The Claude Code MCP server configuration for TikTok data is one command that adds TokConnect, the TikTok research platform with an MCP server for ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor and Claude Code. Run it once and Claude Code can see what people search, watch, say and buy on TikTok, with 32 tools: search demand, videos, comments, transcripts, creators and TikTok Shop sales.
claude mcp add --transport http tokconnect https://mcp.tokconnect.com/mcp --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKCONNECT_KEY"Get your key at app.tokconnect.com/account. Free to start, no card. Prefer no key? Sign in from /mcp instead.
- To configure Claude Code for TikTok data, run claude mcp add --transport http tokconnect https://mcp.tokconnect.com/mcp --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKCONNECT_KEY". TokConnect then gives Claude Code 32 TikTok research tools.
- Claude Code stores the entry in one of three scopes: local (the default), project (a shared .mcp.json) or user (every project). Use user for yourself and project for a team.
- Type /mcp inside Claude Code to check the connection, and claude mcp remove tokconnect to remove it.
- A real session on 28 October 2026 found that 10 of the 20 TikTok searches for "meal prep" had 0 videos, led by "Meal prep with what you have" at 311,331 searches in 7 days.
- New accounts start free with 50 credits and no card, and every paid plan includes MCP access.
The configuration in four steps
- Copy your key from your TokConnect account.
- Run the command above in any terminal.
- Pick a scope with
--scope local,--scope projector--scope user. Leave it out and you get local. - Start Claude Code and type
/mcp. Look for tokconnect and its 32 tools.
Claude Code accepts -t for --transport and -H for --header. The command and flags follow Anthropic's Claude Code MCP documentation, checked 28 October 2026.
Local, project or user: which scope to pick
| Scope | Loads in | Shared with your team | Stored in |
|---|---|---|---|
local (default) | The current project only | No | ~/.claude.json |
project | The current project only | Yes, through version control | .mcp.json in the project root |
user | All your projects | No | ~/.claude.json |
Working alone on TikTok research? Use --scope user and TokConnect is there in every project. Building something for a team? Use --scope project and commit a .mcp.json that holds no key.
A project .mcp.json for the whole team
Claude Code expands ${VAR} in the url and headers fields, so the shared file carries a placeholder and each person keeps their own key in the shell. Save this as .mcp.json in the project root:
{
"mcpServers": {
"tokconnect": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://mcp.tokconnect.com/mcp",
"headers": {
"Authorization": "Bearer ${TOKCONNECT_TOKEN}"
}
}
}
}Then each teammate runs export TOKCONNECT_TOKEN="YOUR_TOKCONNECT_KEY" before starting Claude Code. Keep "type": "http" in the entry: Anthropic's docs call a JSON entry with a url and no type a configuration error. In interactive sessions Claude Code prompts for approval before it uses a project-scoped server from .mcp.json, and claude mcp reset-project-choices resets those choices.
Sign in instead of using a key
TokConnect also supports the browser sign-in Claude Code uses for remote servers. Add the server without a header:
claude mcp add --transport http tokconnect https://mcp.tokconnect.com/mcpType /mcp, pick tokconnect and follow the browser steps. Or run claude mcp login tokconnect from the shell.
Check the connection
Inside Claude Code, type /mcp. From the shell, two commands give the same answer:
claude mcp list
claude mcp get tokconnectclaude mcp list shows each server as connected, needing authentication or failed to connect. claude mcp get tokconnect shows the URL and settings for one server.
Remove it, or update the key
claude mcp remove tokconnectIf you added it with --scope user or --scope project, add the same --scope flag. Claude Code has no separate update command. To change the key or the scope, remove the server and add it again, because adding a name that already exists in the same scope fails with an "already exists" message. A new key comes from your account page.
A worked session: what people search about meal prep
With TokConnect connected, ask in plain words. These are real results from TokConnect's server on 28 October 2026.
Use the tokconnect MCP server. What are people searching on TikTok about meal prep that no video answers yet? Show 7-day searches and videos matched, then check 30 days of searches for the biggest one.
TokConnect's search-demand tool returns 20 typed searches for "meal prep". Ten have no video. These are the six biggest:
| Typed search | 7-day searches | Videos matched |
|---|---|---|
| Meal prep with what you have | 311,331 | 0 |
| 3 meals a day meal prep | 296,851 | 0 |
| meal prep ideas for 2 | 267,180 | 0 |
| bowls for meal prep | 246,475 | 0 |
| meal prep no cooking | 216,865 | 0 |
| How to meal prep like a pro | 214,021 | 0 |
Here is the top record from the response, trimmed to its main fields:
{
"queryText": "Meal prep with what you have",
"searchVolume": 311331,
"videoCount": 0,
"category": "Gourmet > Food Tutorials",
"queryId": "7682161158886785045"
}Next comes a 30-day check on that search through the topic tool. All 31 daily readings from 28 September to 28 October sit between 280,495 (3 October) and 393,091 (7 October). That is standing demand, not a one-day spike. The brief writes itself: a "meal prep with what you have" video, aimed at a search that TikTok matches to no video.
