Add the Version Story MCP Server to Claude

Add the Version Story MCP server to Claude as a custom connector, on a personal account or across an organization, and allow the network egress it needs.

You will need:

A Version Story account
The Claude desktop app or claude.ai

Claude reaches the MCP server as a custom connector. Setting it up is two steps: add the connector and sign in, then allow network egress to Version Story so documents and finished redlines can move between Claude and the engine.

The connector works on any Claude surface and any device, including plain Claude Chat. On the desktop app and in Cowork, the plugin is the faster path to the same comparisons; the two coexist, so install both if you use Chat as well.

Pick the path that applies below. If your team has already added Version Story Compare in organization settings, open the organization path and skip to For each member.

Set up for an organization

An owner adds the connector once for the whole organization and turns on network access, then each member connects their own Version Story account.

1. Add the connector

For the organization owner

Open Organization settings and go to Connectors (under Libraries & Access).
Click Add → Custom → Web.

Organization connectors with the Add Custom Web menu
Fill in the dialog and click Add:
- Name:
```
Version Story Compare
```
- Remote MCP server URL:
```
https://mcp-compare.versionstory.com/mcp
```
- Leave the Advanced settings fields (OAuth Client ID and Secret) empty.
- Under Connection methods, leave Individual sign-in on. Each member signs in to their own Version Story account, so redlines land in the right person's projects.
Organization Add custom connector dialog filled in

For each member

Open Settings → Connectors. Version Story Compare is already listed. Click Connect.

Connectors list with Version Story Compare and the Connect button
Sign in to Version Story if you are not already authenticated, then click Authorize. You will be redirected back to Claude.
Click the Version Story Compare connector to open it.
Set both tool groups — Read-only tools and Write/delete tools — to Always allow.

Tool permissions with both groups set to Always allow

2. Allow network access

An owner enables network egress and the Version Story domain once for the whole organization.

Open Capabilities in Organization settings and turn on Allow network egress (under Code execution).

Organization Capabilities with network egress enabled
Add the following domain to the Additional allowed domains field:
```
*.versionstory.com
```
This lets the connector send your documents to Version Story and retrieve the finished redlines.

Additional allowed domains with the domain added
Open Cowork in Organization settings and, under Permissions, turn on both:
- Allow "Skip all approvals" mode
- Allow "Always allow" for connector tools
- Without the second one, members cannot set the Version Story Compare write tools to Always allow, and Claude will stop mid-workflow to ask permission for each comparison.
Cowork permissions with both settings enabled

Set up on a personal account

1. Add the connector

In Claude, open Settings → Connectors (under the Customize section).

Connectors settings screen
Click Add → Add custom connector.

Add menu with Add custom connector highlighted
Fill in the dialog and click Add:
- Name:
```
Version Story Compare
```
- Remote MCP server URL:
```
https://mcp-compare.versionstory.com/mcp
```
- Leave the Advanced settings fields (OAuth Client ID and Secret) empty.
Add custom connector dialog filled in
The Version Story Compare connector page opens and says you are not connected yet. Click Connect.

Connector page with the Connect button
Sign in to Version Story if you are not already authenticated, then click Authorize. You will be redirected back to Claude.
Back on the Version Story Compare connector page, set both tool groups — Read-only tools and Write/delete tools — to Always allow using the dropdown to the right of each group heading.
- The default leaves the comparison tools on Needs approval, which stops Claude mid-workflow to ask permission for each one. Always allow lets Claude run a complete comparison start to finish.
Tool permissions dropdown with Always allow

2. Allow network access

Open Settings → Capabilities and turn on Allow network egress (under Code execution and file creation).
Add the following domain to the Additional allowed domains field:
```
*.versionstory.com
```
This lets the connector send your documents to Version Story and retrieve the finished redlines.

Capabilities screen with network egress enabled and the domain added

Update your system prompt

Under General → Instructions for Claude, add the following line:

When I ask you to compare or redline documents, use Version Story Compare.

This tells Claude to reach for Version Story on its own whenever you ask for a comparison, so you never have to name it in a prompt. Your settings should look like this:

General settings with the comparison line added to Instructions for Claude

Test it

Start a new Claude session, attach two versions of a document, and ask Claude to redline them using Version Story. Claude will return an interactive redline link and the redline file itself, previewed right in the conversation.

If a comparison fails with a host-allowlist error, the domain step above is missing or the egress toggle is off — see Errors.

Claude installation guide

1. Add the connector

For the organization owner

For each member

2. Allow network access

1. Add the connector

2. Allow network access

Update your system prompt

Test it