使用说明

Via AI MCP Server

Via AI's MCP server gives AI assistants read-only access to your professional network -- finding people and companies, and showing how well-connected you are to each one, through natural conversation. It also exposes explicit workspace actions for lists, networks, follows, research settings, result views and exports. Some actions delete or replace data; Via enforces the applicable confirmation requirements. The connector does not send outreach.

Features

People search: Find people in your network by name, company, role, title, function, seniority, location, email or LinkedIn URL. Preserve all supplied constraints in one query. An exact identity match and a qualifying network relationship are different facts; missing relationship evidence stays unknown.
Company search: Find companies by name, domain or ordinary search language, with employee count, industries and Access when available.
Access on every row: Every person or company result carries a compact summary of how well you can reach them -- no extra query required.
Pathways: Select a person from a result to open the routes connecting you to them, with the evidence behind each one (shared work history, education, email, meetings, and more).
Relationship enrichment: Read selected people's relationship facts as a reusable payload for your CRM, agent, or workflow. read_relationship_evidence defaults to detail: "brief": up to three whole facts and 1 KiB of facts per relationship. Identities, relationship direction, evidence status, and missing coverage remain explicit. factoid_count counts returned facts; total_factoid_count and factoids_truncated show when more are available. Request detail: "full" for all published facts, or use row_ids to select up to 200 retained people. Without row_ids, limit defaults to 25. Brief and full modes cover the same selected people. Another connected app can consume this payload; this read does not update your CRM or send email.
Target lists: Save a complete People or Companies result, reopen a saved list, and review its targets, next actions, and history. Saved lists show their latest recorded Access while background checks update it. Opening a list also shows its saved Networks, source identities, and relationship rules; it does not change the Networks selected for your search or start another Access query. Saving never starts outreach. MCP tools use read_target_list_workspace, write_target_list_workspace, and target_list_id. Target List action names also use target_list. Existing integrations using read_campaign_workspace, write_campaign_workspace, save_network_result_campaign, original action names, or campaign_id remain supported with the same permissions and confirmation requirements. Those calls retain their existing result fields; newly discovered calls use the target-list contract. People and Company Lists stay separate: mixed or opposite-kind additions return target_list_target_kind_mismatch in structured error data without changing the List. The human reply names the destination kind, suggests a matching-kind target list, and says nothing was saved; internal codes stay out of the refusal text. Company Lists can retain unresolved source targets even when no canonical company is found. Resolver outages still fail without creating a List. Existing mixed Lists remain unchanged. To find People at companies in a saved Company List, use run_network_query with deliverable: "people" and company_lists: ["List name or id"]. All currently readable Company members constrain the employers, and a People List contributes each member's current employer; a preview is not the population. When the call names no network_sources, Via searches the List's shared networks by their stored keys and says so first ("Searched through: ... (shared on )"); a shared network you cannot open is left out and named, and with none left Via searches your network. If fewer than 10 direct matches come back and no degree was asked for, the same call also searches one warm or good introducer away and reports "N direct, M via one introducer". Use any_of for alternative role criteria. By contrast, lists selects members on Lists of the requested result kind. Already-supported empty Company saves retain Company kind and their source Networks.
Email hand-offs: Your agent can list queued email briefs, read one and mark it drafted or skipped. Your separate mail tool owns the draft and send; Via never sends email. The connector only sees your own queued hand-offs.
Intro emails: Your agent can read your own writing profile, including your intro email instructions and remembered wording, and write or rewrite an email asking a connection to introduce you. Each intro is saved as a draft in Via; nothing is sent, and the connector only reads your own profile and drafts.
Prompt suggestions: The connector publishes starting prompts, including a guided walkthrough available from your client's prompt or resource picker. The reviewed walkthrough ships with each server release.

Setup

Prerequisites

A Via AI account

Claude.ai / Claude Desktop

Add Via AI as a custom connector:

Open Claude and click Customize in the left sidebar.
Select Connectors, click Add, and choose Add custom connector.
In the Add custom connector dialog, enter a name (e.g. Via AI) and the server URL https://mcp.connectvia.ai/mcp, then click Continue. On the next screen, keep the detected settings and click Add.
Follow the OAuth flow to authorize your Via AI account.

