How do I connect ChatGPT or Claude to the Pickcel MCP server?

The Pickcel MCP server exposes your Pickcel digital signage account to AI agents (ChatGPT, Codex, Claude, Gemini and any other client that speaks the Model Context Protocol) as a set of callable tools. Instead of clicking through the console, you can ask an agent in plain language to list your screens, generate a design, upload media, build a composition, schedule content, or push an urgent Quickplay.

The Pickcel MCP server is available on the Business plan. If APIs doesn’t appear under Settings, your account isn’t on the Business plan yet.

What you can do

Once connected, an agent working on your behalf can:

Upload a new image or video straight into your media library from a local file
Find your screens, media, layouts, compositions, templates, and schedules
Create a layout, or reuse an existing one, and build a composition from your media
Push an immediate Quickplay to one or more screens
Create recurring daily schedules and assign them to screens
Build advanced schedules that play only on specific dates
Generate a signage design (a poster, greeting, or promo) and hand you an editor link to review it

It cannot delete anything yet. Deleting is planned for an upcoming release, so don’t rely on it for anything destructive today.

Set up the Pickcel MCP server

Generate the API key or token

In the Pickcel console, open Settings → APIs, then click Generate Token under Authentication Token.

API Documentation card with Open Documentation button in Pickcel Settings

Copy it immediately. You’ll need it for the MCP connection command below, and once you close the page it’s shown only in masked form.

Authentication Token section showing a masked API token in Pickcel Settings

Your token gives full access to your account. Keep it private. If you regenerate it, the old token stops working immediately, so update it in your AI app too.

Add Pickcel to your AI app

ChatGPT
Claude.ai app
Claude Code (CLI)
Codex CLI

In the ChatGPT app, open Settings → Plugins, select the MCPs tab, and click Add → Connect to a custom MCP.

Name: Pickcel-Digital-Signage
Type: Streamable HTTP
URL: https://signage.pickcel.com/v5.1/mcp
Under Headers, add:
- Key: Authorization
- Value: Bearer <token>
Click Save.

Connect to a custom MCP form in ChatGPT with the Pickcel name, Streamable HTTP type, URL, and Authorization header

In the Claude app (web or desktop), open Settings → Connectors and click Add.

Connectors page in Claude settings with the Add button

Enter the name Pickcel-Digital-Signage and the URL https://signage.pickcel.com/v5.1/mcp, then click Continue.

Add custom connector dialog with the Pickcel-Digital-Signage name and server URL

Under Authentication, select No sign-in. Under Request headers, choose authorization and enter Bearer <token> as the value, then click Add.

No sign-in authentication selected and an authorization request header added

Click Connect.

Pickcel-Digital-Signage connector page with the Connect button

Under Tool permissions, choose when Claude can use Pickcel’s tools. Every tool starts on Needs approval. Change all tools at once from the dropdown, or set each tool individually.

Permission dropdown with Always allow, Needs approval, Blocked, and Custom options

On a Team or Enterprise plan, an organization owner must add the connector before members can use it.

Run this in a terminal, replacing <token> with the token you copied:

claude mcp add --transport http --scope user pickcel-digital-signage \
  https://signage.pickcel.com/v5.1/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer <token>"

Codex reads the token from an environment variable. Set it to the token you copied, without the Bearer prefix. Add the line to your shell profile (for example ~/.zshrc) so it’s set in every terminal:

export PICKCEL_API_TOKEN="<token>"

Then register the server:

codex mcp add pickcel-digital-signage \
  --url https://signage.pickcel.com/v5.1/mcp \
  --bearer-token-env-var PICKCEL_API_TOKEN

Verify the connection

ChatGPT
Claude.ai app
Claude Code (CLI)
Codex CLI

In Settings → Plugins → MCPs, pickcel-digital-signage shows under Servers with its toggle on.

MCPs tab in ChatGPT settings with pickcel-digital-signage enabled

In Settings → Connectors, Pickcel-Digital-Signage shows a checkmark under Status.

Pickcel-Digital-Signage listed as a connected custom connector in Claude

Start claude and run /mcp. pickcel-digital-signage should show as connected.

Start codex and run /mcp. pickcel-digital-signage should show as connected, with its tools.codex mcp list only confirms the server is saved. It shows the server as enabled even when the token is missing or wrong.

Start prompting

Ask in plain language, for example “List my screens” or “Build a composition from my recent media.” See Example prompts for more.

In the ChatGPT app, use Pickcel from Codex, not ChatGPT. Switch to Codex from the menu at the top left before you start prompting.

For example, this prompt in Codex generated an image, built a composition from it, and scheduled it for weekends:

Codex selected in the ChatGPT app, with a prompt that generated an image, built a composition, and scheduled it

The new composition in the Pickcel console:

Happy Weekend composition created by the agent in the Pickcel console

And its weekend schedule:

Happy Weekend advanced schedule playing every Saturday and Sunday in the Pickcel Schedule View

Example prompts

Fill in the bracketed values and paste the prompt into your agent.

Generate an image and play it on a screen

Generate an image of [description], upload it to my media library, build a
composition on the [layout name/orientation] layout using it, and Quickplay
it on [screen name].

Needs an agent that can generate images itself. Tested end to end in Codex.

Build a composition

List my layouts, then build a composition on the [N]-zone [landscape/portrait]
one. Loop [media names] at [X] seconds each in [zone name], and show
[image name] in [zone name].

Play something right now

Play composition '[name]' on [screen name] today from [start time] to
[end time].

Daily rotation

Create a daily schedule that plays [content A] from [time]-[time] and
[content B] from [time]-[time], and assign it to [screen name].

