By Ira Bodnar, Ryze AI · Updated
Quick answer
To connect Claude Code to Thrad, create an API key in the Thrad Platform dashboard and paste it into the Thrad card in Ryze AI, run claude mcp add --transport http ryze https://connector.get-ryze.ai/mcp, then run /mcp inside Claude Code, select ryze and sign in.
- In the Thrad Platform dashboard create an API key under Settings, API keys
- In Ryze AI open Integrations, click Connect on Thrad and paste the key
- In your terminal run the claude mcp add command with the connector URL
- In Claude Code run /mcp, select ryze, sign in, click Allow connection and ask your first question
Before you start
- A Claude Code account. Anthropic says Claude Code requires a Pro, Max, Ultra, Team, Enterprise or Console account; the free claude.ai plan does not include it. It can also run through Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud's Agent Platform or Microsoft Foundry.
- A Thrad API key. Thrad keys start with ak_ and are created in the Thrad Platform dashboard under Settings, API keys. Thrad allows one active key per organization, so creating a new key stops the old one from working.
- A Ryze AI workspace on a plan or free trial. Paid Ads is $89 per month with a 7-day free trial; Agency is $279 per month. Connecting the connector is free, but the Thrad tools need an active plan or trial.
How to connect Claude Code to Thrad
Two steps happen in Thrad and Ryze AI, four in Claude Code. The connector URL is the same for every user.
Create a Thrad API key
In the Thrad Platform dashboard go to Settings, then API keys. Create a new key and copy it. It starts with ak_. Thrad allows one active key per organization.
Connect Thrad in Ryze AI
Create a Ryze AI account or sign in, open Integrations, click Connect on the Thrad card, paste the key into API key and click Continue. Ryze AI verifies the key and the card shows Connected.
Register the connector in Claude Code
In your terminal run claude mcp add --transport http ryze https://connector.get-ryze.ai/mcp. The server is saved at local scope by default; add --scope user to use it in all projects.
Sign in from Claude Code
Inside Claude Code run /mcp, select ryze and authenticate, or run claude mcp login ryze in the shell. Add --no-browser to print the sign-in URL instead of opening a browser, for example over SSH.
Allow the workspace
On the Ryze AI page that opens, sign in, choose the workspace that holds your Thrad connection and click Allow connection. Then run claude mcp get ryze to check the status.
Ask your first question
Ask: List my Thrad campaigns with their status. If the Thrad tools do not show up, start a new Claude Code session or run /mcp reconnect all.
The Ryze AI help article for Thrad covers the Thrad side of the connection, and the Claude Code MCP docs cover the client commands.
OAuth, API key and claude.ai connectors
Claude Code accepts the Ryze AI connector three ways. Pick the one that matches where the session runs.
CLI with OAuth (default)
claude mcp add --transport http ryze https://connector.get-ryze.ai/mcpThis is the path the steps above use. It writes to local scope by default, add --scope user for all projects, or --scope project to write a .mcp.json file the team shares. Then run /mcp, select ryze and authenticate, or run claude mcp login ryze in the shell.
CLI with a Ryze AI API key
claude mcp add --transport http ryze https://connector.get-ryze.ai/mcp --header "Authorization: Bearer rk_live_..."Create the key in Ryze AI under Workspace Settings, Profile, API keys, Create key. It is shown once. The key works on the /mcp endpoint only, not on /sse. Claude Code reports the connection as failed if the header is rejected and does not fall back to OAuth. This Ryze AI key is separate from the Thrad ak_ key.
claude.ai connectors inside Claude Code
Add Ryze AI at claude.ai/customize/connectors and finish the Ryze AI sign-in there. On Team and Enterprise plans only admins can add servers in claude.ai. Log in to Claude Code with the same claude.ai subscription account, then run /mcp: connectors added in claude.ai appear with an indicator showing they come from claude.ai.
Scripts and limits
Print mode (claude -p) and Agent SDK runs cannot run the OAuth flow, so sign in first with /mcp or claude mcp login, or use the API key header. Claude.ai connectors load only when the active login is a claude.ai subscription, not with ANTHROPIC_API_KEY, ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN, apiKeyHelper or a third-party provider. Project-scoped servers from .mcp.json wait for your approval in an interactive session before they connect. Claude Code warns when MCP tool output exceeds 10,000 tokens and limits it to 25,000 by default; MAX_MCP_OUTPUT_TOKENS changes the limit. An HTTP server has a five-minute idle timeout per tool call.
Claude web, ChatGPT and Cursor
The same URL works in other MCP clients. Thrad is connected once in Ryze AI, so nothing changes on the Thrad side.