Claude Code

claude mcp add --transport http via https://mcp.connectvia.ai/mcp
claude mcp login via

Interactive results need an MCP Apps-capable client such as Claude.ai or Claude Desktop. Data-only clients can read result rows and request a selected person's Pathways through tools. Responses include each result row once, with page counts that match the returned rows. The result-row tool accepts either the returned continuation cursor or the next-page address. Paging reads the saved result and does not repeat the query.

Or add it to your Claude Code configuration directly:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "via": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.connectvia.ai/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Codex

Add the server to ~/.codex/config.toml:

[mcp_servers.via]
url = "https://mcp.connectvia.ai/mcp"

Then sign in with dynamic client registration:

codex mcp login via --oauth-client-registration dcr

Codex's default client registration does not work with Via's sign-in, so keep the --oauth-client-registration dcr flag.

Grok

grok mcp add via https://mcp.connectvia.ai/mcp

Grok opens Via's sign-in in your browser the first time it connects. grok mcp doctor checks the connection.

ChatGPT

Add Via as a custom MCP connector using https://mcp.connectvia.ai/mcp, then complete the existing Via sign-in. Claude and ChatGPT use the same server URL, authentication and tool catalog. Custom connector availability depends on your client and account. Public directory publication is a separate release step.

Shared tool interface

The default connection exposes your signed-in profile, network search, paging, selected-person Pathways, relationship evidence, display, queued-email hand-offs, intro email drafts, and saving notes, emails or research to your private dossiers (delete_capture undoes one save). Workspace actions are individually named and publish their complete input schemas. Related fields and bounded bulk selections stay together in one action. Existing permissions and confirmation requirements remain enforced by the same Via services.

Ordinary requests return data. An explicit request to display or interact with a result opens that saved result in the Via App, without another search. App controls have four additional helpers that only the interactive view calls; hosts without MCP Apps support may list them, and their descriptions name the tool to use instead. Your client may need to refresh its connection to see the updated tool list. Expanded server profiles can provide supplemental tools; the table below describes the default interface. Via operator accounts also see one record-correction tool, change_data (look up, preview, submit, check, undo, pause and resume a correction); it is listed and callable only while the account holds operator access, and never appears for other accounts.

Authentication

Via AI uses OAuth 2.0 through WorkOS AuthKit, with standard MCP resource-server discovery. When you first connect, you'll be redirected to Via AI's login page to authorize access. If you belong to more than one Via organization, pick the one to connect on that page. Tokens are automatically refreshed.

Account readiness

New accounts finish a short onboarding step (Terms acceptance and profile) at app.connectvia.ai. Complete this in the Via app before using the connector.

Companion skill / plugin

Via publishes an official Network Workflow skill that teaches the assistant to use one typed query per request, read the Access summary already on each row, and open Pathways only from a selected person. Ordinary requests use Via's returned data. Interactive requests render the retained result without another query or duplicate tables. The Via plugin bundles that skill with the connector for one-step setup.

Both are available once you're signed in at app.connectvia.ai: open the Agent panel, choose the Connect tab, and use the Downloads section of the Via for Claude card. The plugin installs by uploading its ZIP in Claude's Customize -> Plugins; the skill unzips alongside your custom connector.

The companion is optional. Where exposed by your connection, get_mcp_status reports its identity and version compatibility without installation instructions. Downloads remain a user choice in Via's setup card; the connector does not require a skill installation to operate.

Skill version 2026.10.20.1 and plugin version 1.0.18 use the declared workflow tools. The companion keeps other requested sources separate from Via's results. It reads viewer-to-person evidence in batches and verifies introduction-route legs through selected-Person Pathways. Missing evidence remains unknown. Where compatibility checks are available, earlier skill versions report update_required. The assistant explains the version mismatch and asks before an update; it does not download or install one without explicit user approval. The connector remains available without the companion.

Tools

Every tool publishes the same readable name in title and annotations.title. run_network_query.network_scope explicitly declares its object type and retains its referenced schema for network-source and relationship constraints. A person in network_sources may carry their employer's domain or company name beside name; it only picks among people with that name and says which one it picked. The hint matches the current employer first, then any other current or past position in that person's own work history. When the name still matches several people, the question lists each with their title, company, LinkedIn URL and id to retry with, and says when none of them lists the hinted employer.

