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Connect Your AI Assistant to Gradual Using MCP

Learn how to connect an AI assistant to Gradual using MCP to create and manage community content.

Gradual supports Model Context Protocol (MCP), which allows you to connect compatible AI assistants, such as Codex, Claude Code, and Glean, to your community’s admin dashboard.

Once connected, you can use natural language instructions to create and manage courses, community content, and events directly through your AI assistant, without navigating through each step in the dashboard.

This guide walks you through setting up the MCP connection, authorizing access to your Gradual community, and verifying that everything is working.

Before You Get Started

To connect your AI assistant to Gradual, you’ll need:

  • MCP Enabled for Your Community: Make sure MCP is enabled for your Gradual community. If MCP has not been enabled before, please contact the Gradual support team at [email protected] to get it enabled.

  • Gradual admin access: Sign in to the admin dashboard of the community you want to connect.

  • An MCP-compatible AI assistant: This guide covers setup instructions for Codex, Claude Code, and Glean.

  • Your community’s MCP Server URL: This connects your AI assistant to your Gradual community.

Your MCP Server URL follows this format:

https://dashboard.gradual.com/mcp/{your-community-identifier}

Replace {your-community-identifier} with your community’s identifier.

Note: Make sure you’re signed in to your Gradual admin dashboard before starting the connection process. You’ll need to approve access to your community during setup.

Connect Gradual to Codex

Step 1: Add the MCP Server

  1. Open Codex.

  2. Navigate to Settings → Plugins → Add MCP Server.

  3. Enter the following information:

    • Name: Enter a name to identify your Gradual connection, such as gradual-community.

    • Type: Select Streamable HTTP.

    • URL: Enter your community’s MCP Server URL.

  4. Click Save.

Alt text: Codex MCP configuration window with fields for the server name, connection type, and Gradual MCP Server URL.

If you manage multiple Gradual communities, you can add a separate MCP connection for each one. Use a distinct name for each connection so you can easily identify which community you’re working with.

Step 2: Authorize Access to Gradual

After saving your MCP Server, you’ll need to authorize Codex to access your Gradual community.

  1. Find the Gradual MCP Server you just added in Codex.

  2. Click Authenticate.

  3. Your browser will open a Gradual authorization page.

  4. Review the connection request and click Approve.

Once approved, you’ll be redirected to Codex, and your Gradual MCP Server will be connected.

Alt text: Gradual authorization page displaying a Codex access request with Cancel and Approve buttons.

Note: If you’re redirected to the Gradual login page instead of the authorization page, sign in to your admin dashboard and return to Codex to click Authenticate again.

Step 3: Restart Codex

After completing authorization, fully close Codex and reopen it.

This ensures the newly connected Gradual tools are available to your AI assistant.

Step 4: Verify Your Connection

Once Codex has restarted, open a new conversation and ask your AI assistant to retrieve information from your Gradual community.

For example:

What course categories currently exist in my Gradual community?

If the connection is successful, your AI assistant will retrieve the existing course categories from your community.

You can also try creating a new course category:

Create a course category called “Getting Started” in my Gradual community.

Open your Gradual admin dashboard and navigate to Courses to verify the changes.

Connect Gradual to Claude Code

You can also connect Gradual to Claude Code using its MCP configuration commands.

Step 1: Add the MCP Server

  1. Open Claude Code.

  2. Enter the following command, replacing the URL with your community’s MCP Server URL:

    claude mcp add --transport http --scope user gradual-community \
      https://dashboard.gradual.com/mcp/{your-community-identifier}

This command adds your Gradual community as an MCP Server in Claude Code.

Step 2: Authorize Access to Gradual

After adding the MCP Server:

  1. Enter /mcp in Claude Code.

  2. Select your Gradual MCP Server from the list.

  3. Select Authenticate.

  4. Complete the authorization process in your browser and click Approve.

Once authorization is complete, Claude Code will be connected to your Gradual community.

Step 3: Verify Your Connection

Ask Claude Code to retrieve information from your Gradual community.

For example:

List the existing courses in my Gradual community.

If the connection is successful, Claude Code will retrieve the course information from Gradual.

Connect Gradual to Other AI Assistants

Gradual’s MCP Server can also connect to other AI assistants that support MCP connections.

The configuration process generally involves adding Gradual as an MCP Server, entering your community’s connection details, and authorizing access.

The following example demonstrates how to connect Gradual to Glean.

Step 1: Open MCP Settings in Glean

  1. Open Glean and navigate to the Admin Console.

  2. Go to Platform → Tools.

  3. Select the Vendor Provided Tools (via MCP) tab.

  4. Click Add in the upper-right corner.

Alt text: Glean Admin Console showing the Tools page, with the Vendor Provided Tools (via MCP) tab and Add button highlighted.

Step 2: Add Gradual as an MCP Server

  1. In the Add Tools window, select the Vendor Provided Tools (via MCP) tab.

  2. Click Import tools from MCP server.

  3. This opens the MCP Server configuration page.

Alt text: Glean Add Tools window with the Import tools from MCP server option highlighted.