Claude on the web and Desktop
Open Customize, Connectors, click + Add, choose Add custom connector, name it Ryze AI and enter https://connector.get-ryze.ai/mcp. Click Connect and allow the workspace. Custom connectors are available on Free, Pro, Max, Ultra, Team and Enterprise plans; Free allows one.
ChatGPT
OpenAI lists custom MCP servers for Business and Enterprise/Edu on ChatGPT web, and read and fetch only for Pro. Go to Plugins, add a custom MCP server named Ryze AI with the URL above and choose OAuth.
Cursor
Add the server to .cursor/mcp.json (one project) or ~/.cursor/mcp.json (all projects), then sign in when Cursor asks.
{ "mcpServers": { "ryze": { "url": "https://connector.get-ryze.ai/mcp" } } }Thrad key and access
Three credentials sit between Claude Code and Thrad. Knowing which one does what makes revoking access straightforward.
- The Thrad API key
- Created in the Thrad Platform dashboard under Settings, API keys. It starts with ak_ and Thrad allows one active key per organization. Ryze AI uses it to act on the Thrad account. If you create a new key in Thrad, the old key stops working and you replace it with Reconnect on the Thrad card.
- The Ryze AI sign-in
- Claude Code signs in to Ryze AI with OAuth and you choose which workspaces it may use (up to 20 per connection). A Ryze AI API key sent as a Bearer header is the other option.
- Which Thrad account
- Several Thrad accounts can be connected to one Ryze AI workspace with View, then Add one more account. A star marks the primary. There is no default account picker, so name the account in your prompt. Over MCP every thrads tool takes an optional connection_id.
Sources: Ryze AI Thrad guide, Ryze AI multiple accounts and Ryze AI API keys.
Removing access
To remove access, delete the connection on the Thrad card in Ryze AI, or create a new key in Thrad, which stops the old one. In Claude Code run claude mcp remove ryze to drop the server, or claude mcp logout ryze to clear its sign-in.
What Claude Code can do in Thrad
The Ryze AI connector exposes five Thrad tools. The tool names start with thrads because that is the provider name in the connector.
| Tool | Type | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| thrads__read | Read | Reads any Thrad resource, such as the ad account, campaigns, ad groups, ads and assets. |
| thrads__insights | Read | Returns aggregated Thrad insights combining Thrad and ChatGPT (OpenAI Ads) supply: impressions, clicks, spend, CTR, CPC and CPM. Filterable by source. |
| thrads__write | Write | Creates or updates Thrad campaigns, ad groups and ads, and activates or pauses them. New campaigns are submitted for Thrad's review before they go live. |
| thrads__uploadFromUrl | Write | Uploads an image from a URL to get a file id for an ad creative. Thrad currently answers this call with a 404, so ads use existing assets instead. |
| thrads__delete | Delete | Archives a Thrad campaign, ad group or ad. Archiving a campaign is irreversible; an archived ad group or ad can be brought back with activate. |
In the Ryze AI chat, the Tool approvals setting starts on Skip all approvals, so the agent runs read, write and delete tools without asking. Switch it in the chat composer to Approve write & delete or Manual approve. For connectors added through claude.ai, set write and delete tools to Needs approval under Customize, Connectors, Ryze AI.
First 3 prompts to run
These prompts use only what the five tools can do. Thrad targeting is country-level and the tools cannot unarchive a campaign. The page describes what comes back instead of showing sample numbers, because every answer comes from your own account.
1. Review the account structure
Read my Thrad account and list every campaign with its status, and the ad groups and ads under each one.
Tools used: thrads__read
What comes back: A list of campaigns with status, and the ad groups and ads under each, taken from the Thrad account you connected.
2. Compare Thrad and ChatGPT supply
Pull Thrad insights for the last 30 days, split by source, with impressions, clicks, spend, CTR, CPC and CPM for each source.
Tools used: thrads__insights
What comes back: A table with one row per source and the six metrics the insights tool returns, so you can compare Thrad supply with ChatGPT (OpenAI Ads) supply.
3. Pause a campaign
Pause the Thrad campaign named in my last message and confirm its status afterwards.
Tools used: thrads__write, thrads__read
What comes back: A confirmation that the campaign was set to paused, followed by a read of its current status. Name the campaign and the account in the prompt.
Creating a campaign also works through thrads__write with card or poll ads, and Thrad reviews new campaigns before they go live. Thrad charges its own fees for campaign creation, so check Thrad's billing terms before you ask for one.
