Connect your AI to AskRentAI.

1. Before you start

You'll need:

• An active AskRentAI tenant. Create one here if you haven't yet.
• Your AskRentAI API token. It starts with rmk_. We emailed it after signup.
• A Rent Manager user with API access. Your regular RM login works if it already has API access enabled. A dedicated user (e.g. askrentai-api) is recommended but not required — see the next section.
• An AI chat client that supports the Model Context Protocol. Claude Desktop is the smoothest; ChatGPT, Gemini, and Grok all work.

2. Rent Manager API user Recommended

This step happens inside Rent Manager, not AskRentAI. You can skip it if you already have an RM login with API access — most people do, and AskRentAI works fine with it. The dedicated-user setup below is the safer pattern; it's a recommendation, not a requirement.

If you want the safer setup (dedicated user)

1. Sign into Rent Manager as an administrator.
2. Create a new user named askrentai-api. First name AskRentAI, last name Integration, any email you control.
3. Set a long random password. Save it somewhere safe.
4. Enable API Access on this new user.
5. Grant read access to Properties, Units, Tenants, Leases, Reports, financial / GL data, and meter reads.

3. Claude Desktop Recommended

The smoothest path — no files to edit, takes about a minute.

1. Install (or update) Claude Desktop from claude.com/download. You need a recent build that shows Connectors in Settings — if yours doesn't, update to the latest version.
2. Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector.
3. Fill in:
   • Name: AskRentAI
   • Server URL: https://api.askrentai.com/mcp
4. Click Save / Connect. A browser window will open at askrentai.com asking you to sign in. Enter your account email and click the one-tap link we email you.
5. Approve the connection on the consent screen. The connector should show Connected within a couple seconds.
6. Open a new chat and type "list my properties" to confirm it works.

4. Claude.ai (web + mobile) Works

Claude on the web (and the iPhone / Android apps) supports AskRentAI directly via the Connectors UI. No bearer token to paste — sign in with your AskRentAI email.

1. In Claude.ai, open Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector.
2. Connector name: AskRentAI.
3. URL: https://api.askrentai.com/mcp
4. Leave the optional OAuth fields blank — Claude will discover them automatically.
5. Click Add. You'll be redirected to askrentai.com to sign in. Enter the email on your AskRentAI account, click the one-tap link we email you, then approve the connection.
6. The connector should show "Connected" right after.

5. ChatGPT Works

ChatGPT Desktop (or the web Connectors UI for Pro / Team accounts) supports MCP. The exact UI changes occasionally — current path as of mid-2026:

1. Open ChatGPT Desktop → Settings → Connectors → Add connector → Custom MCP.
2. Server URL: https://api.askrentai.com/mcp
3. If a browser sign-in window opens, sign in with your AskRentAI email — same one-tap link flow as Claude.ai.
4. If ChatGPT prompts for a static token instead, paste your rmk_ token from signup as the Bearer.

If your ChatGPT tier doesn't expose custom connectors yet, use Claude Desktop or Claude.ai instead — same result.

6. Gemini Works (CLI)

Google's Gemini CLI added MCP support in 2025. The web Gemini app's MCP UI is still rolling out — the CLI is the most reliable path today.

1. Install Gemini CLI: npm install -g @google/gemini-cli (or follow Google's current install instructions).
2. Edit your Gemini CLI config (typically ~/.gemini/config.json). Add an mcpServers entry pointing at https://api.askrentai.com/mcp with your Bearer token, similar to the Claude Desktop block above.
3. Restart any open Gemini sessions.

7. Grok Works

xAI's Grok supports MCP via the Grok app and the xAI API. In the Grok app:

1. Open Settings → Tools / Integrations → Add MCP server.
2. URL: https://api.askrentai.com/mcp
3. If a browser sign-in opens, sign in with your AskRentAI email (same OAuth flow as Claude.ai). Otherwise paste your rmk_ token as the Bearer.
4. Save and reload the chat.

8. Ask your first question

Once connected, type any of these to confirm everything works:

• "list my properties" — quickest smoke test
• "what's my NOI by park last month?" — exercises portfolios + financials
• "show me delinquency aged 30/60/90 across the portfolio" — exercises rent roll + reporting
• "which units are vacant and marketing-ready?" — exercises occupancy

More starter prompts on the first questions page.

9. Troubleshooting

"Tool not found" or the AI doesn't see AskRentAI

Almost always a restart issue. Fully quit and reopen the AI client. Config changes don't reload automatically. On Claude Desktop, that means quit from the menu — closing the window isn't enough.

"401 Unauthorized" or "invalid token"

The bearer token is wrong, expired, or has a typo. Common causes: extra whitespace, missing rmk_ prefix, copy-paste truncation. Try copy-pasting from your welcome email again. If still failing, rotate via POST /admin/tenants/me/rotate-token (or just sign up again with a different email).

"Couldn't reach Rent Manager" on the signup page

Your RM credentials didn't authenticate. Common causes:

• Wrong base URL — confirm by logging into Rent Manager in your browser and copying the URL host.
• API access not enabled on the user — see section 2.
• The Rent Manager API service isn't on your account — contact LCS to add it.
• Wrong location ID — try 1 if you're not sure.

The AI answers with "I don't have access to that data"

Means the chat client isn't actually calling the AskRentAI tools — it's improvising. Check that the AskRentAI connector shows as "connected" in the client. If it does, try asking more directly: "Use the AskRentAI tools to list my properties."

Still stuck

Email brian@askrentai.com. Include the AI client you're using, the exact error message, and (if you have one) a screenshot. Replies usually within a day.