Read-only queries

Tool	Description
`run_network_query`	Find People or Companies using your network and optional company columns from files stored in Via, with Access on each row and Pathways from a selected person.
`get_authenticated_user`	Read your Via profile and your Terms/onboarding status.
`list_teams`	List your Teams, including your personal Team, and see which one Via is working in.
`read_outreach_handoffs`	List the email hand-offs you queued in Via for your own agent to write, or read one with its full brief and draft.
`get_writing_profile`	Read your own writing profile, including your intro email instructions, remembered wording and custom parts.
`read_saved_network`	Read one of your saved Networks and its members.
`summarize_results`	Summarize a result, saved Network or Target List by company, role, industry, seniority or location.
`explore_person_network`	See the people a selected person knows whom you can reach, optionally filtered by role.
`read_target_lists`	Browse your Target Lists, saved results, and their targets and activity.
`render_network_result`	Display a completed People or Companies result.
`read_network_result_page`	Read more rows from a result, or check whether it has finished computing.
`open_selected_person_pathways`	Verify introduction routes and relationship evidence for one person on a saved result.
`read_relationship_evidence`	Read brief relationship facts or full detail for selected people, including connector preview second legs with verified and missing coverage.

Actions

These manage Via workspace data and settings, including lists, networks, follows and result views. Some actions delete or replace data and require confirmation. They do not send outreach messages.

Tool	Description
`switch_team`	Switch the Team Via works in, after a preview you confirm, and keep that choice across sessions.
`complete_outreach_handoff`	Mark a queued email hand-off as drafted or skipped once your agent has handled it.
`draft_intro`	Write or rewrite an email asking a connection to introduce you, saved as a draft in Via and never sent.
`capture_to_dossier`	Save notes, emails or research to the private dossiers of the people and companies they mention.
`delete_capture`	Delete something saved to Via, with every dossier entry it filed.
`refine_network_result`	Filter, sort, trim, group or re-rank a result into a new result, keeping the original.
`create_target_list`	Create a Target List with a name, an optional goal and optional starting members.
`update_target_list`	Rename a Target List, change its goal, or add a note to its activity.
`run_target_list_audit`	Check how well you are connected to a Target List's members and keep them followed.
`create_saved_network`	Save a group of people as a named Network from a result, a list of people or a file.
`update_saved_network`	Add, remove or move people in one of your saved Networks, or rename it.
`import_connections`	Import LinkedIn connections from a file or pasted profiles, for you or a named person.
`focus_dossier_proofs`	Bring matching proofs forward in one person's dossier.
`pin_dossier_proofs`	Pin matching proofs at the top of one person's dossier.
`forget_dossier_proofs`	Permanently remove matching proofs from one person's dossier.
`follow_for_research`	Follow a company or person to receive research updates on a cadence you choose.
`update_agent_settings`	Change your network agent's mission, watched topics, or how often it looks and reports.
`remove_network_result_rows`	Remove matching rows from a result after you confirm the change.
`export_results`	Export a result or a Target List's targets to a private CSV download.
`add_target_list_members`	Add people or companies to a Target List after you confirm the change.
`remove_target_list_members`	Remove people or companies from a Target List after you confirm the change.
`archive_target_list`	Archive a Target List after you confirm the change.
`save_target_list_radar`	Save radar criteria and cadence on a Target List after you confirm them.
`delete_saved_network`	Delete one of your saved Networks after you confirm the change.
`unfollow_research`	Stop following a company or person for research after you confirm the change.
`set_active_icp`	Set, clear or switch the ideal customer profile that guides your searches after you confirm it.
`set_watcher_paused`	Pause or resume one of your monitored automations after you confirm the change.
`save_result_as_target_list`	Save a People or Companies result as a Target List without starting outreach.

Usage Examples

When creating a Target List from results, select all matching rows or choose individual rows as its starting members. A result link alone does not add them. Narrow the results first to preserve a filter or limit, and choose quiet tending to keep the list out of outreach. Agent settings changes save the mission, watched topics and cadence together.

Example 1: Finding warm introductions to a target company

User prompt: "How am I connected to people at Stripe? I'm looking for warm introductions."

