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You've heard that Claude can schedule your Instagram posts now. You open Claude, ask it to post a Reel, and nothing happens, because nothing is connected yet. That's the step this guide fixes, and it just got a lot shorter: Planoly is now an official connector in Claude's Connector Directory, so there's no server address to copy and no developer settings to dig through.
Before anything else: this whole workflow runs through Planoly's MCP hub, which is the connector that lets an AI assistant actually act inside your Planoly account instead of just talking about it. Below is the exact setup for the four places business owners are asking about most: Claude, ChatGPT, Claude Code, and the Gemini CLI.
A Planoly account (you can start the setup on any plan) and a login for whichever AI tool you're connecting. For Claude, connectors require a paid plan: Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise. Claude's free plan can't use connectors at all. ChatGPT needs a plan with custom connector support turned on for your workspace. There is nothing to install on your computer for any of these except Claude Code and the Gemini CLI, which assume you're comfortable in a terminal.
This used to be the hardest part of the whole setup. Now it's the easiest. You have two ways in, and both take about a minute.
1. Fastest route: use the direct link. Go to Planoly in the Claude Connector Directory and click Connect. That's the whole first step.
2. Or find it inside Claude. Open Claude (the desktop app is the best experience), go to Settings, then Connectors, search the directory for "Planoly," and click Connect.
3. Log in and approve access. A Planoly login window opens. Sign in with the same email you use for Planoly, then click Allow on the permissions screen. Claude never sees your password, and it only ever acts inside your own workspace.
4. Verify it worked. Start a new chat and ask: "Using Planoly, list my connected channels." If it names your actual channels back to you, you're connected.
Why it works: because Planoly is listed as an official connector, Claude handles the connection details for you. You're approving access through Planoly's own login, the same way you'd sign into any app, instead of pasting technical addresses into advanced settings.
Pro tip: for step-by-step screenshots, the switch into Cowork mode in the desktop app, and the first prompts worth trying, head to Planoly's Claude guide. It walks you from "connected" to "my first week of posts is scheduled."
1. Open Connectors in ChatGPT settings. Choose "Add custom connector" the same way you would for any third-party MCP server.
2. Paste the Planoly server address from your Planoly Integrations page.
3. Authorize with your Planoly login when the browser prompt appears.
4. Verify it worked. Ask: "Show me my Planoly post drafts." A working connection returns real data, not an error about missing permissions.
1. Add the connector via config, not a settings menu. Both of these are command-line tools, so the connector gets added by editing a config file rather than clicking a button. Claude Code uses its MCP settings file; the Gemini CLI uses its own extensions config. Planoly's Integrations page has the exact snippet to paste for each.
2. Restart the session after saving the config so the new connector loads.
3. Verify it worked. Run a prompt like "list my Planoly channels" in each tool. If you see your actual connected accounts, the config was read correctly.
This is one of the most common questions we hear, so it's worth answering plainly. The Gemini CLI works today, using the config method above. The consumer Gemini app and NotebookLM don't currently support custom MCP connectors the way Claude and ChatGPT do, so connecting either of those means writing your own integration against Planoly's API rather than a five-minute setup. For most business owners, that's not a practical option yet. If you're already comfortable in Claude or ChatGPT, start there. And with Planoly now an official Claude connector, Claude is the quickest setup of the bunch.
Most setup problems fall into one of five buckets. Here's what's actually going wrong and how to get past it.
Once any of these tools show your real Planoly data back to you, you're ready for actual work: drafting a week of captions, scheduling a batch of posts, or pulling last month's performance before you plan the next one. If you want the technical detail behind what the connector can and can't do under the hood, Planoly's technical reference covers the full tool list. And if you're already set up with Claude, you can skip the hunting entirely and find Planoly in the Claude Connector Directory.
Do I need a paid plan to connect Planoly to Claude?
On the Claude side, yes. Connectors require a Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise plan. On the Planoly side, you can start the connection from any account.
Do I still need to turn on developer mode in Claude?
No. Planoly is now an official connector in Claude's Connector Directory, so you connect it from Settings, then Connectors (or the direct directory link) with no developer mode and no server address to paste.
How do I know the connection is working?
Start a new chat and ask, "Using Planoly, list my connected channels." If Claude returns your real channels, you're set.
Can I connect more than one AI tool to the same Planoly account?
Yes. Claude, ChatGPT, Claude Code, and the Gemini CLI can all connect to the same Planoly workspace at once.
What do I do if a post keeps getting refused?
Check aspect ratio and length first, then confirm your Instagram account is set to Business or Creator, since that's required for several post types and all analytics.
Once you're connected, the next question is usually "okay, now what do I actually ask it to do." That's exactly what Planoly's Claude guide covers next, from your first prompt to a fully scheduled week.
