Connect - After a few moments, ChatGPT asks you to connect to the server you just named. Choose Connect.

   

6. Sign in to HumanListening - A HumanListening sign-in page opens. Sign in with your usual HumanListening login.

7. Choose Yes, allow - On the permission screen, choose YES, ALLOW to let ChatGPT use your HumanListening data. Leave Stay signed in ticked so you won’t be asked to sign in again each time.

That’s it. Start a new chat and check the connection works.

Can’t find Plugins or Add custom MCP server?

Custom MCP servers depend on your ChatGPT plan, and workspace admins can turn them off. If the option isn’t there, check with whoever manages ChatGPT for your organization.

Microsoft Copilot

Copilot connects through Copilot Cowork using a small HumanListening plugin file. The plugin already contains the server details, so there’s nothing to type in.

Your Copilot screens may look different

Copilot’s menus depend on your Microsoft 365 licence and how your organization has set it up. These steps say Customize/Plugins because the same page can appear under either name. The upload itself works the same way. If you can’t find where to upload a plugin, check Microsoft’s Copilot help or ask your Microsoft 365 admin.

1. Download the plugin - Download HumanListeningMCP.zip and save it somewhere you can find it. Don’t unzip it.

2. Open Customize/Plugins - Open Copilot in your browser. If there’s a Chat/Cowork switch at the top of the left-hand menu, choose Cowork. Then choose Customize/Plugins from the left-hand menu.

   

3. Upload the plugin - On the Customize/Plugins page, open the Cowork tab if there is one. Choose Add on the right, then Upload.

   

4. Choose the plugin file - In the Upload a skill or plugin box, drag in HumanListeningMCP.zip or choose choose a file to find it.

   

5. Publish it - Choose who the plugin is available to, then choose Publish. Only you is fine if you’re setting it up for yourself.

   

6. Connect to the server - Open the new plugin from the list on the Customize/Plugins page. Under Connections, choose Connect next to the HumanListening MCP server.

   

7. Sign in to HumanListening - A HumanListening sign-in page opens. Sign in with your usual HumanListening login.

8. Choose Yes, allow - On the permission screen, choose YES, ALLOW to let Copilot Cowork use your HumanListening data.

Copilot Cowork can now reach your HumanListening data. Start a new conversation and check the connection works.

Setting it up for your team?

Publishing to Specific users in your organization lets colleagues use the plugin without uploading it themselves. They still connect and sign in with their own HumanListening login, so each person only sees their own data. If the option is greyed out, your Microsoft 365 admin controls who can publish plugins.

Google Gemini

Set up the connection in Gemini in your browser. You only need the server URL. Gemini finds the rest of the details itself.

1. Open Customize - In Gemini, choose Customize from the left-hand menu.

   

2. Add a custom connector - Open the Connectors tab, then choose + Custom.

   

3. Enter the server URL - In MCP Server URL, enter https://mcp.humanlistening.com/mcp, then choose Next. You don’t need to change anything under Additional settings.

   

4. Accept and connect - Read Google’s notice about custom connected apps. Tick I understand and accept the security and privacy risks of connecting this custom app, then choose Connect.

   

5. Sign in to HumanListening - A HumanListening sign-in page opens. Sign in with your usual HumanListening login.

6. Choose Yes, allow - On the permission screen, choose YES, ALLOW to let Gemini use your HumanListening data.

Gemini can now reach your HumanListening data. Start a new chat and check the connection works.

Can’t find Customize or + Custom?

Custom connectors depend on your Google account, and Google Workspace admins can turn them off. If the option isn’t there, check with whoever manages Google Workspace for your organization.

Checking the connection works

Don’t take your assistant’s word for it. Ask it something.

1. Start a new chat - Tools attach to a conversation when it starts, so a chat you already had open won’t see the new connector.

2. Ask what it can see - Try “What sub accounts do I have access to in HumanListening?” A list back means your assistant has signed in, reached HumanListening and read your data. Give the first answer a few seconds while it authenticates.

It may list more sub accounts than it can query

Your assistant sees every sub account you have access to, but it can only work with the ones where MCP is enabled. So an answer like “You have 297 sub accounts, and three of them have MCP enabled” means everything is working. Those three are the ones your assistant can query.

