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. After a key is pasted into the client, everything the assistant builds stays in test mode until a human turns live sends on from the dashboard.

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.

This is a standard remote MCP server (Streamable HTTP), so it also works with any other MCP-compatible client, not just Claude and ChatGPT.

Paste this into a new chat once the MCP client has the API key:

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.

The assistant will ask follow-up questions, show a preview of the upcoming shifts before creating anything, and keep reminders in test mode — sending only to the account owner — until a human turns live sends on from the dashboard.

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

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.

The MCP server is a thin adapter over VolunteerReminder's public REST API — build against it directly, or use it when building MCP tools.

• OpenAPI 3.1 spec: /api/v1/openapi.json
• Human + agent API reference: /docs (request it with Accept: text/markdown for a markdown rendition)
• Issue a scoped API key from Account → Security — keys can be scoped to read-only, schedule/contact/reminder writes, or key management

DNS-AID is an IETF draft that uses RFC 9460 HTTPS records. Scanners look up _index._agents.volunteerreminder.com and _mcp._agents.volunteerreminder.com. Those HTTPS records are live in Cloudflare DNS (ServiceMode, published 2026-08-23). A Worker file cannot fake DNS. Do not add _a2a._agents — VolunteerReminder does not speak A2A.

Published answers (presentation may omit quotes or reorder SvcParams):

1 volunteerreminder.com. alpn="h3,h2" port=443
1 mcp.volunteerreminder.com. alpn="h3,h2" port=443 mandatory="alpn,port"

GET /.well-known/agent is a separate AID v2 HTTP fallback and is not a DNS-AID pass.

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.