What happens: Claude calls run_network_query once for people at Stripe and answers from the returned rows. Each row carries an Access summary -- how well you can reach that person today. If you ask to browse or interact with the result, Claude displays that same saved result without repeating the search. Selecting a promising person in the interactive view opens their Pathways: the routes connecting you to them, with the evidence behind each one, such as shared work history or email activity.

Example 2: Researching a prospect before outreach

User prompt: "Look up john.smith@acme.com and tell me how we're connected."

What happens: Claude calls run_network_query once with deliverable: "people" and person_identifiers: ["john.smith@acme.com"] for that exact person. The row carries their Access summary and likely introducers; select the row to open their Pathways, showing the strongest route in along with its supporting evidence.

To open a Person's Pathways, use the returned People result link and copy the selected person's row handle exactly. Do not substitute a person identifier, an incomplete result link or a Companies row. A person on a later page works the same way: read that page from the saved result, then select its row without repeating the search.

Example 3: Comparing target accounts

User prompt: "Compare Stripe and HubSpot by how well my network can reach them."

What happens: Claude calls run_network_query once with a Companies result and the 2 named targets. It answers from each company's Access summary and reports unresolved or incomplete results separately. You can ask to display the same result or explicitly save it as a Target List. Saving does not start outreach.

When you ask for a summary of the current result, Via counts the complete visible view, including rows beyond its first page. The summary respects the result's relationship-strength selection and does not run another search.

Working with other connectors

Via supplies network results, relationship evidence and Via workspace actions. Your assistant can combine these with separately authorized CRM, prospecting, call-recorder or messaging connectors. Those connectors own their reads, writes and sends; connecting Via alone does not grant access to them or to your chat history.

Paste company names or domains for a direct query. File-column references require a file already stored in Via with an authorized attachment identifier. They cannot read arbitrary files attached to your assistant's chat.

Teams

The connector starts in the organization you chose when you signed in. Ask for list_teams to see every Team you belong to, including your personal Team; it marks the Team Via is working in. switch_team shows a preview first and switches only after you confirm. The choice persists across sessions and clients for your account. After a switch, every result starts with "Working in Team: ". If you lose membership in the Team you switched to, the switch is dropped and the next result says so once. Reconnecting the connector and picking a different organization does not clear a switch; call switch_team to change it. The Via web app's team selection is separate and is not changed.

Troubleshooting

Connection or account issue: Finish any required Terms/profile steps in Via. Reconnect the custom connector if its authorization has expired or you revoked it. get_authenticated_user shows your signed-in profile; expanded connections may also expose get_mcp_status.
Trial ended: A personal account whose Via trial has ended gets a tool error with code personal_plan_required and a billing link. Subscribe in Via, then retry.
Results still running: Continue reading the same result. Pending or failed work does not mean that your network has no matches.
Invalid inputs: Correct only the named fields, preserve every requested filter and network, and retry once. Use JSON arrays, name_query for a person, companies for employers, person_identifiers for emails or profile URLs, and domains for company domains. Unambiguous corrections are disclosed in structuredContent.coercions and warnings; conflicting inputs need clarification.
Pathways input error: Correct the indicated fields before another call. Copy the returned People result link and selected person row handle exactly; remove unsupported fields. For a Companies result, request People with run_network_query and preserve the original filters and Networks. Do not repeat a permanent error unchanged. If the result has expired, follow its search-again guidance. Temporary retrieval failures stay separate from invalid selections; retry a temporary failure at most once, then stop and report it if it persists.
No exact person match: Check the reported search scope or supply an exact identifier. Searching a broader network or connection degree requires your explicit choice; an empty result does not establish that a person is unknown.
Ambiguous names or Lists: Choose from the authorized candidates rather than guessing. Use read_target_lists to discover a List's exact identifier. Network-name candidates and Target List candidates are different selections.
No interactive table: Use a client with MCP Apps support, or ask for data rows.
Missing relationship evidence: Request it for selected rows or open the person's Pathways. Deferred evidence does not arrive through repeated page reads alone.
Need help: Contact support below with your client and the error message. Do not send access tokens or private network exports.

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Support

Email: help@connectvia.ai
Website: connectvia.ai