> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://aiodapp.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Quickstart

> Connect AIOD to Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, or VS Code in about five minutes.

Connect your AI assistant to AIOD so it can work with the discounts on your store.

## What you need

* A Shopify store with **AIOD Discount & Gift** installed.
* A Shopify login for that store with access to the AIOD app. You approve the connection inside your Shopify admin, so you need to be able to sign in there.
* An AI client that supports remote MCP servers — Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, VS Code, and most others do.

You will need this once, in step 1:

<Info>
  `https://aiod-automatic-discount.com/mcp`
</Info>

One connection covers one store. If you run several stores, connect each one separately.

## Step 1 — Add the server to your AI client

Pick your client.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Claude">
    AIOD is in Claude's connector directory, so there is nothing to paste.

    Open the [**AIOD Discounts & Free Gift** listing](https://claude.ai/directory/aiod-discounts-free-gift) and click **Connect**.

    Full walkthrough: [AIOD connector for Claude](/docs/mcp-server/claude).
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="ChatGPT">
    ChatGPT needs developer mode switched on first, and it's available on paid plans only.

    1. Open **Settings** → **Security and login** and turn on **Developer mode**. On a Business or Enterprise workspace, an admin enables it under **Workspace Settings** → **Permissions & Roles**.
    2. Use the **+** button to create a developer-mode app for a remote MCP server.
    3. Give it a name, and paste the server URL — including the `/mcp` at the end.

    You can then toggle individual tools on and off from the app's settings page.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Claude Code">
    ```bash theme={null}
    claude mcp add --transport http aiod https://aiod-automatic-discount.com/mcp
    ```

    Then run `/mcp` and choose **Authenticate** for the `aiod` server.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Cursor">
    Create or edit `~/.cursor/mcp.json` for all projects, or `.cursor/mcp.json` for just this one:

    ```json theme={null}
    {
      "mcpServers": {
        "aiod": {
          "url": "https://aiod-automatic-discount.com/mcp"
        }
      }
    }
    ```

    Open **Settings** → **MCP**. Cursor will prompt you to sign in.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="VS Code">
    Create `.vscode/mcp.json` in your project:

    ```json theme={null}
    {
      "servers": {
        "aiod": {
          "type": "http",
          "url": "https://aiod-automatic-discount.com/mcp"
        }
      }
    }
    ```

    Start the server from the editor, sign in when prompted, then use AIOD from agent mode.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Something else">
    Any client that supports remote MCP servers with OAuth will work. Give it the server URL and let it discover the rest — it reads `/.well-known/oauth-protected-resource` and `/.well-known/oauth-authorization-server` automatically.

    You should not need to configure a client ID, a secret, or any endpoint by hand.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Step 2 — Sign in

Your client opens a browser tab. Three quick screens:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Type your store domain">
    `your-store.myshopify.com`, or just the store handle.

    This only decides which Shopify admin you get sent to. It grants nothing by itself — anyone could type any store here and get no further.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Approve in your Shopify admin">
    Shopify signs you in and shows the AIOD approval screen. **This is the step that actually connects your store.**

    Before you click Connect, read the screen. It names the app that is asking, and the web address your access will be sent to. The name is chosen by whoever built the client and nobody verifies it. The address is checked against a registered list and cannot be faked.

    <Warning>
      If you did not just start this from your AI client, or you do not recognise the address, close the page. Nothing is granted until you click Connect.
    </Warning>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Back to your client">
    Approving sends you straight back, connected. If your browser blocks the redirect, the screen gives you a link to click instead.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Step 3 — Check it works

Ask your assistant:

<CodeGroup>
  ```text You theme={null}
  List the discounts on my store.
  ```
</CodeGroup>

You should get back your actual AIOD discounts, each with its name, status, and type. If you do, you are done.

Try a couple more:

<CodeGroup>
  ```text You theme={null}
  How did my best discount perform last month?
  ```

  ```text You theme={null}
  Draft 15% off the Summer collection for July, but don't create anything yet.
  ```
</CodeGroup>

## What to do next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="What you can build" icon="sparkles" href="/docs/docs/mcp-server/use-cases">
    Free gifts, BOGO, volume breaks, conditional offers — and how to ask for each.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Examples" icon="terminal" href="/docs/docs/mcp-server/examples">
    Real requests and exactly what the assistant does with them.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## If something goes wrong

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="The assistant says it isn't authorized, or asks me to sign in again">
    Your sign-in expired or was revoked. Reconnect from your client — the same three screens, and it will be quick because you are already signed into Shopify.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="The assistant can't see any discounts, but I have some">
    Two likely causes. Either you connected a different store than you expected — check which store the approval screen named — or your discounts were created directly in Shopify rather than in AIOD. The connector only sees AIOD's own automatic discounts.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Tools return an error about the app session">
    This usually means AIOD was uninstalled from the store, or its Shopify session expired. Reinstall AIOD, then reconnect.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="A request times out">
    A single tool call has to finish within 60 seconds. Try again, and if you asked for something broad ("check every discount"), narrow it down.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="My client complains about GET requests or batching">
    Both are expected. The server accepts `POST` only and never opens an event stream, so `GET` returns `405`. It also rejects JSON-RPC batched requests, which were removed from the spec. Any current MCP client handles this correctly.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Disconnecting

Remove the connector in your AI client and it stops being used.

To revoke access on the AIOD side too, email [aiod-app@dtcdevelopers.org](mailto:aiod-app@dtcdevelopers.org) and your store's access is cut off immediately.

Uninstalling AIOD from Shopify also ends all access automatically.