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Connecting the Synthesis MCP Server to Claude

Greg Moore
  • Updated

This article walks you through connecting the Synthesis MCP Server to Claude so you can search and retrieve your Synthesis content from inside Claude. If you haven't set up the MCP Server in Synthesis yet, start with Getting started with the Synthesis MCP Server.

Connecting is a two-part process:

  1. An admin adds Synthesis as a connector in your Claude organization settings.
  2. Each user connects and signs in individually.

Before you begin

You'll need:

  • Global administrator access in Synthesis, to copy your MCP Server URL
  • Admin access to your Claude organization, to add the connector

Copy your MCP Server URL

  1. In Synthesis, click the Settings cog, then select Settings under Configuration.
  2. Go to Integrations > Synthesis MCP Server.
  3. Under MCP Server URL, click the copy icon next to the URL.

Your URL will look something like https://yourintranet.domain.com/mcp.

Admins: Add Synthesis as a connector in Claude

  1. In Claude, open your organization Settings, then Connectors.
  2. Click Add, then choose to add a custom web MCP server.
  3. Name the connector the name of your intranet.
  4. Paste in the MCP Server URL you copied in the previous step, then click Add.

Adding the connector makes it available to everyone in your Claude organization, but it doesn't connect anyone automatically. Each user still needs to connect and sign in on their own.

Users: Connect and sign in

  1. In Claude, go to your personal Settings, then Connectors.
  2. Find your firm's intranet name in the list, and click Connect.
  3. A window appears asking you to confirm the connection. The connection is read-only - it only searches and retrieves, and can't make changes in Synthesis.
  4. Confirm the connection to finish.

Ask Synthesis a question

Once you're connected, you can ask Claude questions and have it search Synthesis for the answer. For example: "Ask [Intranet Name] what Revit add-ins we use."

A few tips:

  • Mention your intranet name in your prompt. Saying "Ask [Intranet Name]" or "look on [Intranet Name]" helps Claude use the connector instead of answering from its own general knowledge.
  • Ask for sources. Claude can list links back to the Synthesis content it used, so you can click through and verify the answer.
  • Search everything Synthesis Search can. The connector can search pages, posts, documents, video transcripts, and your Employee and Project Directories.

Troubleshooting

Access denied when signing in

If a user gets an access_denied result when connecting:

  • Check the MCP Access Mode. If it's set to Staging Mode, only global admins and the users on the access list can connect. Either add the user, or switch to Production Mode.
  • Check the account. Make sure the user is signing in with the same account that was added to the access list.

Questions or feedback

If you run into trouble, contact support@knowledge-architecture.com.

We'd also love to hear what you're building - prompts and workflows you're using, examples of what's working, or short videos of friction points all help us improve the MCP Server.