# Connect AI assistants with MCP

Source: https://instatus.com/help/mcp

Instatus has a hosted MCP server, so an AI assistant can read and update your status pages from a chat. It can check what's broken, post and resolve incidents, schedule maintenance, and manage components and subscribers.

## Connect

Server URL:

```
https://mcp.instatus.com/mcp
```

When your assistant connects, Instatus opens in your browser. Sign in, choose **Read and write** or **Read only**, and click **Allow**. You don't need an API key.

### Claude

1. Open **Customize → Connectors**, click **Add** and choose **Add custom connector**
2. Paste the server URL and add it
3. Click **Connect**, sign in to Instatus and allow access

### Claude Code

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http instatus https://mcp.instatus.com/mcp
```

Then run `/mcp` in Claude Code and choose **instatus** to sign in.

### Cursor

Add this to `~/.cursor/mcp.json`:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instatus": {
      "url": "https://mcp.instatus.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### ChatGPT and other assistants

Add a custom MCP server or connector with the server URL. Any client that supports remote MCP servers with OAuth sign-in works.

## Read only or read and write

The assistant works as you, with the same pages and permissions you have in the dashboard.

- **Read only** lets it look at your pages, incidents, maintenance, components and subscribers. Instatus refuses every change, so this holds whatever the assistant tries.
- **Read and write** also lets it post and edit incidents and maintenance, change components and manage subscribers.

## What you can ask

- "Is anything broken on our status page?"
- "Open an incident: the API is returning errors in Europe. Don't notify subscribers yet."
- "Post an update that the fix is deploying."
- "Resolve the incident and set the API back to operational."
- "Schedule database maintenance on Sunday from 2 to 4am UTC."
- "Log yesterday's email outage from 14:00 to 15:00."
- "How many subscribers do we have?"

## Safeguards

- **Notifying subscribers is a separate choice.** Every post says whether subscribers are notified, and nothing is sent to them unless the assistant asks for it.
- **No accidental duplicates.** If an incident with the same title is already open on the same components, a new one is refused and the assistant is pointed to the open one.
- **Permanent actions are marked.** Deleting an incident or a component and cancelling maintenance are marked as destructive, so your assistant can check with you first.

## Disconnect

Go to [Developer settings](https://dashboard.instatus.com/developer) and click **Disconnect** next to the app under **Connected apps**. Removing the connector from your assistant alone doesn't revoke its access.

## Privacy

Instatus only sends data in answer to your assistant's requests. What your assistant reads is then handled under your assistant provider's terms. See our [privacy policy](https://instatus.com/policies/privacy).