Connecting Claude to Your Midnight Data Follow

How to set up the Midnight MCP Server so Claude can answer questions about your orders, customers, and estimates, etc. — or work with your Midnight data directly, the way an API would.

What Is This?

The Midnight MCP Server is a secure connection that lets an AI assistant — like Claude — talk directly to the same Midnight API your business may already be using. There are two ways to think about it:

• As a plain-English report builder — ask a question instead of running a report or clicking through screens.
• As another way to reach the Midnight API — if you already think in terms of API access, this gives Claude that same reach, guided by your instructions instead of code.

Either way, whatever the Midnight API can do, Claude can do on your behalf — based on what you ask it to do. “MCP” (Model Context Protocol) is just the name for this standard, secure way of connecting an AI assistant to a business system. You don’t need any coding or technical skills to use it, and Claude only sees and acts on data your own Midnight login already has access to.

What Can You Do With It?

Asking questions instead of running a report

You can ask Claude questions about your Midnight data the same way you’d ask a coworker. A few real examples from testing:

You ask: Give me a breakdown of orders for the last 3 months for customer 24x7.
Claude answers with: 42 orders totaling $944,748.32 across June–September, broken down by month, plus the largest individual orders and their order numbers.

You ask: What are my 5 most recent orders?
Claude answers with: A simple list with order number, date, customer, dollar amount, project name, and status — no need to open Midnight or run a report.

Other things you might ask about include:

• Order and estimate details, history, and status
• Customer information and order activity
• Job cost summaries and logged service time
• Totals, trends, and comparisons across a date range — without building a report yourself

Because you’re asking in everyday language, you don’t need to know Midnight’s field names, report screens, or filters. Claude figures out what to look up and gives you a clear answer.

Making changes — the same things you could do through the API

Claude isn’t limited to answering questions. Because it’s talking to the same Midnight API you may already use, you can also ask it to create or update records directly. For example:

You ask: Create a new estimate for customer 24 X 7 Signs for a postcard mailing.
Claude will: Claude fills in the estimate details from the conversation, shows you exactly what it's about to create, and asks you to confirm before it saves anything.

You ask: Update the reorder point on inventory item ABC-100 to 500 units.
Claude will: Claude updates that inventory item in Midnight — again, confirming the change with you before it saves anything.

Other changes you might ask Claude to make include:

• Creating a new order or estimate
• Updating an order's status, dates, or shipping details
• Adding a new customer or contact
• Adding a new inventory item or updating an existing one
• Logging service time or job cost detail

Not sure exactly what's possible? Once you're connected, click on the Midnight connector in Claude to see the full list of tools it has access to — everything from simple lookups to the actions above. More on managing that list in Keeping It Safe, below.

Before You Begin

You’ll need:

• Api access enabled on your Midnight account. This is a paid add-on — if you're not sure whether you have it, contact Print Reach support to get it set up.
• Access to Print Reach Central (PRC) — the same account portal you already use to manage orders, estimates, and customers.
• A Claude account (claude.ai, or the Claude desktop or mobile app).
• Your Midnight domain name (the same one you use to log in normally).

How this works

Claude can both look things up and make changes in Midnight — like creating an estimate or updating an order. It isn't limited to read-only actions. Before it uses a tool for the first time in a conversation, Claude shows you exactly what it's about to do and asks you to confirm — read that prompt carefully, especially for anything that changes or removes data.

One connector at a time

Claude’s free plan allows only one custom connector total. If Claude already has a connector added for you (for example, one your company set up), you may need to remove it first, or use a paid Claude plan.

Setting It Up

Step 1: Generate an API key in PRC

1. Log in to Print Reach Central (PRC).
2. Go to your User Profile, then select View Profile.
   
3. Select the Api Keys tab.
4. Click Generate Keys.
   
5. Choose the environment (your live/production site) and the Midnight product name for your account. 
   
6. Don't skip this step! Copy and save the key somewhere safe right away. Once you navigate away from the page, you won’t be able to view it again — you’d need to generate a new one.
   

Step 2: Add the Midnight connector in Claude (screenshots are from a free Claude account)

1. Go to claude.ai and open Customize, then Connectors.
2. Click the Add button to add a custom connector.
   
3. Enter this address: https://mcpapi.vsmidnight.com/mcp
   
4. Select the Authentication and OAuth options. When you add the connector, Claude may display a few sign-in and authentication options. For the Midnight MCP Server, simply use the default choices Claude detects automatically:
   • Authentication - Select Sign in now. This means Claude will ask you to log in before it can access any Midnight data or tools. Because Midnight data is tied to your account, signing in up front is required.
   • OAuth client - Select Use Claude's published identity. This is the standard option recommended by Claude. It allows Claude to securely complete the sign-in process with Midnight without requiring you to create or manage any additional credentials.
     
5. Click Add. This adds the connector to your list but doesn’t connect it yet.

Step 3: Log in to connect it to your data

1. Click Connect next to the connector you just added.

This opens a sign-in screen for Midnight. Enter:

• Domain — your Midnight domain name
• Email — the email address you normally use to log in
• Api Key — paste in the Api Key you generated in Step 1 (not your regular Midnight password)

Once you sign in, Claude will confirm the connection is active.

Step 4: Start asking questions

That’s it — open a new conversation in Claude and ask about your Midnight data in your own words. If Claude doesn’t find what you’re looking for on the first try, rephrase the question or add more detail (a customer name, order number, or date range), just like you would when asking a coworker for help.

Keeping It Safe

Claude only sees and can act on the data your own Midnight login is allowed to reach — it doesn’t give you any extra access. Beyond that, you're in control of exactly what it's allowed to do:

• Click on the Midnight connector in Claude (Customize > Connectors) to see the full list of tools it can use — for example, looking up an order versus creating a new one.
• From that list, you can turn individual tools on or off, and choose whether Claude should ask you to confirm every time it uses a tool, or just go ahead automatically.
• A good starting point: let simple lookups (searching orders, customers, estimates) run without asking each time, and keep confirmation on for anything that changes or removes data.
• If you ever need to revoke access entirely, delete the Api Key in PRC (User Profile > View Profile > Api Keys) and remove the connector in Claude.
• Keep your Api Key private — treat it like a password.

Need Help?

If you run into trouble connecting, or Claude’s answers don’t look right, contact our support department for assistance.