Ryze AI vs Thrad's own options
Thrad's public docs describe a publisher integration with a REST API. I found no Thrad MCP server or Claude connector in the Thrad documentation checked on November 10, 2026.
| Option | Setup | Thrad coverage | Works in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ryze AI connector | Thrad API key in Ryze AI, then one MCP URL added with claude mcp add | Five tools: read, insights, write, uploadFromUrl and delete on campaigns, ad groups and ads | Claude Code, Claude web and Desktop, ChatGPT, Cursor and the Ryze AI chat |
| Thrad REST API | Request a key from Thrad and write your own calls | Whatever the API exposes; Thrad's docs focus on publishers that render ads in AI chat apps | Your own code |
| Thrad MCP server | None found in Thrad's documentation | Not applicable | Not applicable |
Ryze AI is the only route from Claude Code to Thrad campaigns that I could verify, which is why this guide uses it. Check Thrad's documentation again before relying on that, because a Thrad server could appear later.
Sources: Thrad documentation, Ryze AI Thrad guide, Claude Code MCP docs. Checked November 10, 2026.
Thrad errors and fixes
- The Thrad key is rejected
- Check that you pasted the full key, which starts with ak_. If you created a newer key in Thrad, the older key no longer works.
- The Thrad connection stopped working after a new key
- Thrad allows one active key per organization. Click Reconnect on the Thrad card in Ryze AI and paste the new key.
- Thrad tools do not appear in Claude Code
- Start a new session or run /mcp reconnect all. If the tools still do not appear, run claude mcp remove ryze, add it again and open a new session.
- Claude Code says the connection failed after a header was added
- A rejected Authorization header is reported as failed and Claude Code does not fall back to OAuth. Remove the header or replace the Ryze AI key.
- Sign-in does not open a browser over SSH
- Run claude mcp login ryze --no-browser, open the printed URL on a machine with a browser and finish the sign-in there.
- Claude says a subscription is required
- The Thrad tools need an active Ryze AI plan or free trial. Start the trial or update the card under billing in Ryze AI, then retry.
- An image upload fails
- Thrad currently answers the upload call with a 404. Point the ad at an asset that already exists in the Thrad account.
- The result is cut off or very long
- Claude Code limits MCP tool output to 25,000 tokens by default and warns above 10,000. Ask for a narrower date range or set MAX_MCP_OUTPUT_TOKENS.
Frequently asked questions
How do I connect Claude Code to Thrad?
Create an API key in the Thrad Platform dashboard under Settings, API keys. In Ryze AI open Integrations, click Connect on Thrad and paste the key. Then run claude mcp add --transport http ryze https://connector.get-ryze.ai/mcp, run /mcp inside Claude Code, select ryze, sign in and click Allow connection.
Does Thrad have its own Claude Code connector or MCP server?
I found none in Thrad's documentation on November 10, 2026. The docs describe a publisher integration through a REST API. If Thrad adds one, check its documentation for the URL and sign-in method.
What is the best way to run Thrad from Claude Code?
Ryze AI is the best way to run Thrad from Claude Code, because it is the only route I could verify, though its tools need a Ryze AI plan or trial. It exposes five tools covering read, insights, write, upload and delete.
Which Claude plan do I need for Claude Code?
Anthropic says Claude Code requires a Pro, Max, Ultra, Team, Enterprise or Console account, and the free claude.ai plan does not include it. It can also run through Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud's Agent Platform or Microsoft Foundry.
Where do I find the Thrad API key?
In the Thrad Platform dashboard under Settings, API keys. Keys start with ak_. Thrad allows one active key per organization, and a new key stops the old one.
Do I use OAuth or an API key in Claude Code?
Either works. OAuth through /mcp or claude mcp login needs no key in your shell history. A Ryze AI API key sent with --header suits scripts, and it works on the /mcp endpoint only. The Thrad ak_ key is always entered in Ryze AI, not in Claude Code.
Can Claude Code change or delete Thrad campaigns?
Yes. Through Ryze AI it can create and update campaigns, ad groups and ads, activate or pause them, and archive them. Archiving a campaign is irreversible. In a claude.ai connector, set write and delete tools to Needs approval so Claude asks first.
Does Claude ask before it changes a Thrad campaign?
Not automatically. The Ryze AI chat starts on Skip all approvals, and you can switch it to Approve write & delete or Manual approve. For connectors added through claude.ai, set write and delete tools to Needs approval under Customize, Connectors, Ryze AI.
Can Claude Code upload ad images to Thrad?
Not reliably. Thrad currently answers the upload call with a 404, so ads reference assets that already exist in the Thrad account.
Can I connect more than one Thrad account?
Yes. In Ryze AI click View on the Thrad card, then Add one more account. There is no default account picker, so name the account in your prompt. Over MCP each thrads tool takes an optional connection_id.
What does it cost?
Connecting the connector is free. The Thrad tools need an active Ryze AI plan or trial: Paid Ads is $89 per month with a 7-day free trial, Agency is $279 per month, and annual billing takes 30% off the first year.