Ask Claude or ChatGPT about your studio
Connect once, then ask in plain words: “Who’s overdue?”, “What’s booked on Saturday?”, “What did I quote the Nguyens?”. The answers come from your own Shutterflow account, not the internet. Here’s exactly how to connect each one, with a picture for every step.
Before you start
- A Shutterflow account on the Studio or Team plan. On Free, your first connection starts a 7-day try-out.
- Claude: any plan (Free, Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise), on the web, desktop or phone apps. Claude Free allows one custom connector.
- ChatGPT: Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise or Education, on the web (chatgpt.com). ChatGPT’s free plan can’t add connectors.
- The connector address, also shown in Shutterflow under Settings → Integrations:
https://api.shutterflow.co/mcp
The pictures are simplified drawings of each screen. Claude and ChatGPT update their apps often, so yours may look a little different, but the button names are the same.
Connect Claude in 7 steps
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Open Settings, then Connectors
In the Claude desktop app, open Settings and choose Connectors (under Customize). On the web, go to claude.ai/settings/connectors. Or use the Open Claude button in Shutterflow under Settings → Integrations.
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Click +, then “Add custom connector”
At the top right of Connectors, click + and choose Add custom connector.
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Name it Shutterflow and paste the address
Type Shutterflow as the name, paste the connector address into Remote MCP server URL, leave Advanced settings empty, and click Add.
https://api.shutterflow.co/mcp -
Click Connect
Shutterflow now appears in your list with a “Custom” label. Click Connect.
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Sign in to Shutterflow and choose Allow
A Shutterflow window opens. Sign in if asked, check it says Connect Claude to Shutterflow, pick your studio if you have more than one, and click Allow. You’re sent straight back to Claude.
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Switch it on in a chat
In a conversation, click + at the bottom left, open Connectors, and make sure Shutterflow is switched on.
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Ask away
Ask in your own words. Claude looks up the answer in your Shutterflow account and shows which Shutterflow tool it used.
On a Claude Team or Enterprise plan?
An Owner adds Shutterflow once for everyone: Organization settings → Connectors → Add → Custom → Web, paste the address, and click Add. Then each person goes to Settings → Connectors, finds Shutterflow and clicks Connect (step 4 above). Everyone signs in with their own Shutterflow login and sees only what they can see in Shutterflow.
Connect ChatGPT in 6 steps
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Turn on Developer mode
On chatgpt.com, open Settings → Security and login and switch on Developer mode. ChatGPT labels it “Elevated risk” because some connectors can change data; Shutterflow’s only reads.
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Open Plugins and click +
Go to Plugins (the apps area) and click the + button to create a new app.
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Name it Shutterflow, paste the address, choose OAuth
Name: Shutterflow. MCP server URL: paste the connector address. Authentication: OAuth. Then click Create. It’s listed under “Drafts” afterwards; that’s normal.
https://api.shutterflow.co/mcp -
Sign in to Shutterflow and choose Allow
A Shutterflow window opens. Sign in if asked, check it says Connect ChatGPT to Shutterflow, pick your studio, and click Allow.
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Choose Developer mode in a chat, tick Shutterflow
Start a new chat, click +, choose Developer mode and tick Shutterflow. Do this in each new chat where you want to ask about your studio.
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Ask away
Ask in your own words. If ChatGPT answers from the internet instead, start with “Using Shutterflow, …”.
Questions
What can I ask?
Who’s overdue or due this week; what’s booked on a day or in a week; what you quoted a client and what they picked; new enquiries; how much came in this month and what’s owed; and the details of a job (date, venue, package, open tasks). Answers include a link back to the record in Shutterflow so you can check it.
Can it change or send anything?
No. It can only read. It can’t send emails, change bookings, or touch payments. Client email addresses and phone numbers are only shared when you ask for them.
The Shutterflow window said the link had expired
Sign-in links last 10 minutes. Go back to Claude or ChatGPT and click Connect again.
It says my try-out has ended
On the Free plan you get 7 days to try it. Upgrade to Studio in Shutterflow under Settings → Billing and it works again straight away, with nothing to reconnect.
How do I disconnect?
In Shutterflow, open Settings → Integrations and click Disconnect. It stops straight away. You can also remove it in Claude (Settings → Connectors) or ChatGPT (Plugins).
Does my team need to connect too?
Each person connects their own Claude or ChatGPT with their own Shutterflow login. If someone leaves your team, their connection stops working immediately.
Is my clients’ information safe?
When you ask a question, the answer is sent to the assistant you chose (Anthropic for Claude, OpenAI for ChatGPT), because you asked for it. Nobody else can connect to your studio: only Claude and ChatGPT are allowed, and only after you choose Allow. See our privacy policy.
Stuck on a step?
Tell us which step and what you see, and we’ll help you get connected.