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What you can ask

There’s no set menu of prompts. Ask the way you’d ask a colleague who has your data stores open in front of them, then follow up when the answer sparks your next question.

That back-and-forth is where the value is. You don’t need one perfect query — start broad, see what’s there, then narrow down.

Not sure where to begin? Try one of these:

• “What sub accounts do I have access to in HumanListening?”
• “What data stores are in the XY sub account?”
• “What variables are in the XY data store?”
• “How did NPS move between May and September?”
• “Show me open-ended responses mentioning delivery.”
• “Show me the questionnaire for the XY survey.”
• “Export the XY data store as an Excel file.”

Your assistant only sees published data stores that have been shared with you. For survey data stores, it can also read the questionnaire: question wording, answer options and routing.

When you ask for an export, you get a CSV (the default), Excel (XLSX) or Parquet file through a download link. Each link works once and expires after 5 minutes, so download it straight away. If it has expired, ask for the export again.

Multi-response questions. When a question lets people choose more than one answer, your assistant reads each option as its own answer column (for example Q1_1 and Q1_3), where 1 means selected, 0 means not selected and blank means no answer recorded. Counts are of cases (responses). The assistant only gives percentages for the question when it can see every option. If some options aren’t available to you, it gives counts for the ones you can see and explains that percentages aren’t possible. Options whose setup can’t be checked aren’t read or exported.

You’ll find your own questions soon enough. The one real boundary: the connection is read-only. Your assistant can find, read, summarize and export your data, but it can’t change any of it.

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Usage limits

MCP use is metered in credits, separately from the Agent. Each sub account has a daily and a monthly credit limit, and everyone using MCP in that sub account shares them.

Different requests use different amounts:

• Checking which sub accounts you can access is free.
• Listing data stores and variables uses very little.
• Big queries and exports use the most. An export costs about three times as much as the same query.

To make your allowance go further, ask for the variables you need instead of everything, filter down to the records you care about, and ask for a summary rather than raw rows when that’s enough.

When a sub account reaches its limit, your assistant tells you it has run out. The daily limit resets at midnight UTC and the monthly limit at the start of each month. Account Admins and Sub Account Admins can ask for more with Purchase more on the Monthly usage allowance card on the sub account’s Users tab. It isn’t an instant purchase: HumanListening follows up with an invoice.

Admins can see how much MCP each person has used this month in the Usage column on the sub account’s Users tab.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get MCP enabled for my sub account?

HumanListening switches MCP on per sub account, so nobody can enable it from the Portal directly. Account Admins and Sub Account Admins can request it, though: Manage Account (or Manage Sub Account) → Sub Account Level → your sub account → Users, then Request access on the Agent & MCP banner. See Requesting MCP access for the full steps. If you’re not an admin, ask one of them or your Customer Success Manager. Before you do, take a moment to think about who else uses that sub account. Once MCP is on, anyone connecting can read, query and export the data stores they have access to, without dashboard role restrictions.

Which AI assistants can I connect?

Any assistant that supports remote MCP servers. We cover Claude, ChatGPT, Copilot and Gemini because they’re what most people use, but the connection is a standard one. If your assistant lets you add a custom MCP connector, it can connect with the same URL and client ID. See Connecting your assistant for step-by-step setup in Claude, ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini.

Do I need a paid plan?

For your assistant, you need a plan that includes custom connectors. If you can’t find a connectors setting, your plan or your organization’s configuration probably doesn’t allow them, so check with whoever manages the assistant for your team.

On the HumanListening side, connecting is free, but MCP use counts against your sub account’s credit allowance, which everyone in the sub account shares. Admins can request more with Purchase more. See Usage limits.

Can I connect more than one assistant at the same time?

Yes. Each connection is independent, so you can have Claude and ChatGPT connected to the same HumanListening account if that suits how you work. Adding a second assistant won’t disturb the first.

Can I connect to more than one sub account at once?

Yes. One connector covers every MCP-enabled sub account your login can reach, so there’s no need to add a separate connector for each one. If more than one has MCP on, your assistant will ask which one to work in, or you can name it in your question.

Can my assistant change my data or edit my surveys?

