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MCP and Claude integration

How to connect your Bokko booking system to the Claude assistant through the MCP (Model Context Protocol) server, and which environment variables you need to configure.

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard that lets AI assistants such as Claude Desktop or Claude Code read your Bokko booking data directly. The Bokko MCP server is bound to your tenant, runs on top of the Public API v1, and lets Claude list services, staff and available slots on your behalf, or create, read and cancel bookings.

InfoMCP access is available on the Business plan. On lower plans the MCP server cannot authenticate, since the mcpAccess feature-gate is separate from the API key gate (apiAccess) and is gated to Business only.

What you can do with it

  • Have Claude check current available slots for a given service while you are planning an appointment together with a guest.
  • Read booking data in natural language, for example "List tomorrow's bookings with Anna".
  • Create a new booking for a repeat guest without clicking through the dashboard.
  • Look up the event history of an existing booking for audit or support purposes.

Prerequisites

  • An active Business subscription.
  • A valid Bokko API key with the availability.read, services.read, staff.read, booking.read, booking.create and booking.cancel scopes. See [API keys management](api-keys) for how to create one.
  • Your salon's public slug (visible in your public booking page URL).
  • Installed Node.js runtime (v22 or newer) and Claude Desktop or Claude Code client.

Environment variables

VariableRequiredDescription
BOKKO_API_KEYYesYour Bokko API key (Bearer token, prefixed with bk_live_… or bk_test_…).
BOKKO_SALON_SLUGYesYour salon's public slug. The MCP server injects it into every call automatically.
BOKKO_API_BASE_URLNoPublic API base URL. Default: https://europe-west1-bokko-5bb2d.cloudfunctions.net/publicApiV1.
WarningTreat the API key as a secret. Never commit it to a public repository, and never paste it into a chat or screenshot. If you suspect misuse, you can revoke the key immediately in the dashboard API keys section.

Setup in Claude Desktop

  1. Create an API key with the Owner integration type by following [API keys management](api-keys), and save it to a safe place.
  2. Install the Bokko MCP server using the npm install and npm run build steps in the developer documentation.
  3. Open the Claude Desktop configuration file (claude_desktop_config.json).
  4. Add the bokko MCP server to the mcpServers block and provide the BOKKO_API_KEY and BOKKO_SALON_SLUG variables.
  5. Restart Claude Desktop and try a simple request such as "List my Bokko services".
InfoFull configuration examples and tool references live in the developer documentation. The Bokko MCP server currently exposes 8 tools: list services, list staff, search availability, create booking, get booking, list bookings, cancel booking and list booking events.

Security considerations

  • The MCP server runs on your own machine and talks to Claude only over the stdio channel. Your API key never leaves your device except when it calls the Bokko Public API.
  • The tenant scope is fixed by the BOKKO_SALON_SLUG variable: Claude cannot reach other accounts' data with this configuration.
  • Every API call passes through the same authentication layer as your own integrations: an expired or revoked key blocks Claude's access immediately as well.
  • The create and cancel tools modify live bookings, so it is a good idea to test with a bk_test_… prefixed key before going live.

Troubleshooting

  • Claude does not see the Bokko tools: check that claude_desktop_config.json is valid JSON and that you have restarted Claude Desktop.
  • Call fails with 401: the API key is likely expired or copied incorrectly. Check the key's status in the dashboard API keys list.
  • Call fails with 403: the key is missing a required scope for the request, or your account is not on the Business plan.
  • Empty results: verify that BOKKO_SALON_SLUG matches your own salon's public slug exactly.
InfoDeveloper documentation: The full Bokko MCP server installation guide, tool references and code examples are in the Bokko developer documentation.

Frequently asked questions

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