Connect Zernote to Claude

Query your interview transcripts and research notes from Claude via OAuth - no API keys. Upload via Claude (audio/video up to 2 GB), search with quote links, read JTBD trees and claim-cards.

Add To Claude

1. What you can do

  • List and manage research folders; browse interviews by folder or Inbox
  • Read interview summaries, JTBD trees, claim-cards, and transcript windows
  • Search across interviews with semantic search and cite matching fragments
  • Rename/move interviews; write or replace notes and summaries when you ask
  • Upload via Claude - audio/video up to 2 GB, plus text (.txt/.md) or PDF into Inbox (media is transcribed; text/PDF become ready immediately)
  • Auto-detect interviewer so interviewer prompts are not treated as respondent insights

2. Prerequisites

  • An active Zernote account (empty accounts are fine - upload is the first step)
  • A Claude account with Connectors support (Claude.ai, Claude Desktop, or Claude Code)

After you connect

  1. In a new chat, toggle the Zernote connector on.
  2. Open upload prompt in Claude
  3. Upload via Claude - audio/video up to 2 GB, .txt/.md, or PDF → then analyze with search/notes/JTBD.

3. Connect on Claude.ai (directory flow)

  1. Sign in to Zernote in your browser.
  2. Open claude.ai → Settings → Customize → Connectors.
  3. Search for Zernote → click Connect.
  4. Complete OAuth sign-in to Zernote and approve access.
  5. In a new chat: [+] → Connectors → toggle Zernote on.

4. Claude Code

claude mcp add --transport http zernote https://zernote.com/mcp

Then run /mcp, select zernote, and choose Authenticate to complete OAuth in your browser.

5. MCP endpoint and authentication

  • MCP endpoint: https://zernote.com/mcp
  • Transport: Streamable HTTP (POST)
  • Authentication: OAuth 2.1 with browser-based authorization and Dynamic Client Registration. There is no API key or service-account access method for MCP.
  • OAuth authorization server metadata: https://zernote.com/.well-known/oauth-authorization-server
  • OAuth protected resource metadata: https://zernote.com/.well-known/oauth-protected-resource/mcp

Each user authenticates individually. The connected client receives only the data in your own Zernote account.

6. OAuth scopes

Zernote uses granular OAuth scopes. During authorization, you may see the following permissions:

  • folders:read - Read your folders
  • folders:write - Create and rename folders
  • interviews:read - Read your interviews, JTBD, and claim-cards
  • interviews:write - Rename, organize, and manage speakers
  • interviews:upload - Upload interview audio/video/text/PDF via the in-chat widget
  • transcripts:read - Read interview transcripts
  • search:read - Search your interviews
  • notes:write - Write or replace interview notes and summaries

If the connecting client does not request specific scopes, all eight scopes are granted by default.

7. Tools reference

Tool OAuth scope Access Description Example prompt
projects_read folders:read Read List projects (action=list). Supports pagination. Legacy alias: folders_read. "What research projects do I have?"
projects_edit folders:write Write Create or rename projects. Legacy alias: folders_edit. "Create a project named Discovery batch 2"
interviews_read interviews:read / transcripts:read Read List/get interviews and transcript windows. Default list uses brief summaries; transcript uses character windows. "List interviews in project X with brief summaries"
interviews_edit interviews:write / notes:write Write Rename, move, replace notes/summary (full replace), assign_speakers, set_voiceprint (auto-detect interviewer). "Confirm speaker B is the interviewer on interview {id}"
search search:read Read Semantic search with matching transcript chunks and cite URLs. "Find interviews mentioning pricing objections"
jtbd_read interviews:read Read Compact Jobs-to-Be-Done tree for a project or interview. "Show the JTBD tree for project X"
cards_read interviews:read Read List coded claim-cards with optional quote deep-links. "List pain cards from interviews in project X"
upload_interview interviews:upload Write Opens the in-chat Upload to Zernote widget (audio/video/text/PDF). Recommended first step for new accounts. "Upload this interview recording to Zernote"

Older tool names (folders_read, folders_edit, list_folders, list_interviews, get_interview, get_transcript, search_interviews, write_note) still work as aliases for connected clients.

Example prompts

  1. "Open the Zernote upload widget so I can drop today's interview (audio, text, or PDF) into Inbox, then propose titles after it is ready."
  2. "For project zernote-batch-1, read the JTBD tree, then find evidence for the top jobs with search and cite quotes."
  3. "List claim-cards with lens=gtm in this project and save a short synthesis note to interview {id}."
  4. "Auto-detect flagged speaker A as the interviewer - show quote links, then confirm the name so it backfills."

8. Permissions and data access

OAuth grants access only to your Zernote account data. The connected assistant reads or writes only when you prompt it in that chat. Zernote never shares your data with an AI assistant unless you complete OAuth authorization for that specific client. For full details on what data MCP connections can access, see section 7 of our Privacy Policy.

9. Troubleshooting

Connection fails or wrong Zernote account

  1. Open an incognito or private browser window.
  2. Sign in to Zernote with the correct account.
  3. Sign in to claude.ai with the correct Claude account.
  4. Disconnect and reconnect the Zernote connector.

Connector shows no tools

  1. Go to claude.ai/customize/connectors (use the web UI even if you chat in Claude Desktop).
  2. Disconnect Zernote, then click Connect again without refreshing the page.
  3. Start a new chat and toggle the Zernote connector on.

Still stuck?

Email report@zernote.com with:

  • Which client you are using (Claude.ai, Claude Desktop, Claude Code, or another MCP client)
  • A screen recording of the connect steps
  • Browser console logs (Cmd+Option+I → Console on macOS; Ctrl+Shift+I → Console on Windows/Linux)

10. Disconnect and revoke access

To revoke access, go to Claude → Settings → Customize → Connectors → Zernote → Disconnect. OAuth tokens are revoked when you disconnect; Zernote stops serving your data to that client immediately.

11. Contact

Product support email: report@zernote.com

Product support: @sagotly

Also see Support.

Last updated: 2026-07-31 · Home · Support · Privacy