No. The connection is read-only. Your assistant can list, read, query, summarize and export your data, but it can’t write anything back, delete anything, or change your surveys, data stores or dashboards.

What’s the difference between MCP and the Agent inside HumanListening?

The Agent works inside the platform, and admins switch it on per user from the sub account Users tab. MCP connects an outside assistant and is enabled for a whole sub account. It can’t be limited per user, so everyone with access to the sub account’s data stores can use it, without dashboard role restrictions. They’re metered separately (the Agent in tokens, MCP in credits), so using one doesn’t eat into the other.

Why didn’t my assistant give percentages for a multi-response question?

To work out percentages, your assistant needs every option of the question. If some options are excluded from AI access, or aren’t available to you, it can’t work out the full base. It gives counts for the options it can see instead. See What you can ask.

Why does my assistant say I have hundreds of sub accounts?

Because you probably do. Your assistant lists every sub account your login can reach, then tells you which ones have MCP enabled. Only those can be queried — the rest are listed for completeness.

Is there a client secret?

No. Enter HumanListeningMCP as the OAuth Client ID and leave the client secret empty. If a setup screen insists on a secret, you’re probably in a gateway or enterprise configuration rather than the standard connector setup. See Your assistant asks for a client secret or other extra fields.

Do I need to reconnect every time, and what happens if I remove the connector?

Once it’s authorized, the connection stays put, so you won’t sign in every session. You’ll only need to reconnect if you sign out of your assistant entirely, remove the connector, or your HumanListening credentials are revoked. Remove the connector and your assistant loses access straight away. Your HumanListening data isn’t affected, and you can add the connector again any time with the same details.

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Common Issues and Solutions

Your assistant asks for a client ID after you click Connect

Frustrating, but fixable. This happens when the connector was added without the OAuth Client ID. The connection gets as far as sign-in, then stalls because HumanListening doesn’t know which application is asking.

1. Remove the connector - Use the remove or delete option on the connector itself. Editing it in place doesn’t reliably pick up the change, so a clean start saves you a second attempt.
2. Add it again with the client ID - Recreate the connector, expand Advanced settings (or your assistant’s equivalent) and enter HumanListeningMCP as the OAuth Client ID before you save.
3. Connect - Sign in and choose Allow. It should go through this time.

Your assistant asks for a client secret or other extra fields

You’ve most likely landed in a third-party inference or gateway configuration instead of the standard connector setup. That path asks for extra fields, such as credential kind or gateway base URL, that don’t apply to a HumanListening connection. In Claude, it shows up as “Complete 2 required fields in connection”.

1. Back out of the gateway settings - Discard what you’ve entered. Nothing is saved until a connection succeeds, so there’s nothing to clean up.
2. Find the standard connectors screen - It’s usually a separate section in settings, with an option to add a custom connector.
3. Talk to your IT admin - If that screen isn’t available, your organization probably routes your assistant through a gateway on purpose. The connection then needs to be set up centrally.

Your assistant connects but can’t find any data

Good news: the connection itself is working. MCP isn’t enabled yet on any sub account your login can reach.

1. Ask what it can see - In a new chat, ask which sub accounts you have access to. If it lists them but says none have MCP enabled, that confirms it.
2. Request access - Ask your HumanListening Account Administrator (an Account Admin or Sub Account Admin) to request MCP from the sub account’s Users tab. See Requesting MCP access. If you’re not sure who that is, ask your Customer Success Manager.
3. Test again - Once it’s on, start a new chat and ask again. It can take up to 15 minutes to start working, and you won’t need to reconnect.

Your assistant says you’ve reached your usage limit

The sub account has used up its MCP credits for the day or the month. The limit is shared, so other people’s use counts too.

1. Check which limit - The message says whether it’s the daily or the monthly limit.
2. Wait for the reset - The daily limit resets at midnight UTC and the monthly limit at the start of each month.
3. Ask for more - If you hit the limit often, ask your Account Administrator to request more allowance with Purchase more on the sub account’s Users tab. See Usage limits.

The export download link doesn’t work

Export links work once and expire after 5 minutes. If you’ve already used the link, or it’s been more than 5 minutes, ask your assistant to export the data again for a fresh one.

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