Build to Launch MCP: connect guide for any AI agent This plain text version is returned because this request does not look like a browser page navigation. Browser page: https://mcp.buildtolaunch.ai/install This guide connects the Build to Launch MCP server (https://mcp.buildtolaunch.ai) to the AI app you run in, signs the member in, and checks that it works. It has steps for Claude, Claude Code, ChatGPT, Codex, Cursor, VS Code, Gemini CLI, Windsurf and any other app that can add a remote MCP server. The server gives the AI the Build to Launch library: builder tools, prompts, guides and courses. The AI finds them with the search_btl_resources tool and loads them with the use_btl_resource tool. Server facts, for any app: URL https://mcp.buildtolaunch.ai. Transport: Streamable HTTP (some apps call it "HTTP"; it is not SSE). Sign-in: OAuth with dynamic client registration; the app opens a browser page. No API key and no token. Anyone can connect Build to Launch MCP. Without a membership, you get the free items in full. Every other item shows its title and how to upgrade. A membership gives you the full library. A member signs in with the email of their membership. ## What the person must click themselves You cannot do these steps for the person. Tell them what to click, then wait: 1. In apps without a shell (Claude apps, ChatGPT): open the settings page and add the server. You give them the exact clicks. 2. Start the sign-in when the app asks (for example Connect, Authenticate, Allow or Sign in). 3. Type their email on the Build to Launch sign-in page. If they have a membership, they use the email of their membership. 4. Open the sign-in link that we send to that email, in the same browser. 5. Click Authorize on the "Connect to ..." page. The page shows the name of the app. ## Agent execution contract If you are an agent reading this for a member: read this whole guide before you do anything. Then run the commands yourself. Do not only describe them. Setup is one task. It ends only when you print one of the reports in "Finish". A connector that is added but not signed in is not finished. A browser sign-in page is something to wait for, not the end of the task. Rules for every message you show the member: - Use short, plain sentences. - Never ask the member for a token, a password or an API key. Never paste one. Sign-in happens only in the browser. - Never add a second copy of Build to Launch MCP if one is already there. Required order: 1. Check if Build to Launch is already connected. 2. Find which app you run in. 3. Do the section for that app: check, install, sign in, verify. 4. Finish: print exactly one report. ## Step 1: Already connected? If the tools search_btl_resources and use_btl_resource are already available to you in this chat, Build to Launch is already connected. Call search_btl_resources once with the query "prompt". If it returns results, go to "Finish" and print report (A). Do not install a second copy. ## Step 2: Find which app you run in Use what you know about yourself: your name, your system prompt, your tools. Then go to the matching section: - Claude on claude.ai, Claude Desktop or the Claude mobile app (no shell): section "App: Claude apps". - Claude Code (you have a shell and the claude command; the CLAUDECODE environment variable is 1): section "App: Claude Code". - ChatGPT on the web, desktop or mobile, without a shell: section "App: ChatGPT". - Codex (Codex CLI, the Codex app, the Codex IDE extension, or Codex inside the ChatGPT desktop app): section "App: Codex". - Cursor: section "App: Cursor". - GitHub Copilot in VS Code: section "App: VS Code". - Gemini CLI: section "App: Gemini CLI". - Windsurf (also called Devin Desktop): section "App: Windsurf". - Any other app: section "App: other apps". If you are not sure which app you run in, ask the person one question: "Which app are you using me in?" Then go to the matching section. ## App: Claude apps Show the member this message. Keep the link as a clickable markdown link: --- Click this link to add Build to Launch to Claude: [Connect Build to Launch](https://claude.ai/customize/connectors?modal=add-custom-connector&connectorName=Build%20to%20Launch&connectorUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fmcp.buildtolaunch.ai) 1. Claude opens the connector settings with the name and the URL already filled in. Check them, then click Add. 2. Click Connect next to Build to Launch. 3. Sign in with your email. If you have a membership, use the email of your membership. We send you a sign-in link by email. Open it in the same browser. 4. On the "Connect to Claude" page, click Authorize. 