Connect Claude to Your AV Diagrams
By VJ Ries · Published 2026-07-26 · Updated 2026-08-01 · 7 min read
WireFlow exposes a public REST API and a remote MCP server, so Claude can work on your real diagrams instead of describing them back to you. Create a personal API key in Settings, point Claude Code, Claude Desktop, or a claude.ai custom connector at the MCP endpoint, and Claude gets a full tool set to list, read, build, and edit show files, pull cable schedules and power reports, trace a signal path, and lay out an LED wall. It is included with every paid plan.
What connecting Claude actually does
Most AI drawing tools generate a picture. This is not that. The MCP connection gives Claude authenticated access to the same diagram records the editor uses, so a change Claude makes is a change you open in WireFlow a second later, with your devices, ports and connections intact.
In practice you stop describing the rig twice. You say "add a backup recorder to the Main Stage diagram and feed it off the switcher aux," and Claude reads the current diagram, finds the switcher, checks that the aux output and the recorder input are compatible, and saves the connection.
- Read an existing show file, including devices, connections, racks, and LED walls.
- Build a new diagram from a description, or from a gear list you paste in.
- Edit a saved diagram surgically, one operation at a time, without resending the whole file.
- Derive cable schedules, power reports, and gear lists from what is already drawn.
What you need first
- A paid WireFlow plan. API and MCP access is included with every paid plan. On a free account the panel shows an upgrade option instead. See plans and pricing.
- One of the Claude clients: Claude Code, Claude Desktop, or claude.ai with a custom connector.
- A few minutes. Key creation and connection take about five.
Connect it, step by step
- Open Settings and stay on the Account tab.
- Scroll to the Claude & API access panel and give the key a name you will recognize later, such as "Claude Code" or "Laptop".
- Click Create key, then copy the key immediately. The full value is shown exactly once.
- Add WireFlow's MCP endpoint to your Claude client and give it the key. Claude Code takes it as an Authorization header; Claude Desktop takes it in the connector URL (the setup guide has the exact steps).
- Ask Claude to list your diagrams. If the names of your real shows come back, you are connected.
The exact client configuration, including the endpoint URL and the per-client setup screens, lives in the product guide: Connect WireFlow to Claude. Follow that for the current steps, since client setup UI changes more often than this article does.
What the tools cover
The tools split into reading, deriving, and writing. Claude picks the right one; the value for you is knowing what is possible to ask for.
| Ask for this | What runs | What you get back |
|---|---|---|
| "What is on the Main Stage diagram?" | list_diagrams, get_diagram | Devices, connections, racks, and walls in the saved file |
| "Where does camera 2 end up?" | trace_signal | The path device to device, hop by hop |
| "Anything unconnected before I send this?" | lint_diagram | Unconnected devices, mismatched ports, backwards wires |
| "Give me the cable schedule" | get_cable_schedule | Every run, labeled end to end |
| "How much power does this draw?" | get_power_report | Total draw and how many circuits the rig needs |
| "Size a 20 by 10 foot wall" | design_led_wall | Cabinet grid, processor, power and data paths |
| "Add a backup recorder off the aux" | patch_diagram | A saved edit; the version it replaces is kept |
The derived documents are the same ones the editor produces, so a cable schedule Claude pulls matches the one you would export by hand. If you want the reasoning behind those documents, see how to build a cable schedule and how to create an AV tech pack.
What protects your show files
Handing write access to an agent is only reasonable if a mistake is cheap to undo. Three things make it cheap.
- Each save keeps a snapshot of the version it replaces. It holds the diagram's devices, wiring and canvas, not its name or description. WireFlow keeps the latest 10 per diagram, and Claude can put a diagram back to one with the restore tool. Deleting a diagram is permanent.
- A stale full rewrite is rejected. Over MCP, a full rewrite or restore must name the saved version it is based on. If someone saved the diagram while Claude was working, the call fails with a conflict and Claude re-reads before retrying. The API also refuses to edit team and live-collaboration diagrams.
- Wiring mistakes still get caught. The editor refuses an HDMI output landing on an SDI input when you draw it, unless you hold Shift to force it. The API stores such a connection, so ask Claude to run lint_diagram on what it built: the mismatch shows up there before your crew rigs it.
What it will not do
Being clear about the edges saves you a frustrating first session.
- Team, live-collaboration and site-map diagrams cannot be edited over the API. Duplicate a team or live-collaboration diagram first if you need Claude to edit it. A copy of a site-map (multi-zone) diagram is still a site map, so edit those in the editor.
- Deleting requires the exact diagram name, compared case insensitively, so a wrong id cannot destroy the wrong show file.
- It is not a layout designer. Claude builds the connections and the data, and lint_diagram checks them. Positioning things beautifully on the canvas is still faster by hand.
- Free accounts have no access. The panel shows an upgrade option instead.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need to be on a paid plan?
- Yes. API and MCP access is included with every paid WireFlow plan. Free accounts see an upgrade option in place of the key panel.
- Can Claude overwrite work my colleague just saved?
- Not on a shared diagram, because the API refuses to edit team and live-collaboration diagrams. On your own diagrams, an MCP full rewrite or restore based on an out-of-date copy fails with a conflict, and each save keeps a copy of the version it replaces, so an unwanted edit can be undone.
- Which Claude clients work?
- Claude Code, Claude Desktop, and claude.ai as a custom connector. All three authenticate with the same personal API key you create in Settings.
- Can I use the REST API without Claude?
- Yes. The same key authenticates the public REST API, so your own scripts can list, read, build, and edit diagrams and pull cable schedules, power reports, and gear lists.
- What happens if I lose the key?
- You cannot view an existing key again after it is created. Revoke it in Settings and create a new one, then update your Claude client with the new value.
Let Claude work on your real diagrams
Create an API key and connect WireFlow to Claude Code, Claude Desktop, or a claude.ai custom connector. A full tool set that reads, builds, and edits your actual show files. Included with every paid plan.