Solution · MCP
Manage your directory with an AI assistant through MCP
Directories.ai ships a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server at https://directories.ai/mcp. Connect it to Claude, ChatGPT or any MCP client and you can manage a directory in plain language: add and edit listings, organize categories, write articles and FAQs, review claims, run audits and queue recurring work. Every write is logged, listing edits can be undone, and anything that touches your live site’s code arrives as a pull request for you to merge.
What “managing a directory through MCP” means
MCP is an open standard that lets an AI assistant call tools on another system. Instead of clicking through a dashboard, you tell the assistant what you want, and it calls the Directories.ai tools that do it: reading your directory’s health, creating listings, filing them under categories, drafting articles, and so on.
The tools are grouped by the dashboard area they manage, so anything the assistant creates shows up on the matching dashboard page. You can mix both: let the assistant do the bulk work and use the dashboard for review.
- Listings: search, create (up to 100 at once), update, bulk publish or archive
- Categories: build the tree and file listings under it
- Content: articles, FAQs, pages and the sign-up, claim and email templates
- Claims and reviews: review claim requests, invite owners, moderate reviews
- Quality: score listings, find duplicates, check the live site
- Settings, AI configuration and the knowledge base for your visitor-facing assistant
Built so you stay in control
An assistant that can write to your directory needs guardrails. Directories.ai keeps the risky parts out of reach and makes the rest reversible.
- Scoped access: a token only reaches its own organization’s directories
- Undo: update_listing keeps the previous values so edits can be reverted
- Audit trail: every successful write is recorded and shown on the Tasks page
- Drafts first: bulk-created or uncertain content can stay in draft until you spot-check it
- Nothing goes live by itself: status is how Directories.ai tracks content, and your site reflects it only if it reads from Directories.ai; code changes are proposed as pull requests via suggest_repo_change
- Withheld on purpose: API keys, database credentials, billing, custom domains, slug changes and member removals stay dashboard-only
Works with the assistant you already use
The server speaks standard MCP over Streamable HTTP with OAuth 2.1 sign-in, so Claude Desktop, Claude Code, ChatGPT, Gemini and other MCP clients can connect. Clients that don’t support MCP prompts still get the guided workflows, because playbooks are also exposed as ordinary tools (list_playbooks and get_playbook).
MCP server access is included on the Growth plan.
How to start
- 1
Connect your AI assistant
Add https://directories.ai/mcp to Claude, ChatGPT or any MCP client and sign in with OAuth (or paste an organization API key if your client only supports static headers). The assistant can then only reach your own organization’s directories.
- 2
Orient on one directory
Ask the assistant to list your directories and read the health report: empty categories, uncategorized listings, claim rate and readiness blockers.
list_directoriesget_directoryget_directory_health - 3
Fix the weakest spots first
Have it rank listings by completeness and flag probable duplicates, then work through them as drafts you can review.
score_listingsfind_duplicate_listingsupdate_listing - 4
Make it routine
Turn what worked into scheduled tasks on the Tasks board so the same pass runs every week or month.
create_agent_taskget_agent_inbox
Try asking your assistant
- “Show me my directory’s health and tell me the three things most worth fixing this week.”
- “Find the 20 weakest listings, rewrite their descriptions from the details on each listing, and save the changes.”
- “Create categories for each service type in this CSV and file every listing under the right one.”
MCP tools involved
Each of these is a real tool on the Directories.ai MCP server. See the integration guide for the full list.
list_directoriesget_directory_healthlist_listingsbulk_create_listingsset_listing_categoriescreate_articlereview_claim_requestsuggest_repo_change
Frequently asked questions
What is an MCP server for a directory?
It is an endpoint that exposes your directory’s management actions as tools an AI assistant can call. With Directories.ai it lives at https://directories.ai/mcp and covers listings, categories, content, claims, settings, tasks and data imports.
Which AI assistants can connect?
Any client that supports MCP over HTTP, including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, ChatGPT and Gemini-based clients. Sign in with OAuth, or use an organization API key where a client only supports static headers.
Can the assistant publish changes to my live website?
Not directly. Status (draft, published, archived) is how Directories.ai tracks content, and your site shows it if it reads from Directories.ai. For code or template changes the assistant opens a pull request on your linked repository that a person must review and merge.
What can’t an AI assistant do?
It cannot read or create secrets, change billing, edit custom domains, change URL slugs or remove members. Those stay in the dashboard so an assistant can never lock you out.
Which plan includes MCP access?
MCP server access is part of the Growth plan. See the pricing page for current plans.
Keep reading
Ready to run your directory with AI?
MCP access is included on the Growth plan. Pay per directory, cancel any time.