Connect Claude AI to Your Bike Maintenance Tracker: MCP Setup Guide

I'm excited to announce that WatchMy.Bike now integrates with Claude AI through Anthropic's Model Context Protocol (MCP). This means you can manage your entire bike garage – track component mileage, set maintenance reminders, and monitor service intervals – through natural conversation instead of clicking through menus.

WatchMy.Bike is the first bicycle maintenance tracker with MCP support. While other apps like ProBikeGarage, mainTrack, and Bikerly require you to tap through their interfaces, WatchMy.Bike lets you talk to Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini and have them do it for you.

Just tell your AI assistant what you want, and it happens.

What is MCP (Model Context Protocol)?

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that allows AI assistants like Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini to securely connect to external services. Think of it as a universal connector – like USB-C for AI – that lets your favorite AI interact with WatchMy.Bike on your behalf, while you maintain full control over what it can access.

When you connect Claude to WatchMy.Bike via MCP, Claude can:

View your bikes and components – Ask "What bikes do I have?" or "Show me the components on my road bike"
Add new bikes – "Add my new Canyon Aeroad CF SLX, it's a 2024 road bike"
Track component mileage – "Add a new Shimano Ultegra chain to my Canyon"
Manage installations – "Install the new chain on my road bike"
Set service intervals – "Create a maintenance reminder for the chain every 5000km"
Share your builds – "Publish my bike to my public profile"

All through natural language. No memorizing commands or navigating interfaces.

Whether you're adding a new bike, checking what's due for service, or recording that you replaced your chain – just say it, and it's done.

How It Works With Strava

WatchMy.Bike already syncs with Strava to automatically track distance on your bikes and components. The MCP integration adds a conversational layer – you can ask Claude about your maintenance status, add new components, or check what's due for service, all while Strava keeps the kilometers ticking in the background.

No need to choose between automatic tracking and AI convenience – you get both.

What You Can Do: Complete Command Reference

Here's everything you can ask Claude (or ChatGPT/Gemini) to do with your WatchMy.Bike garage. These work with any MCP-compatible AI assistant.

Bike Management

Command	What it does
"List my bikes"	Shows all bikes in your garage with key details
"Show my road bike"	Gets full details for a specific bike
"Add a new bike"	Creates a new bike entry
"Update my Canyon's year to 2024"	Modifies bike details
"Delete my old bike"	Permanently removes a bike
"Add a link to my bike's product page"	Attaches URLs for reference

Bike types supported: Road, Mountain, Gravel, Hybrid, E-Bike, TT, Track, Cyclocross, Touring, Folding, BMX, Cargo, Indoor, Other

Bike statuses: current, wishlist, retired

Component Management

Command	What it does
"List my components"	Shows all components in your inventory
"List components on my road bike"	Shows installed components
"Add a Shimano chain"	Creates a new component
"What types of components are there?"	Lists available component categories
"Show my chain's history"	Gets installation history
"Add a link to the chain's purchase page"	Attaches reference URLs

Component statuses: installed, uninstalled, retired, wishlist

Bulk Import: Paste Your Entire Spec List

One of the most powerful features: paste an entire component list and Claude will create all the components at once. Just like the AI parser in the web app, but through conversation.

Copy a spec list from anywhere – a manufacturer page, a forum post, your notes – and paste it:

You: Here are the components on my new Canyon:

Shimano Ultegra R8100 Di2 groupset

Zipp 303 S wheelset

Continental GP5000 S TR 28mm tires

Fizik Aliante R1 saddle

Deda Superzero carbon handlebars

Claude: I'll add all of these to your component inventory. Let me create them one by one...

Done! I've added 5 components to your inventory:

Shimano Ultegra R8100 Di2 (Groupset)

Zipp 303 S (Wheelset)

Continental GP5000 S TR 28mm (Tires)

Fizik Aliante R1 (Saddle)

Deda Superzero carbon (Handlebars)

Would you like me to install them on your Canyon?

No more adding components one by one. Paste, confirm, done.

