Connecting Claude Cowork to PR Tracker
This guide walks you through connecting Claude Cowork to PR Tracker so you can start managing your PR pipeline through natural conversation.
What is MCP?
MCP (Model Context Protocol) is a standard that lets AI agents like Claude Cowork use external tools. When you connect PR Tracker as an MCP server, Cowork gains the ability to create contacts, manage your pipeline, search your data, and more — all through plain language requests.
You don't need to learn any commands. Just tell Cowork what you need, and it calls the right tools behind the scenes.
Step 1: Get Your API Key
Before you can connect, you need an API key. This is generated by an admin on your team using the create_agent_key tool in PR Tracker.
If you are the admin, you can generate a key using Claude Code:
"Create a new agent key for Claude Cowork named 'Cowork - [Your Name]'"
The tool will return an API key. Save it somewhere safe — it won't be shown again.
If someone else manages PR Tracker, ask them to create a key for you.
Step 2: Add the MCP Server in Cowork
- Open Claude Cowork
- Go to Settings (gear icon)
- Find the MCP Servers section
- Click Add Server
- Enter the following details:
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | PR Tracker |
| Server URL | https://pr-tracker-mcp.catenalabs.workers.dev/mcp |
| Authentication | Bearer Token |
| Token | Your API key from Step 1 |
The API key is sent as a Bearer token in the Authorization header. Cowork handles this automatically once you enter it in the settings.
- Click Save or Connect
Cowork will connect to the server and load the available tools. You should see a confirmation that PR Tracker tools are available.
Step 3: Start Using PR Tracker
You're connected. Now just talk to Cowork naturally. Here are some things to try:
Explore your data
- "Show me our pipeline"
- "What outlets do we have in the system?"
- "Give me a background on Sarah Chen"
- "What's the latest with our Forbes opportunity?"
Add new records
- "Add TechCrunch as a tier 1 outlet with a website channel"
- "Create a contact: Sarah Chen, senior reporter at TechCrunch, sarah.chen@techcrunch.com"
- "Start a new opportunity to pitch our Q2 launch to TechCrunch"
Manage the pipeline
- "Move the TechCrunch opportunity to 'pitched'"
- "Set the next action on the Bloomberg pitch to 'Send follow-up email' due Thursday, owned by Adam"
- "What next actions are overdue?"
- "Show me all opportunities in the 'responded' stage"
Log activity
- "Log a note: had a call with Sarah Chen today, she's interested in the AI angle for the story"
- "Record coverage: TechCrunch published our story at https://techcrunch.com/..."
Search
- "Search for anything related to 'product launch'"
- "Find all contacts at Forbes"
- "What coverage have we gotten in the last 30 days?"
Troubleshooting
"Unable to connect to server"
- Double-check the server URL:
https://pr-tracker-mcp.catenalabs.workers.dev/mcp - Make sure you don't have a trailing slash or extra spaces
- Check your internet connection
"Authentication failed" or "Unauthorized"
- Verify your API key is correct — it should be the full key string, not the key ID
- Check with your admin that the key hasn't been revoked
- Make sure the key is entered as a Bearer token, not as a basic auth password
"No tools available" after connecting
- Try disconnecting and reconnecting the server
- Close and reopen Cowork
- If the issue persists, the server may be temporarily down — try again in a few minutes
Cowork says it can't find a record you know exists
- PR Tracker excludes archived records by default. Try asking: "Search for [name] including archived records"
- Try different search terms — the record might be named slightly differently than you expect
General tips
- Be specific when creating records. Include names, titles, email addresses, and outlet associations.
- When in doubt, ask Cowork to search first before creating something new — this avoids duplicates.
- If Cowork seems confused, try rephrasing your request more directly: "Use the create_contact tool to add..."