Claude Desktop connects to Act! CRM through the CData MCP Server for Act! CRM using the Model Context Protocol (MCP).

When you launch Claude, it automatically detects MCP connections registered during setup. These connections are created and saved using the MCP Configuration Tool, which is installed with the MCP Server.

Each saved connection is recognized by Claude and can be referenced by name when asking questions.

Installing Claude

Claude Desktop is a standalone application that enables natural language querying across supported data sources using the Model Context Protocol (MCP).

To connect to Act! CRM via MCP, you first need to install the Claude Desktop application.

You can download the latest version from the official Claude Download Page.

After installing Claude Desktop, you can configure your MCP connection using the CData MCP Driver for Act! CRM.

How Claude Uses the Server

When you ask Claude a question, it launches the corresponding MCP Server connection, reads the available tool descriptions provided by the connector, and generates a secure query in the background.

There is no need to write SQL or teach Claude how to query your data. Each tool is self-describing, and Claude consumes those descriptions to determine how to retrieve the right information.

Example Prompts

After setup, you can ask Claude natural-language questions like:

• "What are the names and phone numbers of all active contacts?"
• "Who are the top 10 contacts by number of completed activities?"
• "What meetings are scheduled for this week?"
• "List all upcoming activities for a specific contact."
• "What are the open opportunities with expected close dates this quarter?"
• "What is the total value of open opportunities by stage?"
• "Who are the top 5 users by opportunity value created in the last 6 months?"
• "Which companies have more than 5 associated contacts?"
• "What are the usernames and roles of all Act! CRM users?"
• "How many activities has each user logged this week?"

Claude securely executes the query using the MCP Server and responds using the live results from Act! CRM.