> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.pictory.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Connect from Claude
> Add the Pictory MCP server as a custom connector in Claude, sign in once with your Pictory account, and create videos in any chat on the web, desktop or mobile
This page adds the Pictory MCP server to Claude as a custom connector. It is a one-time setup,
identical on claude.ai and Claude Desktop. The connector then follows your Claude account to the
desktop and mobile apps, and to Claude Code when it is signed in to the same account.
## Before you start
Two things must be in place, or the connection fails at sign-in.
* **A Pictory account.** This is what you sign in with when authorizing the connector.
* **A purchased Pictory API subscription.** The connector runs on Pictory's API, so an active
API subscription on that account is required. A standard Pictory plan on its own is not enough.
You also need a Claude plan that supports custom connectors.
## Register the connector
Select **Add** in the top right, then **Add custom connector**.
| Field | Value |
| ----- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Name | `Pictory MCP Connector`. This is the label shown in your connectors list. |
| URL | `https://mcp.pictory.ai/mcp` |
Select **Continue**. The name is a label only; the URL is what matters.
Claude inspects the server and pre-selects what Pictory requires. Both correct options are
marked **Detected**, so nothing needs changing:
* **Authentication:** Always required. Every user signs in through Pictory's OAuth flow
before any tool can run.
* **OAuth client:** No client ID, register one automatically. Claude registers a client with
Pictory as users connect.
* **Additional request headers:** leave empty. Pictory needs none.
Select **Add**. The connector now exists, but is not yet authorized.
The connector's page reports that you are not connected yet. Select **Connect**.
Because you started this from Claude, select **Continue connecting**. This page appears
precisely so that a link alone can never attach a connector to your account.
Use Google, or your Pictory email and password. On success the browser hands control back
to Claude and the connector shows as connected.
**Which account is billed.** Your Pictory API subscription account. Video minutes, premium voice
minutes, transcription minutes and AI Credits are all drawn from the API subscription held by
the account you sign in with here.
## Make your first video
Ask in plain language. A request such as *"Create a 5-scene video showing how to brew the
perfect cup of coffee, from grinding fresh beans to enjoying the final cup, with each scene
clearly showing and explaining the step"* is enough to start. Claude then asks for the decisions
that have no safe default.
**Who designs the scenes.** The first and most consequential choice. It decides what you supply
and how much control you keep. Both modes are described on the
[Pictory MCP Server](/claude-mcp/overview#who-designs-the-scenes) page.
**What the video should include.** Narration, background music and saving the result as an
editable project are each off unless you ask for them. Anything you leave unticked stays off.
**Output shape.** 16:9 for landscape, 9:16 for vertical, 1:1 for square.
**Which voice narrates.** If you asked for narration without naming a voice, Claude lists the
premium voices on your account with samples, and waits for you to pick one.
Claude confirms the locked-in choices before spending a render.
## What you get back
Rendering takes 5–15 minutes. The finished job returns the MP4, a watch link, an embed link,
the narration audio, and subtitles in both SRT and VTT.
Two habits worth forming. Ask for a preview whenever the design matters: correcting a storyboard
costs 2–5 minutes, re-rendering costs 5–15. And say yes to saving the video as an editable
project if there is any chance you will revise it, because without it the video is not kept in
your Pictory account, so every revision means a fresh render rather than a tweak in the editor.
## On desktop, mobile and in Claude Code
A connector added on the web is available in the Claude desktop and mobile apps for the same
account with no further setup. Claude Code signed in to the same account also lists it:
`claude mcp list` shows it under the name you gave the connector, prefixed `claude.ai`, and its
tools are available in every session. Only a machine that is not signed in to claude.ai needs
the [Claude Code setup](/claude-mcp/claude-code).
## Managing the connection
* **Refresh the tools.** Claude reads the server's tool list when a conversation starts. If a
newly announced tool is missing, start a new chat. If it is still missing, disconnect and
reconnect the connector in **Settings**, **Connectors**.
* **Sign in again.** Choose **Disconnect** on the connector, then **Connect**, and sign in.
* **Remove it.** Choose **Remove** on the connector. Videos already created stay on your Pictory
account.
## Troubleshooting
**Cause:** The sign-in was started from somewhere other than Claude, so the return address
is not one Pictory recognizes.
**Resolution:**
1. Add the server through **Settings**, **Connectors** in Claude, not by opening the server
URL in a browser.
2. Choose **Connect** on the connector and sign in from there.
**Cause:** The connector is switched off for this chat, or the chat started before the
connector was added.
**Resolution:**
1. Open the tools menu in the message box and switch the connector on.
2. Start a new chat.
**Cause:** The account you signed in with has no purchased Pictory API subscription, or the
sign-in has expired.
**Resolution:**
1. Check the API subscription at [app.pictory.ai](https://app.pictory.ai). A standard
Pictory plan on its own is not enough.
2. Disconnect and reconnect the connector to sign in again.
## Next Steps
The tools, the two design modes, and a quick reference
The terminal setup, for a machine that is not signed in to claude.ai