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AI assistants

Ask your AI assistant about permits and campgrounds

Add PermitSnag to Claude, ChatGPT or another assistant, and it can look things up for you while you plan: which permit a trip needs, the rules and key dates, the openings our scans recorded and when we saw them, and the official page to book on. No PermitSnag account is needed.

Server URL

https://api.permitsnag.com/mcp

Things to ask

  • “What permit do I need to hike Mount Whitney in a day, and when does the lottery open?”
  • “Have you seen any openings for the Enchantments in late August? How long ago?”
  • “Which campgrounds in Zion take reservations, and on which booking site?”
  • “Give me the booking link for Upper Pines in Yosemite.”

Every answer about openings says when we last looked, for example “openings seen at 2:40 PM Eastern, about two hours ago.” Spots go fast, so book on the agency's site as soon as you can. The agency's booking system always has the final word.

Hear the moment a spot opens

Found the permit you want? Set up an alert on PermitSnag and we will send you a notification the moment a spot opens.

Add PermitSnag to your assistant

Each assistant has its own steps. The server URL is the same everywhere: https://api.permitsnag.com/mcp

Claude (web and desktop)

Custom connectors work on the Free, Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans. On Free you can add one custom connector.

  1. Go to Customize > Connectors.
  2. Click + Add, then Add custom connector.
  3. Name it PermitSnag and paste the server URL. Click Continue, then Continue again.
  4. Under Authentication, choose No sign in. Click Add.

Use it: In a chat, click the + button at the lower left, choose Connectors and switch PermitSnag on.

Remove it: Go to Customize > Connectors, then click Remove or the three dots next to PermitSnag.

Claude help: custom connectors

Claude Team and Enterprise

An Owner or Primary Owner adds the connector once for the whole organization. Each member then connects it for themselves.

  1. Go to Organization settings > Connectors and click Add.
  2. Hover over Custom and select Web.
  3. Name it PermitSnag, paste the server URL and click Continue twice.
  4. Set Authentication to No sign in and click Add.
  5. Members go to Customize > Connectors, find PermitSnag and click Connect.

Remove it: An Owner removes it under Organization settings > Connectors.

Claude help: custom connectors

Claude Code

  1. Run this in your terminal. Add --scope user to make it available in every project.
claude mcp add --transport http permitsnag https://api.permitsnag.com/mcp

Remove it: claude mcp remove permitsnag

Claude Code docs: MCP

ChatGPT

Whether you see this option depends on your ChatGPT plan and settings.

  1. Open chatgpt.com/plugins.
  2. Select the plus button, then Add custom MCP server.
  3. Enter PermitSnag as the name and a short description.
  4. Under Connection, paste the server URL. PermitSnag needs no sign-in.
  5. Review the warning, select I understand and want to continue, then Create as a plugin.

Use it: Start a new conversation, type @ and pick PermitSnag.

Remove it: See ChatGPT's help to remove it.

OpenAI docs: connect an MCP server to ChatGPT

Cursor

  1. Add this to ~/.cursor/mcp.json for every project, or to .cursor/mcp.json in one project.
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "permitsnag": {
      "url": "https://api.permitsnag.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Remove it: Switch it off in Customize, or delete the permitsnag entry from mcp.json.

Cursor docs: MCP

Gemini CLI

  1. Run this in your project. It saves the server to .gemini/settings.json.
gemini mcp add --transport http permitsnag https://api.permitsnag.com/mcp

Remove it: gemini mcp remove permitsnag

Gemini CLI docs: MCP servers

Grok

On Grok Business and Enterprise, a team admin sets up connectors first.

  1. Go to grok.com/connectors.
  2. Click New Connector, then select Custom.
  3. Paste the server URL. PermitSnag needs no sign-in.

Remove it: See Grok's help to remove it.

xAI docs: Grok connectors

Perplexity and other assistants

Any assistant that accepts a remote MCP server can use PermitSnag. Look for the option to add a custom connector or remote MCP server in its settings, and paste the server URL. Check the assistant's own help pages for the exact steps.

What do you see?

The lookup your assistant sends us, such as a place and dates. Never your conversation, and no sign-in, so we do not know who asked. Details are in our Privacy Policy.

Does it cost anything?

No. Looking things up through your assistant is free. Your assistant's own plan is between you and its maker.

Something not working?

Email support@permitsnag.com. Building your own client? See the developer docs.

Using PermitSnag through an assistant is covered by our Terms of Service, Section 18.