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Connect VAL to Claude via MCP

Step-by-step guide to connect your VAL domain to Claude as an MCP connector — query your data, run reports, and more using natural language.

What is MCP?

MCP (Model Context Protocol) lets you connect external data sources to Claude. Once connected, Claude can access your VAL data and run analyses — all through natural language conversation.

Think of it as giving Claude direct access to your business data, so you can ask questions like "What were my top outlets last week?" without leaving Claude.

What You Need

  • A VAL account with login access
  • A Claude Pro or Team plan (MCP connectors require a paid plan)
  • About 2 minutes

Step 1: Copy the Connector URL from VAL

  1. Log in to VAL
  2. Click the gear icon at the bottom of the sidebar to open Settings
  3. In the Settings panel, click Integrations on the left
  4. You will see the Claude.ai MCP Connector section with a Connector URL
  5. Click Copy to copy the URL to your clipboard

VAL Settings — Integrations tab showing the MCP Connector URL

Tip: Keep this URL handy — you will paste it into Claude in the next step.

Step 2: Add the Connector in Claude

  1. Open Claude.ai and click your profile icon at the bottom-left of the sidebar
  2. Click Settings
  3. Click Connectors in the settings menu
  4. Click Add custom connector
  5. Fill in the fields:
FieldValue
NameYour domain name in uppercase (e.g. if your VAL URL is sg.thinkval.io, enter SG MCP)
Remote MCP server URLPaste the Connector URL you copied from VAL
  1. Click Add

Step 3: Verify the Connection

  1. Open a new chat in Claude (or use an existing one)
  2. Click the + button in the chat input area
  3. Under Connectors, verify your MCP connector is listed and toggled on
  4. If this is your first time, Claude may ask you to authorize the connection — click Allow

Test it out

Try asking Claude something about your data:

  • "What skills are available?"
  • "Show me my recent transactions"
  • "What were my top 5 outlets last month?"

Claude will use the connector to query your VAL data and return results.

What Data Can I Access?

Claude can access the data and skills that have been deployed to your VAL domain. The available data depends on your specific setup — different domains have different connectors, tables, and skills configured.

To find out what is available to you:

  • Ask Claude directly: Try "What skills are available?" or "What data do I have access to?"
  • Contact your ThinkVAL representative — they can walk you through what has been set up for your domain and configure additional skills if needed

Troubleshooting

Token expired — connection stops working

The connector URL contains an authentication token that can expire. If Claude reports connection errors:

  1. Go to Claude Settings → Connectors
  2. Remove the existing MCP connector
  3. Go back to VAL Settings → Integrations and copy a fresh Connector URL
  4. Re-add the connector in Claude following Step 2 above

Connector not showing in chat

  1. Click the + button in the chat input area
  2. Check under Connectors — make sure the toggle is on
  3. If the connector is missing, go to Settings → Connectors and verify it was added

Queries returning errors

  • Make sure you are asking about data that exists in your VAL domain
  • If something is not working as expected, reach out to your ThinkVAL representative for help

What's Next

Once connected, you can use Claude to explore your data conversationally. Some ideas:

  • Daily check-ins: "Summarize yesterday's sales across all outlets"
  • Ad-hoc analysis: "Compare this month's revenue to last month by outlet"
  • Data discovery: "What skills and data do I have available?"

You can also use this alongside VAL Agent — two ways to talk to your data, each with its own strengths.