Connect your AI tool to builders.zone

builders.zone runs an MCP server for cohort members. Once your AI tool is connected it can read the cohort path, open any guide or prompt, search all guide text and tick off your progress.

Server address: https://builders.zone/api/mcp (Streamable HTTP).

Sign-in always goes through your own builders.zone account: desktop tools open the builders.zone sign-in page, and cloud agents use a personal token you create while signed in. You need a cohort seat.

Agents: how to connect

If a person asks you to connect to the builders.zone MCP, add https://builders.zone/api/mcp as a remote HTTP MCP server in your own tool using the steps below, then ask them to sign in when the browser opens. If you run in the cloud and can't open a browser, ask them to create a token at https://builders.zone/app/settings/assistant and store it as BUILDERS_ZONE_TOKEN. Once connected, run the start prompt or call bz_cohort_path.

On your computer (sign in through the browser)

Claude (claude.ai, desktop and mobile)

1. Open Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector.
2. Name it builders.zone and paste https://builders.zone/api/mcp.
3. Click Connect, sign in to builders.zone and click Allow.

Claude Code (terminal, VS Code, JetBrains)

1. Run the command below once. (The cohort boilerplate already includes it in .mcp.json, so inside that project you can skip this.)
2. In Claude Code type /mcp, pick builders-zone and sign in in the browser window that opens.
3. Type /builders-zone:start (or say "start builders.zone").

Terminal:

claude mcp add --transport http --scope user builders-zone https://builders.zone/api/mcp

Cursor (desktop app)

1. Open Cursor Settings → Tools & MCP → New MCP server and paste the JSON below. (The cohort boilerplate already includes it in .cursor/mcp.json.)
2. Click Connect (or Needs authentication) next to builders-zone, sign in to builders.zone and click Allow.
3. In the chat, say "start builders.zone".

~/.cursor/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "builders-zone": {
      "url": "https://builders.zone/api/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Codex (CLI and IDE extension)

1. Run both commands below.
2. Sign in to builders.zone in the browser window that opens and click Allow.
3. Say "start builders.zone".

Terminal:

codex mcp add builders-zone --url https://builders.zone/api/mcp
codex mcp login builders-zone

Cloud agents (use a token)

Cloud agents run on a remote machine and can't open a sign-in window, so they use a personal token. Treat it like a password: it acts as you. Revoke it at https://builders.zone/app/settings/assistant if it leaks.

Cursor cloud agents

1. Create a token on builders.zone at Connect AI tool in the builders.zone sidebar (https://builders.zone/app/settings/assistant).
2. In the Cursor dashboard open Cloud Agents → Secrets and add BUILDERS_ZONE_TOKEN with the token as its value.
3. In your repo, set .cursor/mcp.json to the JSON below and push. It names the secret; the token itself never goes in the repo.

.cursor/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "builders-zone": {
      "url": "https://builders.zone/api/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${env:BUILDERS_ZONE_TOKEN}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude Code on the web

1. Create a token on builders.zone at Connect AI tool in the builders.zone sidebar (https://builders.zone/app/settings/assistant).
2. In your Claude Code environment settings add the environment variable BUILDERS_ZONE_TOKEN with the token as its value.
3. In your repo, set .mcp.json to the JSON below and push. It names the variable; the token itself never goes in the repo.

.mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "builders-zone": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://builders.zone/api/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${BUILDERS_ZONE_TOKEN}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Then

Say "start builders.zone" (or run the start prompt). Your tool walks you through: install your tools → get the boilerplate running locally → check your idea → build the first version locally.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Fix
"Authentication URL unavailable for this cloud MCP server" (Cursor)	Cloud agents can't open a sign-in window. Use the Cursor cloud agents steps: a token stored as a secret.
The Connect button does nothing (Cursor)	Click the Needs authentication text instead, or copy the sign-in link from Output → MCP: builders-zone.
"Resources are for cohort members" or a 403	Sign in with the builders.zone account that has your cohort seat.
"Complete onboarding first"	Finish onboarding on builders.zone, then connect again.
Tools stopped working after a while	Disconnect and connect again. With a token: check it is not revoked.