Introduction to Claris MCP

Access Claris MCP by visiting aiworkspace.platform.claris.com then logging in with your Claris ID.

What is MCP?

MCP, or Model Context Protocol, is an open protocol that standardizes how applications provide context to large language models (LLMs). The protocol enables secure, structured communication between AI clients and various data sources or services.

For complete technical specifications and implementation details, see Anthropic's official MCP documentation.

Overview of MCP architecture

MCP operates on a three-component model involving the host, client, and server:

  • MCP Host - The AI-powered application (such as Claude Desktop) that end users interact with directly

  • MCP Client - Lives within the host and handles the MCP protocol communication, maintaining dedicated connections to servers

  • MCP Server - Separate applications or services that expose their functionality and data (databases, web search, file systems, etc.) to AI clients through the standardized MCP interface

This architecture allows AI clients to securely access real-time data and perform actions across different platforms without requiring custom integrations for each service.

What is Claris MCP?

Claris MCP is an MCP server that enables you to connect your FileMaker databases to AI assistants and other MCP-compatible hosts.

This application serves as a bridge between your Claris data and modern AI tools, allowing you to create connections, select tables and scripts from connections, configure database tools, and generate configuration snippets for seamless integration.

What can I do with Claris MCP?

Instant data Insights

Instead of running reports or requesting new scripts, users can ask:

  • “What’s our monthly revenue trend?”

  • “Which customers haven’t placed orders in 90 days?”

Automated workflows

AI can trigger FileMaker scripts, such as:

  • “Update the invoice status to ‘Paid’ and email the client.”

  • “Schedule a follow-up task for next week.”

Dynamic dashboards on demand

Users can request custom visualizations without waiting for a developer:

  • “Show me a chart of sales by region.”

  • “Compare this month’s performance to last year.”

Smarter customer support

AI can pull customer data and suggest actions:

  • “What’s the status of Order #12345?”

  • “What’s the best upsell opportunity for this client?”

For more details, check out this blog post on why MCP matters for Claris FileMaker developers.