The Backstory: You are using Claude to prepare for a customer meeting and you need account details to give Claude the right context. Rather than switching to Backstory or your CRM to gather that information, you connect Claude to Backstory using the MCP integration so it can access your data directly. This lets you ask about your accounts and opportunities in plain language and get informed, up-to-date answers without leaving your AI chat.
The Backstory MCP integration connects Anthropic's Claude to your Backstory instance so Claude can securely access your sales and customer data during conversations. It uses MCP (Model Context Protocol), a secure connection method that lets Claude retrieve account information, communication history, and opportunity insights based on your existing Backstory permissions.
Connecting to the Backstory MCP
Connecting Claude to Backstory happens in two parts. First, a Claude administrator completes a one-time setup that makes Backstory available to everyone in your organization. After that, each user connects their own account by signing in. Both parts are covered below.
One-Time Admin Setup (Administrators Only)
If you are a regular user, you can skip this section and go to the next section (Connect Your Account).
These steps are for Claude organization administrators only and need to be done once for your whole organization. The setup makes Backstory available as a connector for all users in your Claude organization. This is a one-time setup, and until an administrator completes it, users will not see Backstory in their list of available connectors.
Note: Adding a custom connector requires a Claude organization administrator account.
Prerequisites: A Claude Pro, Team, or Enterprise subscription is required for MCP integration.
Log into Claude with your administrator credentials.
Navigate to Organization Settings from your profile menu.
Select Custom Connectors from the list.
Click Add custom connector.
Enter Backstory MCP in the Name field.
Enter https://mcp.people.ai/mcp in the Remote MCP server URL field.
Click Save.
Once saved, the Backstory MCP connector will appear in every user's available connectors list.
Connect Your Account (All Users)
This is the section most users need. If your administrator has already added the Backstory connector, this is the only part you have to complete.
These steps connect your individual Claude account to Backstory. Each user completes this on their own after an administrator has added the connector.
Prerequisites: An active Backstory account and a Claude Pro, Team, or Enterprise subscription.
Log into Claude at claude.ai.
Click your profile icon in the bottom left corner and select Settings.
Select the Connectors tab.
Find Backstory MCP in the list of available connectors.
Click the Backstory MCP connector, then click Connect.
Log in with your Backstory credentials when redirected to the Backstory authentication page.
Review the requested permissions and click Authorize to grant Claude access.
Confirm that Backstory MCP shows a Connected status in your settings.
To test the connection, start a new conversation and ask Claude about a familiar account, such as "What's the recent activity for [Account Name]?" or "Show me open opportunities for [Account Name]."
See the Backstory MCP article for more examples of questions you can ask Claude to get Backstory insights about your accounts and opportunities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can't I find the connector settings in Claude?
MCP integration requires a Claude Pro, Team, or Enterprise subscription and is not available on free plans. If you have a paid plan but still do not see Backstory listed, your Claude organization administrator has not yet added it as a custom connector.
Do I need to be an administrator to connect?
No. Only the one-time step of adding the custom connector requires a Claude organization administrator. Once that is done, any user with the required subscription can connect their own account by signing in.
How often do I need to sign in again?
OAuth tokens expire periodically for security. When this happens, Claude will prompt you to log in again, and you complete the same authentication flow you used during setup. Most users re-authenticate every few weeks.
Is my data secure when using this integration?
Yes. Your Backstory data never leaves the secure Backstory environment, and Claude only accesses data you already have permission to view. All communication uses HTTPS and TLS encryption.
I made a mistake during setup. Do I have to start over?
No. Disconnect and reconnect with the correct settings from your Connectors page. If the issue is with the connector configuration itself, your Claude organization administrator can edit the custom connector settings.
Can I disconnect the integration later?
Yes. Go to your Claude settings, open the Connectors tab, find the Backstory MCP connection, and click Disconnect. Your Backstory data remains secure and unchanged, and you can reconnect at any time.
Need Help?
Contact your Customer Success Manager or support@backstory.ai.