MCP Server Setup

Connect AI assistants directly to your BetterDating account

Overview

The BetterDating MCP (Model Context Protocol) server lets you connect AI assistants directly to your account. Once connected, your AI assistant can read and manage your connections, log meetings, write reflections, and more — all through natural language.

The server supports two transport mechanisms:

Streamable HTTP (POST /mcp) — single-endpoint transport, recommended for clients that support it
SSE (GET /mcp/sse) — legacy transport, supported by all clients

All endpoints require a Bearer token for authentication — no OAuth flow is needed.

Step 1 — Generate an API Token

Log in to your BetterDating account
Go to Settings › API Tokens
Click Create Token
Enter a descriptive name (e.g., "Claude Desktop" or "Gemini CLI")
Copy the token immediately — it begins with bd_ and is displayed only once

Treat your token like a password. Do not share it or commit it to version control. Create separate tokens for each AI client so you can revoke them individually.

Step 2 — Configure Your AI Client

Claude Desktop

Requires Node.js for the mcp-remote npm package. Download Node.js

Open your Claude Desktop configuration file:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Add the following to the mcpServers object, replacing bd_your_token_here with your actual token:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "betterdating": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://betterdating.app/mcp/sse",
        "--header",
        "Authorization:${AUTH_HEADER}"
      ],
      "env": {
        "AUTH_HEADER": "Bearer bd_your_token_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop after saving. Start a new conversation and ask "What tools do you have available?" to verify the connection.

Claude Code

Claude Code has built-in support for remote MCP servers. Streamable HTTP is recommended:

claude mcp add betterdating \
  --transport http \
  https://betterdating.app/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer bd_your_token_here"

Alternatively, use the SSE transport:

claude mcp add betterdating \
  --transport sse \
  https://betterdating.app/mcp/sse \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer bd_your_token_here"

Verify with claude mcp list — betterdating should appear in the output.

ChatGPT (Plus / Team / Enterprise)

Open Settings in ChatGPT
Select Connectors (or Apps & Connectors)
Click Add Custom Connector
Fill in the details:
- Name: BetterDating
- MCP Server URL: https://betterdating.app/mcp/sse
- Authentication type: Bearer Token
- Token: Your bd_ API token
Click Save

BetterDating tools will be available in new conversations once the connector is saved.

Gemini CLI

Open or create ~/.gemini/settings.json and add the BetterDating server:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "betterdating": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://betterdating.app/mcp/sse",
        "--header",
        "Authorization:${AUTH_HEADER}"
      ],
      "env": {
        "AUTH_HEADER": "Bearer bd_your_token_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace bd_your_token_here with your actual token, then restart the Gemini CLI session.

Available Tools

The BetterDating MCP server provides 18 tools across four categories:

Category	Tool	Description
Connections	list_connections	List connections with optional filters
	get_connection	Get a specific connection by ID
	create_connection	Create a new connection
	update_connection	Update a connection's details
	delete_connection	Permanently delete a connection
	archive_connection	Archive or unarchive a connection
Meetings	list_meetings	List meetings with optional filters
	get_meeting	Get a specific meeting by ID
	create_meeting	Log a new meeting with a connection
	update_meeting	Update a meeting's details
	delete_meeting	Delete a meeting
Reflections	list_reflections	List reflections, optionally by connection
	get_reflection	Get a specific reflection by ID
	create_reflection	Write a new reflection
	update_reflection	Update an existing reflection
	delete_reflection	Delete a reflection
Dashboard	get_dashboard_summary	Get an overview of activity and statistics
Dashboard	upcoming_birthdays	Get connections with birthdays in the next N days

Troubleshooting

401 Unauthorized errors

Confirm your token starts with bd_ and is 67 characters long
Check the Authorization header is Bearer bd_your_token_here (space after "Bearer")
If you lost the token, revoke it and create a new one in Settings › API Tokens

Connection refused or network errors

Verify the server URL is correct
Check that your network allows outbound HTTPS connections

Claude Desktop does not show tools after restart

Confirm Node.js is installed: run node --version in a terminal
Validate the JSON in claude_desktop_config.json (no trailing commas)
Check the Claude Desktop logs for error messages

Tools listed but fail to execute

Test your token directly to isolate the issue:

curl -X POST https://betterdating.app/mcp \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer bd_your_token_here" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/list","params":{}}'

A successful response returns a JSON object containing the list of available tools.

429 Rate limit exceeded

The MCP server enforces per-token rate limits. Wait a moment before retrying. If you hit limits frequently, create separate tokens for different clients.

Still having trouble? Contact support through the BetterDating web interface.