Install/Transfer Components

Command	What it does
"Install the chain on my road bike"	Mounts a component
"Uninstall the old cassette"	Removes from current bike
"Transfer the wheels to my gravel bike"	Moves between bikes

Child components (like a tire on a wheel) move automatically with their parent.

Service Intervals & Maintenance Reminders

Command	What it does
"Create a chain replacement interval every 5000km"	Sets up distance-based maintenance reminders
"What maintenance is due?"	Shows all due/overdue service items
"Record that I serviced the chain today"	Resets interval counters after service
"Create a yearly frame inspection for my bike"	Bike-level maintenance scheduling

Service interval types:

Distance-based – Triggers after X kilometers (chain wear, tire replacement, brake pads)
Time-based – Triggers after X days/weeks/months/years (suspension service, bearing repack)
Riding time – Triggers after X hours of riding (for indoor trainers)

Note: Service intervals require the Alloy plan or higher.

Command	What it does
"Publish my profile as 'john-cyclist'"	Creates public profile
"Publish my Canyon publicly"	Makes bike visible on profile
"Hide my real name on my profile"	Updates privacy settings
"Unpublish my profile"	Removes from public visibility

Example Conversations

Adding a new bike

You: I just got a new bike! It's a 2024 Canyon Aeroad CF SLX, road bike

Claude: I'll add that to your garage. What would you like to name it?

You: Just call it "Canyon Aeroad"

Claude: Done! I've added "Canyon Aeroad" – a 2024 Canyon Aeroad CF SLX road bike – to your garage.

Setting up a new component with maintenance

You: Add a new Shimano Ultegra CN-HG701 chain to my inventory

Claude: I've added the Shimano Ultegra CN-HG701 chain to your component inventory.

You: Install it on my Canyon and set up a 5000km replacement interval

Claude: Done! The chain is now installed on your Canyon Aeroad. I've also created a "Chain replacement" service interval that will trigger every 5000km.

Checking maintenance status

You: What maintenance do I have coming up?

Claude: Here's your maintenance status:

Overdue:

Canyon Aeroad → Chain replacement (5,247km / 5,000km – 105%)

Due soon:

Canyon Aeroad → Brake pad check (4,850km / 5,000km – 97%)

Would you like me to record any services as complete?

Moving components between bikes

You: Transfer the wheelset from my road bike to my gravel bike

Claude: Done! I've transferred the wheelset (including the installed tires and cassette) from your Canyon Aeroad to your Gravel bike. The distance history has been preserved.

Security & Privacy

Your data security is my priority:

OAuth 2.0 authentication – Industry-standard secure authorization
Read/write scope control – Claude only accesses what you authorize
No password sharing – Your WatchMy.Bike credentials are never shared with Claude
Revocable anytime – Disconnect from Settings → Integrations
Session-based – Tokens expire and can be refreshed securely

Claude never stores your password. The MCP connection uses secure OAuth tokens that you can revoke at any time.

Getting Started

Prerequisites

A WatchMy.Bike account (sign up free)
Claude Desktop, Claude Code, ChatGPT, or Gemini CLI installed

Installation for Claude Desktop (Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise)

Custom connectors are available for Claude Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise plans.

Open Settings → Connectors

In Claude Desktop, go to Settings → Connectors.
Add custom connector

Click "Add custom connector" at the bottom of the Connectors section.
Enter the WatchMy.Bike MCP URL
```
https://mcp.watchmy.bike/mcp
```
Click "Add" to save.
Connect and authorize

Find WatchMy.Bike in your connectors list and click "Connect". You'll be redirected to WatchMy.Bike to log in and authorize access.
Enable per conversation

In any chat, click the "+" button at the bottom left, then "Connectors" to enable WatchMy.Bike for that conversation.

That's it! You're connected.

Installation for Claude Desktop (Free tier)

Free tier users can still connect via manual configuration:

Open your Claude configuration file

On macOS:

open ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

On Windows:

%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Add the WatchMy.Bike MCP server

Edit the file to include:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "watchmybike": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.watchmy.bike/mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop

Close and reopen the app to load the new configuration.
Authorize the connection

When you first use a WatchMy.Bike command, Claude will prompt you to authorize. Click the link, log in to WatchMy.Bike, and approve the connection.

