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This feature requires administrator or workspace owner permissions. Changes made here affect all users in your workspace.
PlaneConnection’s MCP server is a standalone service that implements the Model Context Protocol, exposing a comprehensive set of aviation tools across all platform modules. AI agents connect to the server over HTTP and interact with your flight operations, safety management, and FBO data using structured tool calls. By the end of this guide you will have generated a service API key, configured your AI agent to connect to the MCP server, verified the connection, and scoped the agent’s access to a specific workspace.
Who should read this: Workspace administrators who want to connect AI assistants (Claude Desktop, VS Code with Copilot, custom MCP clients) to their PlaneConnection data. You need the Admin role and access to your workspace’s Settings > Integrations page.

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Prerequisites

  • An active PlaneConnection workspace with the Admin role.
  • An MCP-compatible AI client (Claude Desktop, Claude Code, VS Code with Copilot, or any client supporting the MCP specification).

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Generate a service API key

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Step 1: Navigate to Integrations
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From the main navigation, go to Settings > Integrations. Select the API Keys tab.
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Step 2: Create a new API key
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Click Create API Key. Enter a descriptive name (e.g., “Claude Desktop MCP”) and select the scope:
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ScopeDescriptionRead-onlyThe agent can query data but cannot create, update, or cancel records.Read-writeThe agent can invoke both read-only and destructive tools.
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Read-write keys allow the AI agent to create trips, submit safety reports, modify crew assignments, and cancel reservations. Only grant this scope if you trust the agent’s confirmation workflow. Start with read-only and upgrade later if needed.
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Step 3: Copy the API key
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Copy the generated key immediately. It is shown only once. Store it securely — you will need it when configuring your AI client.

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Connect your AI client

Add the following to your Claude Desktop MCP configuration file (~/.claude/claude_desktop_config.json on macOS/Linux, or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json on Windows):
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "planeconnection": {
      "url": "https://mcp.planeconnection.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "X-API-Key": "your-api-key-here",
        "X-Workspace-ID": "your-workspace-id"
      }
    }
  }
}
Restart Claude Desktop to activate the connection.

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Find your workspace ID

Your workspace ID is displayed on the Settings > General page in PlaneConnection. It is also visible in the URL when you are logged in: 
https://app.planeconnection.com/{workspace-id}/ops/trips
                                 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The X-Workspace-ID header is optional. If omitted, the MCP server uses the default workspace associated with the API key. If your organization has multiple workspaces, include the header to scope queries to the correct one.

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Verify the connection

After configuring your client, verify the connection by asking your AI agent to list aircraft: 
"Show me all aircraft in my fleet."
The agent should invoke the list_aircraft tool and return your fleet data. If you receive an authentication error, verify that:
  1. The API key is correct and has not been revoked.
  2. The X-Workspace-ID header matches a workspace your key has access to.
  3. The endpoint URL includes the /mcp path suffix.

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Server endpoint

The production MCP server endpoint is: 
https://mcp.planeconnection.com/mcp
Contact PlaneConnection support if you need access to a non-production environment for testing and integration.

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Manage API keys

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Rotate a key

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Step 1: Generate a new key
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Follow the key generation steps above to create a replacement key.
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Step 2: Update your AI client configuration
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Replace the old key in your client configuration with the new key.
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Step 3: Revoke the old key
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Return to Settings > Integrations > API Keys and click Revoke on the old key.

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Revoke a key

Navigate to Settings > Integrations > API Keys, find the key, and click Revoke. The key is immediately invalidated. Any AI agent using that key will receive 401 Unauthorized responses.

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Security considerations

  • API keys grant the same access as the user who created them. The MCP server inherits the creator’s role and permissions for all tool invocations.
  • Never commit API keys to version control. Use environment variables or secret managers.
  • Monitor usage. The audit log under Settings > Activity tracks all MCP tool invocations with the API key name, tool invoked, and timestamp.
  • Destructive tools require confirmation. Well-behaved MCP clients respect the destructiveHint annotation and prompt the user before invoking tools that create, modify, or delete data.

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Troubleshooting

Verify the endpoint URL is correct and includes /mcp. Check that your network allows outbound HTTPS connections to mcp.planeconnection.com.
The API key is missing, invalid, or revoked. Generate a new key from Settings > Integrations > API Keys.
The API key does not have access to the requested workspace. Check the X-Workspace-ID header value.
Restart your AI client after updating the configuration. Some clients cache the tool list and require a restart to pick up new tools.
If you created a read-only API key, destructive tools (create, update, cancel) will return an error. Generate a read-write key to enable full access.

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Last modified on April 11, 2026