1. Overview
MindMap AI is available as a connector for AI assistants, built on the Model Context Protocol (MCP), an open standard that lets AI assistants securely work with external tools. Once connected, you can create, search, view, edit, style, and export the mind maps in your MindMap AI account directly from a conversation in Claude or ChatGPT, and see your maps rendered in the chat as you work.
This article covers what the connector can do, how to connect from each platform, what permissions it uses, how credits work, and how your data is handled.
2. What the Connector Can Do
The same MindMap AI MCP server powers the connector on every platform. Once connected, you can ask your AI assistant to:
Available Actions
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Create a new mind map project from a topic, a brainstorm, notes, or documents you share in the conversation
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List and search your existing mind maps
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View the full canvas of a map and its nodes
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Add, edit, move, reorder, or delete nodes
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Add, edit, or delete relationship arrows (used to build concept maps)
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Add, edit, or delete summary brackets to group ideas
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Rename projects and organize them with categories
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Switch a map between Mind Map, Logic Chart, and Org Chart layouts
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Apply built-in light or dark themes, and customize advanced canvas styles and layouts
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Export a project
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Delete a project
Note: Everything you create or edit through the connector is saved to your MindMap AI account. You can open any map at mindmapai.app to continue editing on the full canvas with complete styling control.
3. Connect from Claude
- In Claude, open the connectors directory and find MindMap AI, or add it from Settings, then Connectors.
- Choose Connect. You will be redirected to MindMap AI to sign in (or create a free account if you do not have one).
- Review the requested permissions and approve the connection. This uses the industry-standard OAuth 2.1 authorization flow; Claude never sees your MindMap AI password.
- Return to Claude and start a conversation. Try: "Create a mind map about the Butterfly Effect."
Tip: To disconnect, remove MindMap AI from Claude's connector settings. You can also revoke the connection from your MindMap AI account settings at any time. Revoking invalidates the connector's access.
4. Connect from ChatGPT
- In ChatGPT, find MindMap AI in the plugin directory and add it, or enable it from your apps settings.
- Choose Connect. You will be redirected to MindMap AI to sign in (or create a free account if you do not have one).
- Review the requested permissions and approve the connection. The same OAuth 2.1 flow is used; ChatGPT never sees your MindMap AI password.
- Return to ChatGPT and start a conversation. Try: "Turn this PDF into a mind map" with a file attached.
Tip: To disconnect, remove MindMap AI from ChatGPT's apps settings. You can also revoke the connection from your MindMap AI account settings at any time. Revoking invalidates the connector's access.
5. Permissions and Scope
The connector can only access mind map projects in the MindMap AI account you authorize. It cannot access your billing details, password, or any other account data outside your maps and their metadata (project names, categories, and structure).
The connector acts only when you ask your AI assistant to do something with your maps. It does not run in the background or access your account outside of an active conversation.
6. Credits and Pricing
- Connecting is free and includes a one-time bonus of credits added to your MindMap AI account so you can start immediately.
- Creating and editing maps through the connector uses AI credits from your MindMap AI account, the same single credit balance used across the MindMap AI web app, mobile apps, and integrations. Credit usage is proportional to the size of the change (larger maps and bigger edits use more credits than small ones).
- Viewing, searching, and exporting your maps through the connector never uses credits. Available export formats depend on your plan, the same as in the web app (every plan includes Markdown and the project file; some formats require a paid plan). These operations are rate-limited to keep the service reliable.
- Manual editing on the MindMap AI canvas is always free, on every plan.
Free accounts include monthly AI credits that renew automatically. Paid subscriptions with larger credit allowances are available at mindmapai.app/pricing. All purchases happen on our website; nothing is sold inside Claude or ChatGPT.
7. Data Handling
- Map content you create or edit through the connector is stored in your MindMap AI account, exactly as if you had created it in the web app. Our Privacy Policy governs all data processing on our side.
- The connector transmits only what is needed to perform the action you requested: the relevant project data and the instruction derived from your conversation.
- Map content sent to AI model providers is processed on our behalf solely to perform the function you requested, as described in our Privacy Policy. We do not use your map content to train AI models.
- Your conversations with Claude or ChatGPT, including any map content shown in the chat, are processed by Anthropic and OpenAI respectively under their own terms and privacy policies. MindMap AI cannot control retention, deletion, or model-training decisions for data held by those platforms. If your organization has data policies covering external AI tools, review them before connecting.