5. Start a new chat and say: "Use Build to Launch to find a prompt for planning my app." Without a membership, you get the free items in full. Every other item shows its title and how to upgrade. A membership gives you the full library. A connector that you add on claude.ai also appears in Claude Desktop, the Claude mobile app and Claude Code, when you use the same Claude account. --- On the Claude Free plan, a person can add one custom connector. If they already have one, they remove it first or use a Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise plan. Then go to "Finish" and print report (A-pending). ## App: Claude Code Run the Claude Code steps 2 to 5 below in order. ### Claude Code step 2: Check what is already there Run: ```text claude --version claude mcp list claude mcp get buildtolaunch ``` - If `claude` is not found, see "Claude Code is missing or too old" below. - Look in `claude mcp list` for Build to Launch. It can be there already under any name: synced from claude.ai, added before as `buildtolaunch`, or added by hand. Match it by its URL, https://mcp.buildtolaunch.ai, not by its name. - If one is there and it shows as connected, Build to Launch is ready. Skip to step 5. Do not add another copy. - If `buildtolaunch` is there but needs authentication, skip to step 4. - If only the claude.ai copy is there and it needs authentication, tell the member: "Open claude.ai, go to Settings, then Connectors, and click Connect next to Build to Launch. Tell me when you are done." Then run step 2 again. - If one is there and it shows as failed, see "The server shows failed" below. - If none is there, go to step 3. ### Claude Code step 3: Install Run: ```text claude mcp add --transport http buildtolaunch --scope user https://mcp.buildtolaunch.ai ``` `--scope user` makes Build to Launch available in all of the member's projects. If the command says that `buildtolaunch` already exists, do not remove it. Go back to step 2. ### Claude Code step 4: Sign in Tell the member: --- Build to Launch is added. Now sign in once: 1. Type /mcp in Claude Code and press Enter. 2. Pick buildtolaunch. 3. Choose Authenticate. 4. A browser page opens. Sign in with your email. If you have a membership, use the email of your membership. Open the sign-in link that we send to your email, in the same browser. 5. On the "Connect to Claude" page, click Authorize. 6. Come back here and tell me "done". --- Then wait for the member to say they are done. This is a pause, not the end of setup. When they answer, continue with step 5. ### Claude Code step 5: Verify Run: ```text claude mcp get buildtolaunch ``` Expected: `buildtolaunch` at https://mcp.buildtolaunch.ai, shown as connected, not "needs authentication". (If the member uses the claude.ai copy, check that entry in `claude mcp list` instead.) - If it still needs authentication, do the sign-in step one more time. If it fails again, print report (B). - If the Build to Launch tools are available in this session, call search_btl_resources once with the query "prompt" to confirm a real call. If they are not available, they load in a new session. Ask the member to start a new session and say: "Use Build to Launch MCP to search for a prompt about planning an app." ## App: ChatGPT You cannot change ChatGPT settings for the person. Show them this message: --- To add Build to Launch to ChatGPT (on the web, at chatgpt.com): 1. Open Settings, then Plugins (older screens say Apps or Connectors). If you do not see a way to add your own server, scroll down in the Plugins settings and turn on Developer mode. 2. Go to chatgpt.com/plugins. Click the + button, then "Add custom MCP server". 3. Name: Build to Launch. URL: https://mcp.buildtolaunch.ai. Authentication: OAuth. Tick the box that says you trust this server. Click Create. 4. ChatGPT opens a sign-in page. Sign in with your email (the email of your membership, if you have one). Open the sign-in link that we send to your email, in the same browser. Click Authorize. 5. Start a new chat. Choose Build to Launch with the + button or type @Build to Launch, then say: "Use Build to Launch to find a prompt for planning my app." Without a membership, you get the free items in full. Every other item shows its title and how to upgrade. A membership gives you the full library. --- Tell them about the plan limits too, in one or two sentences. OpenAI's help article (help.openai.com/en/articles/12584461, October 2026) says: on Business, Enterprise and Edu, an admin adds the server, or gives the person permission to add one; on Pro, custom servers can read and search but cannot do write actions. Other plans can change, so the person checks their own settings. Custom servers do not work in the ChatGPT mobile app; the person adds it on the web, then uses it in a new chat. Then go to "Finish" and print report (A-pending). ## App: Codex Codex has a shell. You run the commands. Inside the ChatGPT desktop app on macOS, the command is `/Applications/ChatGPT.app/Contents/Resources/codex-cli/bin/codex`. Everywhere else it is `codex`. 