# Let readers use your help center in their AI assistant

_Category: Search and AI_

Every public help center is also an MCP server that your readers can add to Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, VS Code and other AI assistants. Their assistant then searches and reads your published articles and answers with links to them, instead of guessing from what it learned elsewhere.

**Who can do this:** Owners and Admins · **Plans:** All plans

## Find your server URL

The public MCP server is on by default. Here's where to find its address to share it.

1. In the left menu, click the gear icon, then **Settings**.
2. Find the **Public MCP server** card on the right. The **Live** badge means it is on.
3. Next to **Server URL**, click **Copy**. The address is your help center's address followed by `/mcp`, and it uses your custom domain if you have one.
4. To share step-by-step instructions instead, open **Setup page for readers** and send its link.

![Screen recording. Public MCP server is on for every public help center. Copy the Server URL to share it. Or share the Setup page for readers, with steps for each assistant.](https://helpcenter-io.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/self/SECRi1gvy1Fk4zQSi5LtR1UhHfMGPDXAHjRdtCy4.gif)
The card also shows how many requests AI assistants made in the last 30 days.

AI assistants can also find the server on their own: it is listed in your help center's llms.txt and /.well-known/ai-catalog.json. See [How search engines and AI crawlers read your help center](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/llms-txt-and-ai-crawlers).

## How readers connect

On an article, readers click the arrow beside **Copy page** and choose **Use with AI**. Compass, Docs Classic, GitHub Dense, Ledger and Stripe Clean put the Export menu on the article page. With any other theme, add the **Export menu** component to your article page first. See [Customize the article page](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/article-page). The setup page shows the server URL with a **Copy URL** button and the steps for each assistant.

![Screen recording. Click the arrow beside Copy page and choose Use with AI. Copy the Server URL and follow the steps for your assistant.](https://helpcenter-io.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/self/NHoFfbRNrhcn1tJqBE0e0iM5DFEqLJ1gaHrm1mQT.gif)
The setup page needs no sign-in, so you can link to it from anywhere.

| Assistant | How to connect |
| --- | --- |
| Claude | Open **Customize** → **Connectors** (**Plugins** instead of **Customize**, if that is what Claude's sidebar shows), choose **Add custom connector** and paste the server URL. If Claude asks how people sign in, choose **No sign-in**. On a Team or Enterprise plan, an Owner adds it for the organization in **Organization settings** → **Connectors**. |
| ChatGPT | In ChatGPT on the web, open **Plugins**, select **+** and choose **Add custom MCP server**. Give it a name, paste the server URL, choose no authentication, accept the risk warning and select **Create as a plugin**. Pro users can add it themselves, since the server only reads. In a Business workspace, only admins and owners can add it, and they can publish it for everyone. On Enterprise and Edu, admins can also let selected members add it. See OpenAI's guide to [connecting custom MCP servers in ChatGPT](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/12584461-connecting-custom-mcp-servers-in-chatgpt). |
| Cursor | Click **Add to Cursor** on the setup page. |
| VS Code | Click **Add to VS Code** on the setup page. |
| Claude Code | Copy the command from the setup page and run it. |
| Other assistants | Any client that supports remote MCP servers over Streamable HTTP works too, with no authentication. |

## What assistants can do

The server is read-only and anonymous. It offers three tools:

- `search` finds articles that answer a question.
- `fetch` reads an article, or a category's list of articles, in full.
- `list_categories` shows how your help center is organized.

Assistants see only what an anonymous visitor can read: published, public articles and released translations. Unlisted articles are left out too, even though anyone with their link can open them. Drafts, private content and team notes are never shared, and nobody signs in.

The tools' settings, the server's limits and how to call it from code are in [The public MCP server of a help center](https://developers.helpcenter.io/content/public-mcp-server) on the developer portal.

## When the server isn't available

A help center only has a public MCP server when anyone could read it anyway. The card shows **Not available for this help center** with the reason when your help center:

- is private or password-protected, or public but not published yet,
- is limited to specific IP addresses,
- is only available inside the embedded widget (JS-only access),
- asks search engines not to index it, or
- isn't live at the moment.

For indexing, the message asks you to turn on "Allow search engines". The setting is called **Search engine indexing**, in the **General** card of Settings. See [Control who can see your help center](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/who-can-see-your-help-center).

## Turn it off or hide the link

- **Turn the server off:** switch off **Allow AI assistants to connect**. You see **Public MCP server turned off**, and the badge changes to **Off**.
- **Keep the server but hide the link:** in the **Template editor**, select the **Export menu** on your article page, untick **Use with AI** and publish your design.

**Tip:** The setup page is titled "Use *your help center's name* with your AI assistant", and assistants see the same name. It comes from the **Default page title** under **Template editor** → **Brand** → **SEO**. Set it to your product or company name. See [SEO settings for your help center](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/seo-settings).

## Related articles

- [Connect Claude, ChatGPT and other AI agents](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/connect-ai-agents)
- [How search engines and AI crawlers read your help center](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/llms-txt-and-ai-crawlers)
- [Make your help center ready for AI](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/ai-ready-help-center)
- [The public MCP server of a help center](https://developers.helpcenter.io/content/public-mcp-server) on the developer portal