Claude Connector

Connect Cardinal to Claude and ask questions about your portfolio in plain language.

Overview

Cardinal can be added to Claude as a connector. Once connected, Claude can look up your properties, units, leases, tenants, rent, issues, files, and messages to answer questions like "Which leases expire in the next 90 days?" or "What open maintenance issues do we have at 12 Main St?"

What to Expect

Read-only

Claude can't change anything in Cardinal, send messages, or act on your behalf. It can only read.

Your access, nothing more

Claude sees only the records you can already see in Cardinal. If a property, folder, or mailbox is off-limits to you, it's off-limits to Claude too.

Always current

Answers are looked up live from Cardinal each time you ask.

Enabled per organization

Connector access has to be turned on for your organization before anyone in it can connect.

Connecting Claude

Add Cardinal in Claude

  1. In Claude, open Settings → Connectors.
  2. Click Add custom connector.
  3. Name it Cardinal and paste this address as the connector URL: {CONNECTOR_URL}
  4. Click Connect. A Cardinal page opens — sign in if you aren't already.
  5. Review the permission screen and click Allow access. You're returned to Claude, ready to ask questions.

The Permission Screen

Before anything is shared, Cardinal shows who is asking and exactly what they'll be able to see. It confirms the account and organization you're continuing as, and the site the connection will return to. It then lists what you're allowing:

  • View your properties and units
  • View leases, tenants, and rent records
  • View maintenance issues and inbox messages
  • View files and documents

Click Allow access to connect, or Cancel to stop — nothing is shared if you cancel.

"MCP access isn't included in your plan"

If you see this screen instead of the permission screen, connector access hasn't been turned on for your organization yet. Nothing was shared. Ask your organization's admin, or contact your Cardinal representative, to have it enabled — then try connecting again.

Disconnecting

  • Remove or disconnect Cardinal at any time from Settings → Connectors in Claude.
  • Signing out of Cardinal everywhere also ends the connection.
  • If connector access is turned off for your organization, existing connections stop working right away.

Tips

  • Be specific — name the property, tenant, or date range you care about
  • If Claude can't find something you expect, check that you can see it in Cardinal; Claude has exactly your access
  • Claude reads your data to answer — double-check figures before relying on them for financial or legal decisions