1. Check: run `codex mcp list`. If a server with the URL https://mcp.buildtolaunch.ai is there and its Auth column does not say "Not logged in", skip to 4. If it is there and not logged in, skip to 3. 2. Install: run `codex mcp add buildtolaunch --url https://mcp.buildtolaunch.ai`. This writes this entry to ~/.codex/config.toml: ```text [mcp_servers.buildtolaunch] url = "https://mcp.buildtolaunch.ai" ``` 3. Sign in: run `codex mcp login buildtolaunch`. A browser page opens. Tell the person: "Sign in with your email (the email of your membership, if you have one), open the sign-in link that we send to your email in the same browser, then click Authorize." Wait for the command to finish. If it prints the error "OAuth authorization endpoint origin does not match the authorization server origin without issuer-bound callbacks", see "Codex sign-in fails" below. 4. Verify: run `codex mcp list` again. The Auth column must not say "Not logged in". The tools load in a new Codex session. Ask the person to start one and say: "Use Build to Launch to find a prompt for planning my app." ## App: Cursor Cursor reads ~/.cursor/mcp.json (all projects) or .cursor/mcp.json in a project. 1. Check: if ~/.cursor/mcp.json already has a server with the URL https://mcp.buildtolaunch.ai, skip to 3. 2. Install. If you can edit files, add this entry to the "mcpServers" object in ~/.cursor/mcp.json. Keep the other servers. Create the file if it is not there: ```text { "mcpServers": { "buildtolaunch": { "url": "https://mcp.buildtolaunch.ai" } } } ``` If you cannot edit files, give the person this install link: cursor://anysphere.cursor-deeplink/mcp/install?name=buildtolaunch&config=eyJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL21jcC5idWlsZHRvbGF1bmNoLmFpIn0= 3. Sign in: tell the person: "Open Cursor Settings, then Tools & MCP (or MCP). Next to buildtolaunch, click Connect or Needs login. Sign in with your email, open the sign-in link that we send to your email in the same browser, then click Authorize." 4. Verify: buildtolaunch shows its tools and a green dot in Cursor Settings. Ask the person to open a new chat and say: "Use Build to Launch to find a prompt for planning my app." ## App: VS Code GitHub Copilot in VS Code reads mcp.json in the user profile, or .vscode/mcp.json in a project. 1. Install. If you have a shell and the `code` command, run: ```text code --add-mcp '{"name":"buildtolaunch","type":"http","url":"https://mcp.buildtolaunch.ai"}' ``` If not, ask the person to run "MCP: Open User Configuration" from the Command Palette and add this to the "servers" object: ```text { "servers": { "buildtolaunch": { "type": "http", "url": "https://mcp.buildtolaunch.ai" } } } ``` 2. Sign in: VS Code opens a browser page the first time it starts the server. If it does not, tell the person to run "MCP: List Servers", pick buildtolaunch and choose Start. They sign in with their email, open the sign-in link that we send, and click Authorize. 3. Verify: in Copilot Chat agent mode, the tools list shows buildtolaunch. Ask the person to say: "Use Build to Launch to find a prompt for planning my app." ## App: Gemini CLI 1. Check: run `gemini mcp list`. If buildtolaunch is there, skip to 3. 2. Install: run `gemini mcp add --transport http --scope user buildtolaunch https://mcp.buildtolaunch.ai`. This adds buildtolaunch to "mcpServers" in ~/.gemini/settings.json with the url https://mcp.buildtolaunch.ai and "type": "http". 3. Sign in: tell the person to start Gemini CLI and type `/mcp auth buildtolaunch`. A browser page opens. They sign in with their email, open the sign-in link that we send, and click Authorize. 4. Verify: in Gemini CLI, `/mcp list` shows buildtolaunch as connected with its tools. Ask the person to say: "Use Build to Launch to find a prompt for planning my app." ## App: Windsurf Windsurf (also called Devin Desktop) has an MCP settings page. Tell the person to open it (Settings, then MCP servers, then Add server or View raw config) and add: ```text { "mcpServers": { "buildtolaunch": { "serverUrl": "https://mcp.buildtolaunch.ai" } } } ``` If you can edit files, find the config file that already exists: ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json (Windsurf, key "serverUrl") or ~/.config/devin/mcp_config.json (Devin Desktop, key "url"). Add the entry there and keep the other servers. Then the person clicks refresh in the MCP settings, signs in with their email, opens the sign-in link