> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.spreo.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.spreo.io/boards/mcp.md). # MCP ## Spreo MCP Server Welcome to the Spreo MCP server, which gives your AI assistant access to your boards. {% hint style="info" %} **The Spreo MCP server is in beta.** Access is by request. Talk to your Spreo contact and we'll set you up. {% endhint %} ### What MCP is MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard that lets AI assistants connect to the tools you already use. Connect Spreo to your assistant and it can see your workspaces, read your boards, and build and edit boards on your behalf. A few things worth being clear about before you start. It's a tool for using Spreo. Your assistant works with the same boards, stickies and zones your team already uses, so there's nothing new for anyone else to learn. It isn't AI inside the board. The AI lives in your assistant. Spreo just gives it a way to reach your boards. Quality in, quality out. A vague prompt gets you a vague board. Give it your context, your format and your constraints and the results get a lot better. And it doesn't run your meeting. It builds, reads and edits. The facilitation is still yours. ### What you can do with it * Create a retrospective board * Build a structured workshop * Create mind maps, flowcharts and org charts * Build native timeline roadmaps, using real timeline elements rather than a picture of one * Transform data or documents into a collaborative board * Edit a board: add stickies, reword them, recolour them and move them around * Read a board, then summarise it or pull its content into whatever you're writing * Copy a board you like and adapt it * Add illustrations, generated in Spreo's house style ### Before you start You'll need: * An active Spreo plan * MCP enabled for your account. Account owners control this, see [Permissions and Security](/boards/mcp/mcp-permissions-and-security.md) * An AI tool that supports remote MCP servers * The connection details, which we share with you when you join the beta ### Connect your AI assistant Every client follows the same shape. Add a custom connector, paste the URL we sent you, sign in to Spreo and authorise. #### Claude 1. Open **Settings**, then **Connectors**. 2. Choose **Add custom connector**. 3. Name it `Spreo` and paste the connector URL. 4. Choose **Connect**. A Spreo window opens. 5. Sign in to Spreo if you aren't already, then choose **Authorize**. Spreo now appears in your connector list. On Team and Enterprise plans, your Claude administrator may need to enable the connector for your organisation first. #### ChatGPT 1. Open **Settings**, then **Apps & Connectors**. 2. Under **Advanced settings**, turn on **Developer mode**. 3. Go back to **Apps & Connectors** and choose **Create** or **Add connector**. 4. Name it `Spreo`, paste the connector URL, and set authentication to **OAuth**. 5. Save, then choose **Connect** and sign in to Spreo. 6. Choose **Authorize**. ChatGPT shuffles these settings around from time to time. If the menus don't match, look for connectors or apps in settings, and for a developer or custom option inside it. #### Claude Code Run this in your terminal, substituting the URL we sent you: ``` claude mcp add --transport http spreo ``` Then run `/mcp` inside Claude Code and follow the sign-in prompt. #### Other MCP clients Spreo works with any client that supports remote MCP servers over HTTP with OAuth, including Microsoft Copilot, Cursor and VS Code. Look for a custom, remote or HTTP MCP server option, paste the connector URL, and complete the Spreo sign-in when prompted. Clients that use a configuration file usually want something like this: ```json { "mcpServers": { "spreo": { "type": "http", "url": "" } } } ``` We've tested Claude and ChatGPT. Other clients follow the same standard and should work, so tell us how you get on if you connect one. ### What you're authorising When you connect, Spreo shows you exactly what your assistant will be able to do: * Confirm who you are * See your profile: name, photo and email * See your workspaces and boards * Read, edit and create boards on your behalf If you belong to more than one Spreo Organization account, you choose which one the connection applies to. Your assistant gets the same access you have in that account, and nothing more. It can't see boards you can't see. You can disconnect at any time from **Integrations** in your Spreo profile. See [Permissions and Security](/boards/mcp/mcp-permissions-and-security.md) for the full picture. ### Check it's working Ask your assistant: > List my Spreo boards. You should get your recent boards back, each with a link. If nothing comes back, check that MCP is enabled for your account and that the connector shows as connected in your AI tool. ### Prompts to get you started #### See how it works > Show me my Spreo workspaces and boards. > Read my "Sprint 24 Retro" board and summarise the main themes. > Which of my boards has the most stickies on it? #### Build a board > Make me a sprint retrospective for a team of eight, based on a sailboat journey. > Build a racing-themed retro with fast cars. Keep it playful. > Create a simple flowchart of our customer onboarding: sign-up, verification, welcome call, first project, then either activation or drop-off. > Build a mind map for our Q4 planning for \[product] that \[does xyz] around growth, retention and platform work. > Make an org chart for a 20-person engineering department with four squads. > Build a timeline roadmap for the next two quarters from the milestones below. #### Turn something you already have into a board > Take this spec document and turn it into a collaborative board my team can comment on. > Here's our customer feedback spreadsheet. Group it into themes on a new Spreo board. > Turn these meeting notes into a board with decisions, open questions and actions. #### Work with an existing board > Read my "Team Health Check" board and add a zone for the three lowest-scoring areas. > Copy my "Weekly Retro" board and rename it for this sprint. > Summarise the retro board and draft an update for my stakeholders. > Recolour the risks on this board to red and move them into their own zone. ### Getting good results Be specific. When building boards, tell it the team, context, the format, how many sections you want and the tone you're after. "Make a retro" gets you a generic retro. "Make a sailboat retro for a team of six, with prompts and space for actions" gets you something better. Insert your recent sprint results and get something even better. Let it read before it writes. If you're changing a board that already exists, ask your assistant to read it first. It'll work from what's on the canvas instead of guessing. Build in passes. Ask for the structure, look at it, then ask for changes. That works better than trying to describe everything perfectly up front. Open the board it gives you. Every build comes back with a link, and most boards benefit from a couple of minutes of your own tidying afterwards. Treat it as a first draft. It gets you past the blank canvas. Working out what your team actually needs is still your job. ### What it doesn't do The MCP server is in beta and there's plenty it can't do - yet. Broadly: * It doesn't facilitate. It won't run your session, prompt your team or replace the conversation. * It doesn't watch your board in real time. It acts when you ask it to. * It has no access to Jira data or integration * It can't search or use Spreo library of templates, or your custom templates (for now) * It doesn't draw * While it does flowcharts, it doesn't fully support rigorous technical diagram formats like UML or Mermaid (though it will get you 90% of the way there). * It won't share boards or invite people for you. * It doesn't have context of actions yet. For the full list, see [MCP Tools](/boards/mcp/mcp-tools.md). The MCP server is being actively developed, so talk to the Spreo team about current capabilities and supporting your use case. ### Tell us what you think We're building this with our customers. We'd like to hear what worked, what didn't, and especially what you tried to do that it couldn't handle. Volunteer feedback whenever you have it, and expect us to come and ask too. ### Next steps **Tools, tips and limits** — what your assistant can call, how to get more out of it, and what's missing: {% content-ref url="/pages/XSEQ3HOv8CsvDxonXsmD" %} [MCP Tools](/boards/mcp/mcp-tools.md) {% endcontent-ref %} **Permissions and security** — access, admin controls and what happens to your board content: {% content-ref url="/pages/z7PhqrSipdcPYgaO7X1B" %} [MCP Permissions and security](/boards/mcp/mcp-permissions-and-security.md) {% endcontent-ref %} --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.spreo.io/boards/mcp.md?ask=&goal= ``` `ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. `goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.