Step 3: Configure the MCP Server

On the Add MCP Server configuration page, enter the following information:

  1. MCP Server Name: Enter a name to identify your Gradual connection, such as gradual-community.

  2. Description: Provide a detailed description of what the Gradual MCP Server does and how your AI assistant should use it.

  3. MCP Server URL: Enter your community’s MCP Server URL, using the same URL format described in the Codex setup instructions.

For the Description field, you can use the following example:

Connects to the Gradual community admin dashboard to help administrators create and manage courses, community content, and events using natural language instructions.

Use this connection when an administrator wants to:

  • Manage courses: Find, create, edit, organize, and publish courses, course categories, chapters, lessons, and quizzes.

  • Manage community content: Find, create, edit, organize, and publish blogs, resources, and on-demand videos. Manage content categories, tags, access settings, and publication schedules.

  • Manage events: Find, create, edit, and publish events. Manage event details, speakers, agendas, registration settings, attendee information, announcements, and waitlists.

The assistant should use this connection to retrieve information from Gradual and complete supported management tasks requested by the administrator.

A detailed description helps your AI assistant understand when to use the Gradual connection and what tasks it can perform.

Alt text: Glean MCP Server configuration page displaying the server name, description, and URL fields.

Leave the remaining settings unchanged, including:

  • Transport Type: Streaming HTTP

  • Authentication Method: Dynamic client registration

You do not need to enable the Use Glean proxy option.

Step 4: Authorize Access to Gradual

After entering your MCP Server information:

  1. Click Initiate Connection under Connect to Server.

  2. Your browser will open the Gradual authorization page.

  3. Review the connection request and click Approve.

  4. Return to Glean to complete the connection.

Once authorized, Glean can discover the available Gradual tools.


Step 5: Test the Connection

After connecting Gradual to Glean, you can test the connection directly in Glean or through Glean’s Agent Builder.


​Test the Connection in Glean

  1. Open Glean.

  2. Enter a request that uses your Gradual connection, such as:

    Use Gradual to list the existing courses in my community.

  3. Verify that Glean retrieves the expected information from your Gradual community.


​Test the Connection Using Agent Builder

  1. Open Agent Builder in Glean.

  2. Create a test agent.

  3. Add a Plan and Execute step and select the Gradual MCP Server.

  4. Run the agent with a sample request, such as:

    Find the existing course categories in my Gradual community.

  5. Confirm that the agent successfully retrieves the requested information.

If the assistant returns the expected information, your Gradual MCP connection is working.


Start Using Your AI Assistant with Gradual

Once your AI assistant is connected, you can use natural language instructions to create and manage supported features in your Gradual community.

You can use your AI assistant to:

  • Manage courses: Create, edit, organize, and publish courses, chapters, lessons, and quizzes.

  • Manage community content: Create, edit, organize, and publish blogs, resources, and on-demand videos.

  • Manage events: Create and update events, organize speakers and agendas, configure registration, and manage event communications.

For detailed instructions and examples, see the following guides:


Troubleshooting Your MCP Connection

If you experience issues connecting your AI assistant to Gradual, review the following troubleshooting steps.


The MCP Server Fails to Connect

If your AI assistant cannot connect to Gradual:

  1. Open your AI assistant’s MCP settings.

  2. Verify that the MCP Server URL matches your Gradual community.

  3. Confirm that the connection type is set to Streamable HTTP (or Streaming HTTP in Glean).

  4. Save your settings and try connecting again.


The Authorization Page Asks You to Sign In

If the authorization page redirects you to the Gradual login screen:

  1. Sign in to your Gradual admin dashboard.

  2. Return to your AI assistant.

  3. Select Authenticate again, or Initiate Connection in Glean.

  4. Click Approve on the Gradual authorization page.


Your AI Assistant Cannot Find Gradual Tools

If your AI assistant cannot access Gradual after you’ve successfully connected:

  1. Fully close your AI assistant.

  2. Reopen it.

  3. Start a new conversation and try your request again.


For Codex, restarting the application ensures the newly connected tools are available.


For Glean, verify that the Gradual MCP Server is connected and its tools are enabled.


You Receive a Permission Error

If your AI assistant displays a “Not authorized” message or another permission error, confirm that your Gradual account has permission to manage the content or event you’re trying to access.

Your AI assistant uses the same permissions as your Gradual account. For example, you must have access to a club before you can manage its events or content through your AI assistant.

If you need help with your account permissions, contact your community administrator.


Changes Don’t Appear in Your Dashboard

If your AI assistant reports that an action was completed but you don’t see the changes in Gradual:

  1. Refresh your Gradual admin dashboard.

  2. Ask your AI assistant to retrieve the updated content to confirm the action was completed.

  3. Verify that your AI assistant is connected to the correct Gradual community.

If you continue experiencing connection issues, contact [email protected] for assistance.

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