> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.bowerlabs.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# AI app access

> Connect Claude.ai, ChatGPT, or Cursor to your Bower workspace.

Connect Claude.ai, ChatGPT, or Cursor to Bower so your AI assistant can search,
read, and write to your workspace directly. The connection is OAuth-based — you
authorise it, you can revoke it, and it is scoped to a single workspace.

## What this is for

The outbound Connectors let Bird reach out to the tools your lab already uses.
AI app access goes the other way: it lets external AI clients read and write to
your Bower workspace, with your explicit permission. You can ask Claude or
another assistant to search your notes, create a new note, or look up your
project data without leaving that client.

## How to connect

The server URL for all clients is `https://app.bowerlabs.ai/mcp`.

Every client follows the same flow:

1. In the client, add a new MCP server or connector and enter the URL
   `https://app.bowerlabs.ai/mcp`.
2. The client opens a browser tab to Bower's sign-in page.
3. Sign in with your Bower account.
4. If you belong to more than one workspace, pick which workspace to grant the
   client access to. If you have only one workspace, Bower selects it
   automatically.
5. The client reports "Connected" and Bower's tools become available.

### Cursor — `~/.cursor/mcp.json`

Create or open `~/.cursor/mcp.json` and add a `bower` entry under `mcpServers`:

```jsonc theme={null}
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "bower": {
      "url": "https://app.bowerlabs.ai/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

Save the file and restart Cursor (or reload the MCP configuration if your
version supports hot-reload). You can also configure Cursor via Settings → MCP /
Tools.

## What Bird can do via these clients

* Search and read notes, links, collections, and attachments.
* Create new notes in your workspace.
* Read project and experiment data.
* Everything is workspace-scoped — the client never sees data from workspaces
  you are not a member of.

More tools are added as Bower's MCP surface grows.

## Privacy and security

* Bower never sees your AI client's credentials. The client and Bower exchange
  only OAuth tokens.
* Tokens are issued and rotated by WorkOS AuthKit, Bower's identity partner.
  Bower stores no access tokens.
* Refresh tokens rotate automatically — long-running sessions stay connected
  without re-authorisation.
* You can revoke access at any time by disconnecting Bower in your client.
* Workspace isolation is server-enforced — a valid token for workspace A never
  returns data from workspace B.

## Switching workspaces

Disconnect Bower in your client, reconnect, and pick the new workspace at the
sign-in step.

## Troubleshooting

**"Couldn't connect"** — confirm the URL is exactly
`https://app.bowerlabs.ai/mcp`. No trailing slash, no extra path.

**"Workspace not specified" / prompted to connect again** — visit
`https://app.bowerlabs.ai/auth/workos` while signed in to your Bower account,
pick a workspace, then retry the connection from your client.

**Access expires after a few hours** — clients with native MCP refresh-token
support (Claude.ai, recent versions of Cursor) refresh automatically. If your
client does not, disconnect Bower and reconnect to start a fresh authorisation.

**Connected to the wrong workspace** — disconnect Bower in your client, visit
`https://app.bowerlabs.ai/auth/workos` to pre-select the correct workspace, then
reconnect.

**Restricted-mode workspaces** — AI app access is not yet available for workspaces
in Restricted mode (HIPAA-ready). Server-side enforced.

## Related docs

* [Connectors](/integrations/connectors) — let Bird search the tools your lab
  already uses (outbound direction).
* [Trust Center](/trust-center) — security posture, data handling,
  and compliance.