Play on specific dates

Schedule '[composition name]' to play on [date]-[date] and [date]-[date],
mornings [time]-[time] and evenings [time]-[time].

Move a screen to another schedule

Move [screen name] from schedule '[A]' to schedule '[B]'.

Generate a design

Create a [portrait/landscape] [greeting/promo/announcement] design for
[occasion/offer], brand colour [hex], saying "[exact words]".

Give the exact wording up front. The agent won’t invent prices, dates, or offers.

Upload media

Upload [file path] to my media library[, in folder '[folder name]'].

Available tools

Your agent picks the right tools on its own. You don’t need to name them in your prompts.

Area	Tool	What it does
Screens & media	`list_screens`	List the screens in your account
	`list_media`	Find images, videos, and PDFs in your media library
	`begin_media_upload`	Start uploading a new image or video
	`save_media`	Finish an upload and add the file to your media library
Layouts & compositions	`list_layouts`	Browse Pickcel’s default layouts and your saved layouts
	`get_layout`	Read the zones in a layout
	`create_layout`	Save a new layout
	`list_compositions`	Find existing compositions
	`create_composition`	Build a composition from a layout and your media
Templates & designs	`list_templates`	Browse published design templates
	`get_template`	Get one template
	`use_template`	Create a media file from a template
	`get_design_guide`	Read the rules for creating a design
	`get_design_template`	Read a template’s canvas so it can be adapted
	`validate_design`	Check a design for problems before saving it
	`create_design`	Save a new design and return an editor link
	`get_design`	Read a saved design
	`update_design`	Save a new version of a design
Scheduling & playback	`list_day_partitions`	Find Day Sequences (reusable time-slot plans)
	`create_day_partition`	Create a Day Sequence
	`update_day_partition`	Edit a Day Sequence
	`list_schedules`	Find active, upcoming, or expired schedules
	`create_schedule`	Schedule Day Sequences over a date range
	`update_schedule`	Change a schedule’s dates, content, or screens
	`assign_schedule_to_screens`	Choose which screens play a schedule
	`push_quick_play`	Play a composition on screens right away, for a set time

Good to know

Your account only. The agent can only see and change content in the account your token belongs to.
One schedule per screen. Assigning a schedule to a screen replaces the schedule it was playing.
Quickplay takes over. It interrupts whatever the selected screens are playing until its time window ends.
Shared Day Sequences. Editing a Day Sequence changes every schedule that uses it.
Uploads need file access. The agent must be able to read the file, whether it’s on your computer or an image it generated. Some hosted agents can’t.
Designs are text, shapes, and colour. Generated designs don’t include photos. Add images in the editor using the link the agent returns.

Troubleshooting

The server doesn't connect or shows an auth error

Check the token was copied in full, with no extra spaces.
Confirm your account is on a Business plan.
In the Claude app, make sure Authentication is set to No sign-in.
In ChatGPT, make sure Type is set to Streamable HTTP, and that you’re prompting from Codex, not ChatGPT.
In the Codex CLI, if Codex reports MCP startup failed:
- Environment variable PICKCEL_API_TOKEN ... is not set: set the variable in the terminal you start codex from.
- Auth required: the token is wrong, or it includes the Bearer prefix. Set PICKCEL_API_TOKEN to the token only.
Still failing? Generate a new token and reconnect with it. See the next entry.

I regenerated my token and the connection stopped working

A new token replaces the old one immediately, so any AI app still using the old token loses its connection. Update each one:Claude.ai app: a connector’s saved header can’t be edited. Delete the Pickcel-Digital-Signage connector in Settings → Connectors, then add it again with the new token.Claude Code: claude mcp add doesn’t overwrite an existing server. Remove it, then add it again:

claude mcp remove pickcel-digital-signage --scope user
claude mcp add --transport http --scope user pickcel-digital-signage \
  https://signage.pickcel.com/v5.1/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer <new-token>"

A Claude Code session that’s already open keeps the old connection. Run /mcp in it, or start a new session.Codex CLI: update PICKCEL_API_TOKEN in your shell profile, then open a new terminal and start codex again.

The agent says Templates aren't enabled

Templates is a paid module that isn’t enabled on your account. The agent can still create designs from scratch.

A schedule isn't playing on the dates I expected

Open the schedule in the console’s Advanced Schedule calendar to see exactly which dates it covers. If they’re wrong, ask the agent to rebuild it as an advanced schedule for those dates.

A composition looks wrong on the screen

If it plays black, blank, or at the wrong size, contact Pickcel support instead of asking the agent to recreate it.

A Quickplay won't stop

The agent can’t stop a Quickplay. Delete it from the console under Publish → Quickplay, or wait for its time window to end. See Quickplay.

API Integration

Manage the API token your agent connects with.

Compositions

Layouts, zones, and compositions in the console.

Quickplay

View or delete Quickplays, including ones your agent started.

Advanced Schedule

Review schedules your agent created in the calendar view.

Getting Started

Guides

How do I connect ChatGPT or Claude to the Pickcel MCP server?

What you can do

Set up the Pickcel MCP server

Example prompts

Available tools

Good to know

Troubleshooting

API Integration

Compositions

Quickplay

Advanced Schedule

​What you can do

​Set up the Pickcel MCP server

​Example prompts

​Available tools

​Good to know

​Troubleshooting

​Related guides

API Integration

Compositions

Quickplay

Advanced Schedule

What you can do

Set up the Pickcel MCP server

Example prompts

Available tools

Good to know

Troubleshooting

Related guides