Connecting Claude to Your Business: A 10-Minute MCP Setup Guide

What You'll Achieve

By the end of this guide, you'll have:

• Claude Desktop connected to your structured knowledge base
• Live queries against your business data
• Two-way sync: Claude can read AND update your knowledge
• A foundation for every future AI integration

Time required: 10 minutes.

Prerequisites

• Claude Desktop installed (download here)
• An Xtended account with API key (sign up free)
• Basic terminal comfort (copy-paste level)

Step 1: Get Your API Key (2 min)

1. Log into Xtended
2. Go to Settings → API Keys
3. Click Generate New Key
4. Name it "Claude Desktop"
5. Copy the key (you'll only see it once)

Keep this key secure. It grants access to your knowledge base.

Step 2: Create Your First Space (3 min)

Before connecting Claude, let's add some context it can access.

1. In Xtended, click New Space
2. Name it "Business Context"
3. Add a description: "Core business knowledge for AI context"

Now add a template:

1. Click New Template in your space
2. Name it "Customer Segments"
3. Add fields:
   • Name (text, required)
   • Description (textarea)
   • Size (select: Small, Medium, Enterprise)
   • Pain Points (textarea)

Add one sample entry:

1. Click New Entry
2. Fill in a customer segment you know well
3. Save

Claude will now have something to query.

Step 3: Configure Claude Desktop (3 min)

Open your Claude Desktop config file:

Mac:

open ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Windows:

%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Add this configuration (create the file if it doesn't exist):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "xtended": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "xtended-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "XTENDED_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace your-api-key-here with your actual API key.

Save the file.

Step 4: Restart & Test (2 min)

1. Quit Claude Desktop completely
2. Reopen Claude Desktop
3. Start a new conversation

Test query:

"What spaces do I have in Xtended?"

Claude should list your "Business Context" space.

Test deeper:

"Show me my customer segments."

Claude should return the entry you created.

Step 5: Experience the Difference

Now that Claude has context, try these:

Context-aware questions:

"Based on our customer segments, which would benefit most from a self-serve pricing tier?"

Update requests:

"Add a new pain point to the [Segment Name] segment: 'Integration complexity with legacy systems'"

Synthesis:

"Summarize our customer segments and suggest which we should prioritize for our next product launch."

Notice the difference? Claude isn't guessing; it's reasoning with your actual data.

What Just Happened

Under the hood:

1. You asked Claude a question
2. Claude recognized it needs your business data
3. Claude called Xtended's MCP server
4. MCP server queried your knowledge base
5. Data returned to Claude
6. Claude reasoned with real context
7. You got an informed answer

All of this happens invisibly. You just ask questions naturally.

Building From Here

You've got the foundation. Now expand it:

Week 1: Core Context

• Add 2-3 more templates (Products, Competitors, Decisions)
• Create 5-10 entries in each
• Practice querying Claude with context questions

Week 2: Relationships

• Link customer segments to product features
• Connect decisions to the constraints that informed them
• Ask Claude questions that span multiple templates

Week 3: Write Operations

• Let Claude add new entries from conversations
• Update existing entries through natural requests
• Build the habit of "capture as you go"

Week 4: Workflow Integration

• Morning brief: "What should I focus on today based on my priorities?"
• Meeting prep: "Brief me on [customer] before my call"
• End of day: "Log today's key decisions and learnings"

You're Live

In 10 minutes, you've:

• Connected Claude to persistent business context
• Enabled natural language queries against structured data
• Set up two-way sync for reading and writing
• Laid the foundation for compound AI leverage

This is day one. Imagine day 365.