Data: TikTok Creator Search Insights via TokConnect, global, 7 days to 28 October 2026. Open the data.
Run the same check on your niche. Swap in your own topic:
Use the tokconnect MCP server. Search TikTok topics for [your niche]. Keep the typed searches with 0 videos matched, rank them by 7-day searches, then pull 30 days of searches for the biggest one and tell me if the demand is steady or a spike.
Common errors and fixes
| What you see | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
! Needs authentication in claude mcp list, or a 401 | The key is wrong, has a stray space or newline, or did not arrive. Claude Code marks a server as needing authentication when it returns 401 or 403. | Copy the key again from your account page, check there is one space after Bearer, then remove and re-add the server. Or sign in from /mcp. |
✘ Failed to connect | A typo in the address, or "type": "http" missing from a hand-written entry. | Run claude mcp get tokconnect and check the URL ends in /mcp. |
tokconnect is not listed in /mcp | You added it with the default local scope in a different project folder, or the session started before you added it. | Run claude mcp list from the project you work in, add it with --scope user to get it everywhere, then restart Claude Code. |
⏸ Pending approval on a project server | Claude Code asks you to approve servers from a project's .mcp.json. | Approve it when prompted, or run claude mcp reset-project-choices and open the project again. |
An empty list from a tool is TikTok's answer, not a broken connection. Claude Code warns when an MCP tool returns more than 10,000 tokens and limits output to 25,000 tokens by default. Ask for fewer results, or raise MAX_MCP_OUTPUT_TOKENS.
What it costs
Every TokConnect plan includes MCP access, and new accounts start free with 50 credits and no card.
| Plan | Billed monthly | Billed yearly |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 50 credits once, no card | |
| Starter | $49 a month | $34.99 a month |
| Growth | $99 a month | $69.99 a month |
| Pro | $199 a month | $139.99 a month |
More on the pricing page. Choosing a server? TikTok MCP server for marketers maps all 32 tools by job. Working in an editor instead? See Cursor MCP server setup for TikTok data, or the short guides for Claude Code and Codex.
How we got these numbers
Every Claude Code fact on this page comes from Anthropic's Claude Code MCP documentation, checked 28 October 2026: the add command and flags, the three scopes and where each is stored, the .mcp.json format with ${VAR} expansion, /mcp, claude mcp list and get, claude mcp remove, the OAuth sign-in, project approval and the output limits.
On 28 October 2026 we ran two requests against TokConnect's MCP server: one Creator Search Insights topic search for "meal prep" (20 typed searches) and one 30-day popularity request for the top zero-video search. Search counts are TikTok's global figure for the last 7 days, and the 30-day series is TikTok's daily readings. Claude Code words its own answer, so its text will differ from the tables here. The tool count comes from the server's own tool list. Data: evidence file.
Key statistics
10 of the 20 TikTok searches returned for "meal prep" on 28 October 2026 had 0 matching videos.
"Meal prep with what you have" was searched 311,331 times on TikTok in the 7 days to 28 October 2026, and TikTok matched 0 videos to it.
Every daily reading for "Meal prep with what you have" in the 30 days to 28 October 2026 sat between 280,495 (3 October) and 393,091 (7 October).
All 5 statistics
Claude Code stores an MCP server in one of three scopes: local (the default, this project only), project (a shared .mcp.json in the repo) or user (every project on your machine).
TokConnect adds 32 TikTok tools to Claude Code.
Frequently asked questions
Where does Claude Code keep an MCP server I added with the default scope?
In ~/.claude.json, and it loads in the current project only. To have TokConnect in every project, add it with --scope user. To share it with a team, use --scope project and commit a .mcp.json that holds a ${TOKCONNECT_TOKEN} placeholder, not the key.
How do I check which MCP servers Claude Code has loaded?
Type /mcp inside Claude Code, or run claude mcp list in a terminal. A healthy TokConnect entry reads connected and shows 32 tools. claude mcp get tokconnect shows the URL and settings.
How do I change the key on a Claude Code MCP server?
Remove the server and add it again with the new key. Claude Code has no separate update command, and adding a name that already exists in the same scope fails. Get a new TokConnect key from app.tokconnect.com/account, then run claude mcp remove tokconnect and the add command.
Why does Claude Code say a remote MCP server needs authentication?
Claude Code marks a remote server as needing authentication when it answers 401 or 403. For TokConnect, copy the key again with one space after Bearer, or add the server without a header and sign in from /mcp.
Can a team share one Claude Code MCP setup for TikTok data?
Yes. Commit a .mcp.json with type http, the TokConnect URL and an Authorization header of Bearer ${TOKCONNECT_TOKEN}. Each person exports their own key in the shell, so no key reaches the repo.
What can Claude Code research on TikTok once it is connected?
With TokConnect, search demand with 7-day counts and videos matched, top videos, comments and transcripts, creators, and TikTok Shop products and sales estimates. In a real run, 10 of 20 meal prep searches had no videos.
