Paperboy for Claude Desktop
Chat with Claude about your site's search data and have it call Paperboy to write and fact check the next article.
Set up
You will add Paperboy as a custom connector and send the API key as a fixed Authorization request header.
Claude Desktop connects to remote MCP servers through custom connectors. A fixed bearer token needs the Request headers section, which Anthropic lists as beta and available to a limited set of organizations. The claude_desktop_config.json file is documented only for local servers started with a command.
In Claude Desktop, go to Customize > Connectors.
Click + Add, then Add custom connector.
Enter the name Paperboy and the URL https://paperboyseo.com/mcp, then click Continue.
Under Authentication choose No sign in. Paperboy uses an API key, not OAuth.
Under Request headers, open the header list and pick authorization. Enter the value Bearer pb_live_YOUR_KEY exactly, including the word Bearer and the space. Mark it Required.
Click Add. In a chat, click the + button at the lower left, choose Connectors, and turn Paperboy on for that conversation.
Name: Paperboy
MCP server URL: https://paperboyseo.com/mcp
Authentication: No sign in
Request headers: authorization = Bearer pb_live_YOUR_KEY (Required)Replace pb_live_YOUR_KEY with a key from Settings, API keys, and never commit it. The MCP docs list every client we cover.
How to tell it worked
Click + in the chat box, choose Connectors, and check that Paperboy is listed with a toggle. Then ask Claude to run get_sites and review the tool approval request. In Customize > Connectors you can select the connector to manage per-tool permissions.
How to remove it
Go to Customize > Connectors, click Remove or the three dots next to Paperboy, and follow the prompts. Team and Enterprise Owners use Organization settings > Connectors.
What you get
Eight tools, the same engine as the dashboard. Reads are free. A pack is $20 for 100 credits; see how credits work.
get_sitesLists your sites with plan, publishing method and whether Search Console is connected. Every other call starts from a site id.
suggest_topicsReturns the next articles to write, each with the search data that is the reason for it.
write_articleStarts a fact-checked article and returns an id at once. The run takes a few minutes. It does not publish unless you pass publish: true.
get_articleReturns the article's status, its fact-check verdict and every source. Poll it after write_article until it reads published or needs_review.
check_claimsFact checks any public URL or pasted Markdown and returns each cited claim with the sources it was compared against.
publish_articlePublishes an article that passed the fact check to the site's publishing target. It changes the live site, so the agent should ask first.
get_performanceSearch Console clicks, impressions and average position for a site, by day and by article.
get_queriesThe queries a site, or one article, appears for in Search Console. This is where page-two keywords show up.
Try it
Plain requests. The tools each one uses are listed under it.
“Check my Paperboy sites, tell me which queries are stuck on page two, and suggest three article topics.”
Uses get_sitesget_queriessuggest_topics
“Write an article on the best of those topics, then run a claims check and show me anything that needs a source before I publish.”
Uses write_articlecheck_claimsget_article
“How did my published articles perform over the last 30 days? Give me a short table.”
Uses get_sitesget_performance
Why
Claude Desktop is the partial case. Remote servers go through custom connectors, and a fixed bearer token needs the Request headers section, which Anthropic lists as beta for some organizations. If your dialog has no such section, use another client or the REST API.
Claude connects to a custom connector from Anthropic's cloud, not from your machine, so the server has to be reachable from the public internet. Paperboy's is. The local claude_desktop_config.json is documented for servers started with a command, so it is not the route for a remote server.
Compare
Same engine, two ways in. Pick the one that fits how you already work.
| Feature | Dashboard | Claude Desktop | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where you work | paperboyseo.com/app: sites, calendar, fact checks | Claude's desktop app, bringing Claude directly to your computer. | Claude Help Center: Get started with custom connectors using remote MCPRead Oct 29, 2026 |
| How it connects | Sign in and paste your site address. The first article is free. | MCP with limits. Claude Desktop connects to remote MCP servers through custom connectors. | Claude Help Center: Get started with custom connectors using remote MCPRead Oct 29, 2026 |
| Does it publish without asking? | Your choice: autopilot, or approve each article by email. | No. write_article defaults to publish: false, and the tool descriptions tell the agent to ask first. | MCP docsPaperboy docs |
| Fact check | Every number and cited sentence is compared with the saved text of its source. An article that fails gets one rewrite, then is held for you. | The same engine and the same check. The verdict comes back to the agent: verified, or held with the reason. | How the check worksPaperboy docs |
| What it costs | Plans from $49 a month per site. The first article is free, no card. | Credits: 12 per article, 1 per topic suggestion, 2 per fact check. $20 buys 100. | CreditsPaperboy docs |
| Search Console | Optional read-only Search Console connection. It picks topics from your impressions and reports clicks per article. | get_performance and get_queries return the same read-only data, by day, by article and by query. | Security and dataPaperboy docs |
Facts about Claude Desktop come from the pages linked in the Source column, read on the date shown. Tools change their docs, so confirm there if a step does not match.
Honest notes
Quirks of this client that can cost you an afternoon.
Request header auth is in beta and limited to some organizations. If you do not see Request headers in the Add custom connector dialog, your organization has no access yet. You also cannot change authentication settings after adding a connector, so remove it and add it again to change the key. Claude does not show header values again after you save.
Claude connects to your server from Anthropic's cloud, not from your machine, so the server must be reachable from the public internet. On Team and Enterprise plans an Owner adds the connector (Organization settings > Connectors > Add > Custom > Web) and members click Connect. Everyone then uses the same API key. Free plans are limited to one custom connector.
The local claude_desktop_config.json (Settings > Developer > Edit Config, then restart) is documented for servers started with a command and args, not for remote URLs. Claude asks for approval on tool calls and offers Allow always. Keep it off for write_article and publish_article, or set those tools to Blocked under Customize > Connectors.
FAQ
The docs describe that file for local MCP servers started with a command and args. Remote servers are added as custom connectors under Customize > Connectors.
Anthropic says request header authentication is in beta and available to a limited set of organizations. If the section is missing, your organization does not have access yet.
Yes. Claude sends the header value exactly as you enter it and adds no scheme. Enter Bearer, a space, then your pb_live key.
Custom connectors are available on Free, Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans, and Free is limited to one. Request headers depend on your organization having beta access.
The tools that read cost nothing. Suggesting topics costs 1 credit, writing a fact-checked article costs 12 credits (refunded if the run fails) and a fact check on its own costs 2 credits. A pack is $20 for 100 credits.
Only if you let it. write_article defaults to publish: false, so a finished article waits for a human, and the tool descriptions tell the agent to ask before publishing. You can also give the agent a read-only key.
Sources
Everything about Claude Desktop comes from the pages below, read on Oct 29, 2026. Tools change their docs, so check there if a step does not match. If we got something wrong, write to hello@paperboyseo.com.
Keep going
Add the MCP server, ask for a topic, and read the fact check before anything goes live.
claude mcp add --transport http paperboy https://paperboyseo.com/mcp --header "Authorization: Bearer pb_live_..."npx @paperboyseo/cli coming soonPrefer the dashboard? Write my first article free. Prefer to run it yourself? Self-host it (repo coming soon).