LearnUpon's MCP (Model Context Protocol) server lets you connect your reporting data to the AI tool of your choice. Ask questions and run reports through Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini or any other MCP-compatible client.
Availability: new LearnUpon pricing plans only. This feature is not available on legacy plans
Contact your Customer Success Manager to discuss your plan, and get access to new features.
MCP overview: the open standard for AI tools
Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that gives AI tools a consistent, secure way to connect to external data and services. Instead of a custom integration for every AI tool, MCP defines 1 protocol they can all use reliably.
Any MCP connection includes 3 components:
- the AI tool (host), aka the assistant you're chatting with, like Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini
- the MCP client is built into the AI tool and translates your questions into standard MCP requests
- the MCP server, in this instance LearnUpon's server, which shares your reporting data and tells the client what the client can access
All AI tools use the same protocol, so connecting LearnUpon typically works the same way for all of them. See Connect your AI tool elsewhere in this article.
Choose an AI tool that works for your organization
The MCP server behaves the same way regardless of which AI tool connects to it. The main differences are in how each tool handles authentication and where you go to add a custom connector.
Note: currently, LearnUpon's MCP server is read-only for all clients. It can run and export reports, but it cannot create, change, or delete anything in your portal.
Availability: what customers can do with MCP and LearnUpon
MCP can support Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, and other MCP-compatible tools including Cursor, Windsurf, and custom agents.
Currently access through MCP is read-only, for reporting data only. Capabilities can expand over time as LearnUpon develops this feature. The MCP server exposes the following reports and tools.
Reports you can run
- Progress report: enrollment and completion status across users and courses that you filter by user, course, group, status, date range, or overdue flag
- Skills report: skill proficiency per user, skill gaps, verification status, and how the skill was assigned
- Learning credits report: CPD/credit accumulation including credit type, amount earned, target, and remaining balance
See:
- Reports: overview and setup
- Reports: advanced report types and filters reference
- Reports: create an advanced report
What you can ask: sample prompts
Once connected, the same questions work across every AI tool. The MCP server, rather than the AI tool, understands LearnUpon's data and provides answers.
Reporting questions
“Who hasn't completed Anti-Bribery training? Group by team, ranked by how overdue they are.”
“Give me a full picture of training completion across all departments this quarter.”
“Who's certified, who's in progress, and whose Food Safety certification expires in the next 90 days?”
Cross-system questions, where you connect other tools to the same AI assistant
“Do reps who finished enablement training close deals at a higher rate?” (LearnUpon + CRM)
“Which onboarding content drives the fastest time to productivity?” (LearnUpon + HRIS)
Agentic tasks
“Find at-risk learners, then draft a reminder message for each of their managers.”
“Build a one-page training summary I can use in my next leadership review.”
Usage limits
The same limits apply no matter which AI tool you connect.
If you hit a usage limit, contact your Customer Success Manager to discuss options.
| Limit | Value |
|---|---|
| API requests | 300/min, 500,000/week |
| Rows per request | Up to 50,000 |
| Filters per query | Up to 3 |
| Columns per query | Up to 20 |
Access permissions for setting up MCP with your AI tools
Your Customer Success Manager needs to turn on access to the MCP server before you can set it up.
- admins with full portal permissions: can set up OAuth credentials or bearer token clients to connect the server and your AI tools
- admins with limited portal settings: can run reports and handle queries related to learner data
- managers with correct permissions: can run their own reports. Each admin or manager authorizes the connection individually
The LearnUpon admin who sets up the integration requires admin or owner-level access to to your AI tool. Claude Team/Enterprise, ChatGPT Team/Enterprise, Google Workspace admin for Gemini typically manage connectors at an organization level.
One-time setup requirements
Every AI tool needs the same core setup details, but setup depends on the AI software.
Note: for OAuth 2.0, PKCE (Proof Key for Code Exchange), aka "pixie", is required on your portal before an OAuth connection can work.
Ask your Customer Success Manager to confirm you have this option as part of the OAuth 2.0 feature.
