MCP - Use Picasi in the AI assistant
What is MCP?
The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open protocol that defines how AI assistants access external tools and data. Instead of each provider having to build their own integration, everyone follows the same standard.
Claude Code, Claude.ai, ChatGPT, and other assistants that support MCP can connect to any MCP-compatible service—and Picasi is one of them.
Why Picasi Implements MCP
Competitive monitoring becomes truly useful when the information is available right where you work—not in a separate app that you have to open.
If you’re writing a competitive analysis in Claude and want to know in the middle of your work what Muster AG communicated last week, just ask Claude. Claude queries Picasi via MCP in the background—and you see the data immediately in the chat, without switching contexts.
That’s the real advantage of MCP: Picasi data flows into your existing AI workflow instead of forcing you to use a separate one.
How the connection works
There are two ways to connect Picasi to an AI assistant:
API token — for Claude Code, Cursor, and your own agents. You create a token in Picasi, enter it into the assistant’s configuration, and it has access right away. The token has a role that determines the scope of access.
OAuth — for Claude.ai and ChatGPT. You authorize the assistant directly through your Picasi account, without token management. The connection is tied to your personal account.
What the assistant can do
With read access, the assistant can:
- Search for and read updates
- List sources and channels
- Retrieve reports
- Query the team context (AI context)
With write access (admin token or OAuth with write scope), the assistant can additionally:
- Create, edit, and delete sources
- Create, edit, and deactivate channels
- Create and edit tags
OAuth Scope Level
When you set up an OAuth connection—for example, with Claude.ai or ChatGPT—you select an authorization level (Authorization Level) during the authorization step. This level acts as a cap: it limits what the assistant is allowed to do via this connection, regardless of your role in the workspace.
| Level | Allowed | Not allowed |
|---|---|---|
| Read-only | Read updates, view sources and reports, query team context | Create, edit, or delete sources or channels |
| Read & Write (Default) | Everything from Read-only plus manage sources, channels, and inbox | Manage team settings and AI settings |
| Admin | All MCP operations including team settings | Manage billing |
The levels you can select are limited by your own workspace role. A member without admin permissions will not see the Admin option.
The selected scope remains permanently linked to the connection. After authorization, it appears as a badge in the connection list. To change the scope, the connection must be revoked and set up again.
Recommendation: Choose the scope that is sufficient for the specific use case—in other words, no more access than necessary. For pure queries and analyses, Read-only is sufficient.
Security and Control
You remain in control. Every connection is visible in Picasi under AI Connections. You can revoke them individually at any time—immediately and without any residual effects.
Tokens are role-restricted: a reader token cannot create sources, regardless of how the assistant uses it. For OAuth connections, the selected scope also serves as a limit.