Set Up TIDY's MCP Server in 5 Minutes

TIDY's MCP server lets any MCP-compatible AI agent manage your properties. Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, Codex CLI, VS Code with Copilot — if it supports MCP, it can now schedule cleanings, report maintenance, and coordinate turnovers through TIDY.

Setup takes under 5 minutes. Here's how.

What is MCP?

Model Context Protocol (MCP) is the open standard for connecting AI agents to external tools and services. Instead of hard-coding API calls, your agent discovers available tools through MCP's protocol and calls them as needed. This means your agent doesn't need to know TIDY's API schema in advance — it learns what's available automatically.

Step 1: Get Your API Token

You need a TIDY account and API token. If you don't have one:

1. Create a free TIDY account
2. Get your token via the login endpoint:

   curl -X POST https://api.tidy.com/v1/customer/login \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     -d '{"email": "you@example.com", "password": "your-password"}'

3. Save the returned token for the next step.

Step 2: Add the MCP Server

Choose your platform:

Claude Code

claude mcp add tidy -- npx @tidyapp/mcp-server

Set your token as an environment variable: export TIDY_API_TOKEN=your-token

Claude Desktop

Go to Settings > Developer > Edit Config and add:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tidy": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@tidyapp/mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "TIDY_API_TOKEN": "your-token"
      }
    }
  }
}

Cursor

Go to Settings > MCP and add the same JSON configuration as Claude Desktop.

VS Code (Copilot)

Create .vscode/mcp.json in your project:

{
  "servers": {
    "tidy": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@tidyapp/mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "TIDY_API_TOKEN": "your-token"
      }
    }
  }
}

Codex CLI

codex mcp add tidy -- npx @tidyapp/mcp-server

Step 3: Test It

Open your agent and try:

"Use TIDY to list my addresses"

If you don't have any addresses yet:

"Use TIDY to add a new property at 123 Main St, Miami FL 33101. Gate code is #1234, park in the driveway."

Then try something more practical:

"Schedule a 2-hour cleaning next Tuesday afternoon at 123 Main St"

What Your Agent Can Do

Once connected, your agent has access to 5 MCP tools:

• message_tidy — The primary interface. Send any natural language request.
• get_status — Check status of a request or job.
• list_addresses — See all your properties.
• list_bookings — View upcoming and past cleanings.
• list_issues — Track maintenance issues.

The message_tidy tool is the most powerful — it accepts natural language and TIDY figures out what to do. Your agent can say "the bathroom faucet is leaking" and TIDY will create a maintenance issue, categorize it, and optionally assign it for resolution.

Bonus: Add Agent Skills Too

MCP gives your agent the tools. Skills give it the knowledge. For the best experience, install a TIDY agent skill alongside the MCP server:

npx skills add TIDYAPP/tidy-agent-skills

This teaches your agent TIDY-specific workflows, like how to handle a guest turnover or set up recurring maintenance.

Learn More

• MCP Server landing page — Platform-specific setup details
• Full MCP documentation — Tool schemas, troubleshooting, advanced config
• Developer Hub — All 5 ways to connect to TIDY