# Creating and connecting your agent

Source: https://listplus.ai/en/help/ai-agents-api/api-connection-setup
Last updated: 2026-09-28

## Create the connection

You need to be the workspace owner or an admin. Open the list, click **More** in the list header, then **Automation**. Click **Set up agent access** (or **Add API Endpoint** if the list already has one) — it's created immediately, no form to fill in. The success screen shows your **API URL** and a **Quick Start** snippet; click **Done** to go to the connection's Overview.

You can always find the URL again on the connection's Overview tab.

## Give the URL to an AI

On the **Overview** tab, the **API Access** card has a **Copy AI instruction** button. It copies a ready-made instruction plus your URL:

> "This is an open REST API (no authentication required). Start by fetching the URL below — it returns the full schema, available columns, actions, filter syntax, and usage instructions as JSON. Read and understand the response thoroughly before doing anything else."

Paste that into Claude (any paid plan), Google Gemini, Cursor/Windsurf/Cline, VS Code with GitHub Copilot, or any other assistant that can fetch a URL — it reads the schema on its own and starts working. The same card also lists a few example prompts you can copy, such as "add 3 test records" or "find LinkedIn URLs for every person missing one."

## Connect ChatGPT (MCP)

ChatGPT doesn't take a plain URL the way Claude does — it connects through MCP instead. On the Overview tab, open the **MCP Server (ChatGPT)** card and copy the **MCP URL**. The card shows the path in ChatGPT (currently Settings → Connectors → Developer Mode → Create). ChatGPT's menus and plan availability can change, so check ChatGPT's own help if they differ.

## Connect Claude Desktop, Claude Code, or another MCP client

Any MCP-compatible client can use the same MCP URL from the Overview tab — add it as a custom MCP server in that client's settings. For a plain chat conversation in Claude, you don't need MCP at all: pasting the REST URL and instruction above is enough.

## Code samples

The **Code Examples** card on the Overview tab has ready-made snippets in **curl**, **Python**, **JavaScript**, **Zapier**, **Make** and **n8n** — each one shows a discovery `GET` call followed by a `POST` with `{"action": "add_records", "records": [...]}`, using your actual URL and up to your first few column names as example fields. Copy the tab you need.

## Cost of setting up and connecting

None. Creating the connection, copying URLs or code, and an agent's first discovery call are all free — only the actions it goes on to perform that cost credits in the app (enrichment, paid research) are billed, at the same rate. See "[What agent actions cost and how they're secured](https://listplus.ai/en/help/ai-agents-api/api-costs-and-security)."

**Related topics:** api-connection-overview · api-permissions · api-costs-and-security · zapier-make-n8n.

## FAQ

### How do I create an API connection for a list?

As the workspace owner or an admin, open the list, click More in the list header, then Automation, and click Set up agent access (or Add API Endpoint if one already exists). It's created instantly — no setup form — and the next screen shows your API URL and a quick-start snippet.

### What is the "Copy AI instruction" button for?

It copies a ready-made instruction plus your connection's URL in one click, worded so you can paste it straight into Claude, Gemini, Cursor or a similar assistant — the AI fetches the URL itself, reads the schema, and starts working from there.

### How do I connect ChatGPT to my list?

ChatGPT uses the MCP URL, not the plain API URL: open the MCP Server (ChatGPT) card on the Overview tab and copy the MCP URL. The card shows the current path in ChatGPT's own menus (Settings → Connectors → Developer Mode → Create) — check ChatGPT's own help if that's changed.

### Can I connect Claude Desktop or another MCP tool instead of pasting the URL into a chat?

Yes — the same MCP URL from the Overview tab works as a custom MCP server in Claude Desktop, Claude Code, or any other MCP-compatible client, in addition to pasting the plain REST URL into a Claude chat.

### Do you provide code examples for building something custom?

Yes. The Code Examples card on the Overview tab has ready-to-copy snippets in curl, Python, JavaScript, Zapier, Make and n8n, each showing how to read the schema and add a record with your actual URL and column names filled in.

### What happens if I lose the API URL?

Open the list's Automation panel and select the connection — the Overview tab's API Access card shows the same URL again, with a copy button, for as long as the connection exists. If the connection itself was deleted, there's no way to recover its old URL; create a new connection to get a new one.