Claude Desktop Quickstart

This guide walks you through connecting Claude Desktop to your autoGMS Garage so you can manage bookings, customers, and invoices through conversation.

Prerequisites

• Claude Desktop installed (download).
• An autoGMS account on a Pro or Business plan.
• Membership in at least one Team and Garage.

Step 1: Get Your MCP URL

1. Log in to autoGMS.
2. Navigate to your Garage dashboard.
3. Go to Settings → MCP.
4. Copy the MCP endpoint URL. It looks like:

   https://your-domain.com/api/mcp?workspace=my-team&project=my-garage

Step 2: Configure Claude Desktop

1. Open Claude Desktop.
2. Go to Settings → MCP Servers (or edit claude_desktop_config.json directly).
3. Add a new MCP server:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "autogms": {
      "url": "https://your-domain.com/api/mcp?workspace=my-team&project=my-garage"
    }
  }
}

4. Save and restart Claude Desktop.

Step 3: Authorize with OAuth

The autoGMS MCP endpoint is protected by OAuth 2.1 and accepts Bearer tokens only (no cookie/browser-session fallback). On first connect, Claude Desktop runs the authorization flow automatically:

1. Claude discovers the authorization server from /.well-known/oauth-protected-resource and dynamically registers itself — you don't configure a client ID or secret.
2. A browser window opens to sign in at autoGMS (/auth/sign-in).
3. You approve the connection on the /consent screen.
4. Claude Desktop stores the resulting Bearer access token and uses it for every request.

Complete this flow when prompted, then continue to verification.

Step 4: Verify the Connection

In Claude Desktop, type:

"List my recent bookings"

Claude should call the gms.booking.list tool and display your bookings. If you see results, the connection is working.

Example Conversations

Check today's schedule:

"What bookings are scheduled for today?"

Find a customer:

"Search for a customer named John Smith"

Create a booking:

"Create a booking for customer Jane Doe, vehicle ABC-123, oil change service, scheduled for tomorrow in Bay 1"

Run a report:

"Show me the profit and loss for this month"

If Something Goes Wrong

• "No tools available" — Ensure the MCP URL is correct and includes both workspace and project parameters.
• "Unauthorized" — Your Bearer access token is missing, invalid, or expired. Reconnect the server in Claude Desktop to re-run the OAuth sign-in and consent flow and obtain a fresh token.
• "Feature not available" — MCP tools require a Pro or Business plan. Check your plan in Team settings.
• Connection timeout — Verify your autoGMS instance is running and accessible from your network.