-
MCP server URL:
https://yourportal.learnupon.com/reporting/mcp - Authentication method: OAuth 2.0 for most tools, or a Bearer token, for tools without OAuth 2.0
- OAuth Client ID / Secret: Generated in LearnUpon
- PKCE: Required for OAuth connections. Turn on both the LearnUpon app and the AI tool
See:
Generate your LearnUpon credentials: one-time step for all tools
Follow the instructions from Use OAuth 2.0 to connect applications to LearnUpon to:
- set up an app for the AI tool. The App URL is your portal URL, and Redirect URL depends on your AI tool
- copy the Client ID and Secret key
Note: If your AI tool authenticates with a Bearer token instead of OAuth, ask your Customer Success Manager or the Support team to issue one for your portal rather than creating an OAuth app.
Connect your AI tool
Each AI tool follows the same 3 steps:
- provide your LearnUpon MCP server URL
- authenticate
- verify the connection
The exact in-app steps belong to each AI tool and can change without notice. Confirm these example steps with the AI software documentation for the most recent instructions.
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Connect to Claude
Requirements
- Authentication: OAuth 2.0 for Team, Enterprise, Pro, or Max
- your MCP server URL
https://yourportal.learnupon.com/reporting/mcp - your OAuth Client ID and Client Secret
- PKCE turned on for your portal
- Set your LearnUpon OAuth app's Redirect URL to
https://claude.ai/api/mcp/auth_callback
See Claude's custom connectors documentation.
Verify
Ask Claude “What can you do with the LearnUpon connector?”
Note: Claude Desktop (vs claude.ai) connects via a Bearer token, with no OAuth, and works on any Claude plan.
Ask your Customer Success Manager or the Support team for a Bearer token.
See Connect to other MCP-compatible tools elsewhere in this article.
Connect to ChatGPT
Requirements
- Authentication: OAuth 2.0 for Team or Enterprise - confirm with your AI software provider
- your MCP server URL:
https://yourportal.learnupon.com/reporting/mcp - your OAuth Client ID and Client Secret
- the Redirect URL ChatGPT's connector setup screen shows you
The exact steps to add a custom connector in ChatGPT change from time to time, so for the current in-app instructions, see OpenAI's connectors documentation for ChatGPT.
Verify
Ask ChatGPT “What LearnUpon tools do you have available?”
Connect to Gemini
- Authentication: Bearer token for Google Workspace
- your MCP server URL
https://yourportal.learnupon.com/reporting/mcp - a Bearer token: Ask your Customer Success Manager or the Support team for a Bearer token for your portal, since Gemini connects via token rather than OAuth
The exact steps to add a custom connector in Gemini change from time to time, so for the current in-app instructions, see Google's MCP connector documentation.
Verify
Ask Gemini “What can you retrieve from the LearnUpon connector?”
Connect to other MCP-compatible tools
Check whether your tool supports OAuth 2.0 with PKCE or a static Bearer token. Most MCP clients like Cursor, Windsurf, and custom-built agents support one or both.
- Authentication: OAuth 2.0 or Bearer token, depending on the tool
- For OAuth 2.0 tools: create a LearnUpon OAuth app as above, using the Redirect URL your tool provides during its own setup
- For Bearer token based tools: Ask your Customer Success Manager or the Support team for a Bearer token for your portal
Follow your tool's own documentation for the exact steps.
Verify
Ask your AI tool “What tools are available from the LearnUpon MCP server?”
MCP server setup: troubleshooting
Note: currently, LearnUpon's MCP server is read-only for all clients. It can run and export reports, but it cannot create, change, or delete anything in your portal.
Most issues that occur during setup are about credentials and permissions. These issues can include:
- “Invalid client” or credentials rejected: re-check the Client ID and Secret (or Bearer token). If in doubt, rotate the Secret key in LearnUpon and update it in your AI tool
- Can't find the OAuth page in LearnUpon: confirm your admin has full portal admin permissions
- Connection drops and asks you to reconnect: check to see if you used the 1 Hour token expiry. Recreate the OAuth app with a 1 Year expiry if your security policy allows
OAuth-specific (Claude, ChatGPT, and other OAuth clients)
- Authorization fails or loops back: check the Redirect URL in your LearnUpon OAuth app matches your AI tool's callback URL exactly, with no trailing characters or spaces
- Authorization fails even though credentials look correct: confirm PKCE is turned on both in your AI tool's settings and on your LearnUpon OAuth app
- Can't add a custom connector: on team/enterprise plans, typically only an owner or admin can add one at the organization level. Everyone else in the organization connects afterwards
Bearer token clients (Gemini and others)
-
Connection rejected immediately: confirm the token was pasted in full, with no extra spaces, and hasn't been rotated or revoked since it was issued