--- title: "Set up VolunteerReminder with Claude or ChatGPT" description: "Connect Claude or ChatGPT to VolunteerReminder with an API key, then ask the assistant to build volunteer shift reminders. Works with any MCP-compatible client; a developer path with OpenAPI + API keys is included." canonical_url: https://volunteerreminder.com/docs/agents md_url: https://volunteerreminder.com/docs/agents.md last_updated: 2026-08-23 --- # Set up VolunteerReminder with Claude or ChatGPT Yes — an AI assistant can set up VolunteerReminder. Connect the MCP server below to Claude or ChatGPT (or any other MCP-compatible client), then describe the volunteer schedule in plain language. ## Connect an AI assistant Connector URL: `https://mcp.volunteerreminder.com` ### Claude (claude.ai, Claude Desktop, Claude Code) 1. Open Settings → Connectors, then choose "Add custom connector". 2. Paste the connector URL: https://mcp.volunteerreminder.com 3. Click Connect. Claude opens VolunteerReminder's sign-in (magic link, or the existing session if the coordinator is already signed in). 4. On the Allow screen, review what the app can access and click Allow. Reminders stay in test until a human turns live sends on from the dashboard. 5. Fallback for clients that do not speak OAuth: start a trial with `create_account` or https://volunteerreminder.com/signup (no API key is returned), mint a key at Account → Security (https://volunteerreminder.com/account/security), and paste `Authorization: Bearer vrk_…` into the MCP client. ### ChatGPT 1. Open Settings → Connectors → Advanced, then choose "Add custom connector" (or find VolunteerReminder in the Apps directory once it's listed there). 2. Paste the connector URL: https://mcp.volunteerreminder.com 3. Click Connect. ChatGPT sends the coordinator through the same VolunteerReminder sign-in and Allow screen. 4. Fallback for clients that do not speak OAuth: `create_account` or https://volunteerreminder.com/signup, then mint a key at Account → Security (https://volunteerreminder.com/account/security) and paste `Authorization: Bearer vrk_…` into the connector headers. ## Starter prompt Paste this into a new chat once the connector is connected: ``` Set up weekly email and SMS reminders for my food pantry's Tuesday and Thursday volunteer shifts. Ask me for the shift times and my volunteers' names and phone numbers, show me a preview of the upcoming shifts before you create anything, and keep reminders in test mode (sending only to me) until I tell you to go live. ``` ## What the assistant can and cannot do Freely, with no human action needed: - Create schedules, add volunteers, and configure reminder rules - Import a pasted roster and schedule (CSV or table) after a preview - Preview upcoming shifts before anything is created - Send a test reminder to the account owner's email or phone so they can see how it looks Needs one click from a human: - Click the magic link in the welcome email to verify a new account - Approve the connector on VolunteerReminder's Allow screen (or mint a vrk_ key on Account → Security as a fallback) - Turn on live sends — new accounts start in test mode, so nothing reaches a real volunteer until a human flips one switch on the dashboard - Approve any bulk delete of more than 10 contacts Never, under any circumstances: - Change the login email - Take payment or complete billing (the coordinator always finishes checkout) - Delete the account - See or touch any other organization's data ## Upload a spreadsheet After the account is verified and connected — VolunteerReminder's OAuth Allow screen, or a pasted `vrk_` key from Account → Security — paste the roster (CSV or a table with name, phone, email, job, day, start, end) and call `import_volunteer_schedule` with `confirm` false to preview. Pass the returned `preview_token` with `confirm` true to create schedules, contacts, and assignments. Import is test-mode only. REST: `POST /api/v1/imports/preview` then `POST /api/v1/imports` with that token. ## For developers: build directly on the API The MCP server is a thin adapter over the public REST API — build against it directly, or use it when building MCP tools. OpenAPI 3.1 spec: `https://volunteerreminder.com/api/v1/openapi.json`. Human + markdown API reference: `https://volunteerreminder.com/docs` (request with `Accept: text/markdown` for a markdown rendition). Issue a scoped API key from Account → Security: `https://volunteerreminder.com/account/security`. ## DNS for AI Discovery (DNS-AID) DNS-AID is an IETF draft that uses RFC 9460 HTTPS records. isitagentready.com looks up `_index._agents.volunteerreminder.com` and `_mcp._agents.volunteerreminder.com`. Those names are NXDOMAIN until Scott creates the records in Cloudflare DNS. A Worker file cannot fake DNS. Do not add `_a2a._agents` — VolunteerReminder does not speak A2A. `GET /.well-known/agent` is a separate AID v2 HTTP fallback and is not a DNS-AID pass. In the volunteerreminder.com Cloudflare zone, add these **HTTPS** records: ``` Type: HTTPS Name: _index._agents Priority: 1 Target: volunteerreminder.com Value: alpn="h3,h2" port=443 Proxy: DNS only Type: HTTPS Name: _mcp._agents Priority: 1 Target: mcp.volunteerreminder.com Value: alpn="h3,h2" port=443 mandatory="alpn,port" Proxy: DNS only ``` Do not type the zone in the Name field (`_index._agents.volunteerreminder.com` would become a double zone). Enable DNSSEC under DNS settings so validators can authenticate the answer. Full Cloudflare steps live in the repo at `docs/agents/dns-aid.md`. ## FAQ ### Can Claude or ChatGPT set up volunteer reminders for me? Yes. Connect VolunteerReminder's MCP server to Claude or ChatGPT, then describe the volunteer schedule in plain language. The assistant can create schedules, add volunteers, and configure email and text (SMS) reminders. New accounts start in test mode, so nothing sends to a real volunteer until a human turns live sends on from the dashboard. ### Is it safe to let an AI assistant manage my volunteer reminders? Yes — the assistant can build and preview everything, but it can never take payment, change the login email, delete the account, or send a real reminder until a human switches the account out of test mode. Every action is tied to the OAuth Allow grant or the API key minted on Account → Security, and that connection can be revoked from Account → Security at any time. ## Sitemap See the full [sitemap](https://volunteerreminder.com/sitemap.md) for every public page.