- If you ask to add an image to a node from a public URL, our server fetches that image and stores a copy in your project, the same way image uploads work in the web app.
- Deleting a project through the connector permanently removes it from your workspace, the same as deleting it in the web app. Ask your AI assistant to confirm before deleting anything you may need again. Account deletion is available in your MindMap AI account settings and removes your data in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
- MindMap AI is operated by 3axislabs Inc., a Delaware (USA) corporation. See our Terms of Service.
8. For IT Administrators
Technical Summary
- Protocol: Model Context Protocol (MCP) over HTTPS, served from mindmapai.app.
- Authentication: OAuth 2.1 authorization code flow with per-user consent. No shared secrets or API keys are distributed to end users. Access is revocable per user at any time, from either the AI platform's settings or the user's MindMap AI account.
- Data flow: User-initiated only. The connector reads and writes mind map project data in the authenticated user's MindMap AI account. No access to organizational systems, files, or directories outside MindMap AI.
- Outbound requests: When a user asks to add an image to a node from a public URL, the MindMap AI server fetches that URL and hosts a copy of the image inside the user's project. This is the only case in which the server contacts an external address, and the URL is always user-supplied. No other tool contacts systems outside MindMap AI.
- Rate limiting: Read and export operations never use credits and are rate-limited per account. Write operations are metered through the account's credit balance, which naturally bounds usage. Export format availability follows the user's plan, identical to the web app.
- Support: mindmapai.app/contact or support@mindmapai.app.
Tool reference
The connector exposes the following MCP tools. Read-only tools never modify project content. Tools marked destructive can overwrite or remove existing content. Tools marked external fetch can retrieve user-supplied public image URLs as described above.
| Tool | What it does | Read-only | Destructive | External fetch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| list_projects | Lists and searches the user's projects | Yes | No | No |
| get_canvas | Returns the full canvas of a project | Yes | No | No |
| get_schema | Returns schema reference for tool payloads | Yes | No | No |
| export_project | Returns a project as an inline export | Yes | No | No |
| create_project | Creates a new project, optionally seeded from an outline | No | No | Yes |
| add_nodes | Adds nodes to an existing project | No | No | Yes |
| update_nodes | Edits node topics and attributes | No | Yes | Yes |
| move_nodes | Reparents or reorders nodes (subtrees stay intact) | No | No | No |
| delete_nodes | Deletes selected nodes and their subtrees | No | Yes | No |
| add_arrows | Adds relationship arrows between nodes | No | No | No |
| update_arrows | Edits arrow endpoints, labels, or styling | No | Yes | No |
| delete_arrows | Deletes selected arrows | No | Yes | No |
| add_summaries | Adds summary brackets over sibling nodes | No | No | No |
| update_summaries | Edits summary text, range, or styling | No | Yes | No |
| delete_summaries | Deletes selected summaries | No | Yes | No |
| set_title | Renames a project and updates its categories | No | Yes | No |
| set_theme | Changes the project theme | No | Yes | No |
| set_chart_type | Switches between Mind Map, Logic Chart, and Org Chart | No | Yes | No |
| update_canvas | Applies ordered raw canvas operations (can add, edit, move, restyle, or delete content) | No | Yes | Yes |
| delete_project | Permanently deletes a project from the user's workspace | No | Yes | No |
Note: These flags match the readOnlyHint, destructiveHint, and openWorldHint annotations declared by the MCP server, so what an MCP client displays about each tool corresponds to this table.
9. Troubleshooting
Your AI assistant says it cannot reach MindMap AI
Check that the connector is still connected in the platform's settings (Claude: Settings, Connectors. ChatGPT: apps settings). If the connection has expired or was revoked, reconnect. See also our network troubleshooting guide.
An edit did not apply
Ask the assistant to show the current map first, then repeat the instruction referring to the exact node name. If the problem persists, contact support with the approximate time of the request.
Out of credits
Map creation and edits pause when your credit balance reaches zero; viewing, searching, and exporting continue to work. Credits renew monthly on every plan, or you can upgrade at mindmapai.app/pricing.
Connected the wrong account
Disconnect the connector in the platform's settings, then reconnect and sign in with the correct MindMap AI account.
11. Still Need Help?
If you continue to experience issues with the connector, please contact our support team for assistance. Include which platform you are connecting from (Claude or ChatGPT), what you asked the assistant to do, and the approximate time of the request.