Installation for Claude Code

If you use Claude Code (Anthropic's CLI tool), the setup is similar:

Add the server to your project or global config

claude mcp add watchmybike --transport sse https://mcp.watchmy.bike/mcp

Or edit your config directly

Add to ~/.claude/settings.json or your project's .claude/settings.local.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "watchmybike": {
      "type": "sse",
      "url": "https://mcp.watchmy.bike/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Start using it

The first time you run a command, Claude will provide an authorization link.

Installation for ChatGPT (Pro/Plus)

ChatGPT added MCP support in September 2025. You'll need a Pro or Plus account with Developer Mode enabled.

Enable Developer Mode

Go to Settings → Apps & Connectors → Advanced → Developer Mode (ON).
Create a connector

In the Connectors settings, click "Create".
Configure WatchMy.Bike
- Name: WatchMy.Bike
- MCP Server URL: https://mcp.watchmy.bike/mcp
- Click "Save"
Connect and authorize

Follow the OAuth flow to log in and authorize WatchMy.Bike access.

Note: ChatGPT's MCP support may have different tool capabilities than Claude. Some advanced features may not be available.

Installation for Gemini CLI

Google's Gemini CLI supports MCP servers through configuration files.

Install Gemini CLI

npm install -g @google/gemini-cli@latest

Configure the MCP server

Edit ~/.gemini/settings.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "watchmybike": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.watchmy.bike/mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Start using it

Run gemini and the WatchMy.Bike tools will be available. You'll be prompted to authorize on first use.

Other MCP-Compatible Clients

MCP is an open standard, so WatchMy.Bike works with any MCP-compatible client:

Cursor – AI-powered code editor
Windsurf – Codeium's AI IDE
Cline – VS Code extension
Firebase Studio – Google's development environment

Check your client's documentation for MCP server configuration.

Troubleshooting

"Connection failed" or "Unauthorized"

Make sure you're logged into WatchMy.Bike
Try reauthorizing: ask Claude to list your bikes, and follow the authorization link
Check that your config file is valid JSON

"Rate limit exceeded"

The MCP server has rate limits to prevent abuse. Wait a moment and try again.

"Requires Alloy plan"

Some features (service intervals, cost tracking) require a paid subscription. The free Steel plan includes bike and component management.

Commands not working in Claude Desktop

Verify the config file syntax is correct
Fully quit and restart Claude Desktop
Check that you have an internet connection
Try npx mcp-remote --version in terminal to verify the package works

What's Next?

MCP integration joins the existing AI-powered spec parser that automatically extracts bike details from manufacturer websites. I'm continuing to explore more AI features:

Intelligent maintenance suggestions – Proactive recommendations based on riding patterns
Component compatibility checking – "Will this cassette work with my derailleur?"
Bike comparison – "Compare the specs of these two bikes on my wishlist"
Price tracking – Monitor component prices and get alerts

Have ideas? I'd love to hear them at marien@watchmy.bike.

Why Use AI for Bike Maintenance Tracking?

If you've tried tracking bike maintenance in spreadsheets, notes apps, or even dedicated cycling apps, you know the friction: opening the app, finding the right bike, navigating to components, clicking through menus.

With MCP integration, maintenance tracking becomes conversational:

After service: "I replaced the chain on my Canyon today"
Planning ahead: "What components on my gravel bike are due for service?"
Adding gear: "Add a new Shimano chain to my inventory and install it on my road bike"

Other bike maintenance apps don't offer this. You're stuck with their UI, their workflows, their mobile apps. With WatchMy.Bike's MCP integration, you can use whichever AI assistant you prefer – Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini – and manage your garage from anywhere those tools are available: desktop, CLI, or integrated into your coding environment.

WatchMy.Bike already syncs with Strava for automatic distance tracking. MCP adds a natural language interface on top of everything else.

Get Started

Ready to manage your bike garage with AI?

Create a WatchMy.Bike account (free)
Install Claude Desktop, Claude Code, or another MCP-compatible client
Follow the setup instructions above
Start talking to your garage!

Questions about the MCP integration? Email marien@watchmy.bike – I'm happy to help.