# Claude Desktop and claude.ai

> Why Claude Desktop chat and claude.ai cannot call the Ur Next Door API yet, the official MCP server on the roadmap, and how to use Claude Code meanwhile.

Source: https://docs.urnextdoor.com/ai/claude-desktop/

**Short answer: not yet.** The chat in Claude Desktop and on claude.ai cannot call the Ur Next Door API with your key today. Use [Claude Code](https://docs.urnextdoor.com/ai/claude-code.md) instead; it works now, including in the Code tab of the Claude desktop app.

## Why it does not work yet

Claude Desktop and claude.ai reach outside services through **MCP servers** (Model Context Protocol), which they show as connectors. An MCP server tells Claude which tools exist and handles sign in. Ur Next Door does not have an MCP server yet, and the chat apps cannot attach your API key to a request on their own.

So:

- Pasting your key into a chat does **not** let Claude publish for you, and it puts your key in the conversation history. Never do it.
- Asking the chat to "use the Ur Next Door API" will at best produce code for you to run elsewhere.

## What is planned

An official Ur Next Door MCP server is on the roadmap. It is planned to let Claude Desktop and claude.ai connect with a normal sign in, so you would not handle keys at all. There is no date yet; watch the [changelog](https://docs.urnextdoor.com/changelog.md).

## What to do meanwhile

| Goal | Use |
| --- | --- |
| Let Claude publish for you | [Claude Code](https://docs.urnextdoor.com/ai/claude-code.md), in a terminal, an IDE, or the Code tab of the Claude desktop app |
| Draft content with Claude, publish yourself | Write in Claude Desktop, then paste into the website or app |
| Publish from ChatGPT | A private [custom GPT](https://docs.urnextdoor.com/ai/chatgpt-actions.md) |
| Publish on a schedule without an agent | [n8n](https://docs.urnextdoor.com/integrations/n8n.md) or [Zapier](https://docs.urnextdoor.com/integrations/zapier.md) |

You can also ask Claude Desktop to draft the JSON body for a request (for example a week of posts with `scheduled_at` times), save it to a file, and send it with [cURL](https://docs.urnextdoor.com/integrations/curl.md).

## Frequently asked questions

### Can I use a third-party MCP server that makes HTTP requests?

Technically, a general purpose HTTP MCP server could call the API. We do not recommend it: your key would be stored in that server's configuration, outside the protections described in Keep your API key safe, and every request would depend on software we do not maintain. Use Claude Code until the official server ships.

### Will my existing API keys work with the MCP server?

Not decided yet. The plan is a normal sign in for Claude Desktop and claude.ai. Details will be in the changelog when it ships.

## Next steps

- [Claude Code](https://docs.urnextdoor.com/ai/claude-code.md).
- [System prompt](https://docs.urnextdoor.com/ai/system-prompt.md).
- [Changelog](https://docs.urnextdoor.com/changelog.md) for MCP news.