that we send, and clicks Authorize. ## App: other apps Most AI apps that support MCP can add a remote server. Look in the app's settings for "MCP", "Connectors", "Plugins", "Extensions" or "Tools". Give the person, or put in the app's MCP config: - Name: Build to Launch (or buildtolaunch where spaces are not allowed) - URL: https://mcp.buildtolaunch.ai - Transport: Streamable HTTP (choose "HTTP", not "SSE" and not "stdio") - Authentication: OAuth. Leave client ID and secret empty; the app registers itself. Then the person signs in with their email, opens the sign-in link that we send, and clicks Authorize. If the app cannot add a remote server with OAuth, tell the person: "This app cannot connect to Build to Launch yet. Claude, ChatGPT, Codex, Cursor, VS Code and Gemini CLI can." Then print report (B) with the step "this app has no remote MCP with OAuth". ## Finish Print exactly one report as the last thing in your reply. (A) Connected. Build to Launch MCP is connected to . In a new chat or session, try: - "Use Build to Launch to find a prompt for planning my app." - "Use Build to Launch to check if my app is ready to deploy." - "Use Build to Launch to set up a Claude Code routine for my inbox." (A-pending) Steps given. Build to Launch is not connected yet. The person does the clicks above, signs in with their email (the email of their membership, if they have one) and clicks Authorize. Then they start a new chat. (B) Not finished. Say which step failed, the exact command, and the exact error text. Do not say that Build to Launch is connected. Do not say Build to Launch is connected or ready before you print (A). ## When something fails Find the matching problem, fix it, and continue at the step that failed. ### The answers say "This is part of the annual membership" That is the free access: it is connected and works. If the person has a membership, they signed in with a different email. Tell them: "On the Connect page, click 'Used a different email for your membership?' and sign in with the email of your membership. Then connect again." To become a member, they go to https://buildtolaunch.substack.com/subscribe?utm_source=mcp-install. ### The sign-in page says "No active membership found" The free access is not open on the sign-in page yet. Tell the person: "Sign in with the email of your membership. Free access opens soon." Then print report (B) with the step "sign-in, no active membership". ### Codex sign-in fails If `codex mcp add` or `codex mcp login` prints "OAuth authorization endpoint origin does not match the authorization server origin without issuer-bound callbacks", this is a known Build to Launch server issue with new Codex versions, not a mistake by the person. Do not retry and do not remove the entry. Tell the person: "Codex cannot sign in to Build to Launch yet. We are fixing it. Until then, use Build to Launch in Claude or Claude Code." Print report (B) with the exact error. ### No sign-in email arrives Tell the person: "Wait two minutes. Look in your spam or promotions folder. Check that you typed the email correctly. Then ask for a new link on the sign-in page." do the sign-in step one more time. ### The sign-in page loops The page keeps asking the member to sign in. Tell the member: "Open the newest sign-in email only. Open its link in the same browser as the sign-in page." Then do the sign-in step one more time. If it loops again, print report (B) with what the page shows. ### Claude Code is missing or too old If `claude` is not found, check `command -v claude` and `~/.local/bin/claude` before you decide it is missing. The desktop app does not always put the command on the PATH. If `claude mcp add` does not know `--transport`, Claude Code is too old: run `claude update` and check again. Install Claude Code only if the member agrees. ### The server shows failed Run: ```text curl -sS https://mcp.buildtolaunch.ai/health ``` - If this fails, the Build to Launch server or the network is down. Print report (B) with the exact error. - If this works, run `claude mcp get buildtolaunch` and check that the URL is exactly https://mcp.buildtolaunch.ai and the transport is http. If it is wrong, ask the member before you run `claude mcp remove buildtolaunch --scope user`, then do the install step again. ### Two copies of Build to Launch If `claude mcp list` shows two servers for https://mcp.buildtolaunch.ai (for example the claude.ai copy and `buildtolaunch`), tell the member that they have two copies of the same tools. Offer to remove the `buildtolaunch` copy with `claude mcp remove buildtolaunch --scope user`. Remove it only if the member agrees. Never remove the claude.ai copy from Claude Code; the member manages it on claude.ai.