Connect an AI client to Audiense with a Personal Access Token

Overview 

Follow this guide to learn how to connect an AI client to Audiense with a Personal Access Token.

Do you need a token?

Probably not. Most AI assistants, such as Claude, ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot Studio, connect to Audiense with a regular sign-in (OAuth): you add the MCP server, sign in with your Audiense account, and you are done. No token is needed.

Use a Personal Access Token only when your client cannot open a sign-in window. For example:

• Automations and scheduled workflows that run without you.
• Scripts, CI pipelines and agent frameworks.
• MCP clients that do not support OAuth.

What is a Personal Access Token?

A Personal Access Token (PAT) is a credential that lets an AI client connect to Audiense as you, without signing in.

• It acts as you. It has the same permissions you have, and anything done with it is done in your name.
• It is personal. Each person creates their own. Never share yours with a teammate: it would let them act as you.
• It expires. You choose how long it lasts: 30 days, 90 days or 1 year. You can revoke it at any time.
• It is shown only once. Copy it when you create it. You cannot see it again afterwards.

Where a Personal Access Token fits

There are three ways to work with Audiense:

• The web app: you, in your browser.
• The API: your own software, through code.
• MCP: AI assistants and agents, such as Claude, ChatGPT or Copilot.

A Personal Access Token is not another way of using Audiense. It's a key: a credential that lets software act as you without signing in. You can use it with MCP and, for Audiense Insights, with the API.

MCP or API?

If you are not sure which one you need, this comparison helps. Both can use a Personal Access Token.

To use a Personal Access Token with the API, your account still needs API access. See the API documentation for details.

Writer note: the sentence above stays for now (decided 7 Oct 2026). Ana will review it later. The Insights API v2 is still in beta and needs API credentials created in the admin.

Writer note: Insights is the only public API in production. The Demand and Digital Intelligence for LinkedIn APIs exist and are being reviewed by their teams. Don't mention them until they are released, then add them to the Applications row.

Which Audiense MCPs accept a token?

Other Audiense MCPs, such as SoPrism (Meta) and Tweet Binder, do not accept tokens yet. To use them, connect with a regular sign-in. See Audiense MCP Endpoints and Availability.

Create a token

• In Audiense, click the ✨ icon in the top bar, next to Ask Audiense.
• Select Personal Access Tokens for MCPs.
• The Personal Access Tokens for MCPs page opens. It shows which Audiense MCPs accept the tokens you create here.
• Click Create token.
• In Token name, enter a name you will recognise later, for example the client you will use it in, such as Claude Desktop.
• In Expires after, choose 30 days, 90 days (the default) or 1 year. Pick the shortest period that fits your use.
• Click Create token. 
• The Copy your token now window shows your token and its expiry date. Click the copy icon next to the token and store it somewhere safe, such as a password manager. 
• Click Done. If you have not copied the token, Audiense asks you to confirm before closing: click Go back to copy it.

Manage and revoke your tokens

Your tokens are listed under Your tokens on the same page, with their name, creation date and expiry date. You only see the tokens you created.

• To revoke a token, click Revoke next to it and confirm. Anything using that token stops working straight away. This cannot be undone: to reconnect, create a new token.
• You can hold up to 20 tokens. If you reach the limit, revoke one you no longer use before creating a new one.
• When a token expires, create a new one and update your client.

Connect your client

There are two ways to give your token to an MCP client. Use the one your client supports.

The header is safer because the token does not appear in the URL, where it can end up in logs or browser history.

Claude Code

Add the server from your terminal:

claude mcp add --transport http audiense-insights <https://mcp-audiense-insights.audiense.net/mcp> --header "apiKey: YOUR_TOKEN" 

Or add it to your project's .mcp.json file. Keep the token in an environment variable rather than in the file:

{   "mcpServers": {     "audiense-insights": {       "type": "http",       "url": "<https://mcp-audiense-insights.audiense.net/mcp>",       "headers": {         "apiKey": "${AUDIENSE_PAT}"       }     }   } } 

Claude (web and desktop)

Claude's custom connectors only take a URL, so use the URL option:

• Go to Customize › Connectors › + Add › Add custom connector (on Team and Enterprise plans, an Owner adds it in Organization settings › Connectors).
• Enter a name, for example Audiense Insights, and the server URL with your token: https://mcp-audiense-insights.audiense.net/mcp?apiKey=YOUR_TOKEN
• Click Add. No sign-in is requested.

If you use Claude interactively, you do not need a token: add the URL without ?apiKey= and sign in when asked. See Integrate Audiense Apps to your Claude account.

Microsoft Copilot Studio

Copilot Studio connects with a regular sign-in, as described in Connect an Audiense MCP to a Copilot Studio agent. If your organization cannot use sign-in for agents, select API key under Authentication when you add the MCP server (instead of OAuth 2.0), send it as a header named apiKey, and paste your token when you create the connection.

Other MCP clients

Most MCP clients that support remote servers accept a URL and, optionally, headers. Use:

• Server URL: the URL from the table above.
• Header: apiKey: YOUR_TOKEN

If your client cannot add headers, add ?apiKey=YOUR_TOKEN to the end of the URL instead.

For example, in the Cloudflare Workers AI Playground, enter the URL with your token in the MCP server connection panel: https://mcp-audiense-insights.audiense.net/mcp?apiKey=YOUR_TOKEN. The tools appear once the connection succeeds.

What you can do once connected

Once connected, your client discovers the available tools automatically. Depending on the application, they let you:

• Find and create reports.
• Explore audiences and their segments or clusters.
• Discover influencers and brands within an audience.
• Analyze content and engagement patterns.
• Get demographic and other audience insights.

The tools are the same whether you connect with a token or by signing in.

Keep your token safe

• Treat it like a password. Anyone who has it can act as you in Audiense.
• Never share it, not even with teammates. Each person creates their own.
• Use one token per integration, so you can revoke one without breaking the others.
• Never paste it into code you commit or into shared documents. Use an environment variable or a secrets manager.
• Choose the shortest expiry that fits your use, and replace your tokens regularly, even if they haven't expired.
• If a token is exposed, revoke it straight away from Your tokens and create a new one.

Troubleshooting

FAQ

Is a Personal Access Token the same as the Audiense API?

No. The API is a way of using Audiense: your software calls its endpoints. A Personal Access Token is a key: it proves who you are without signing in. You can use a token with MCP and, for Audiense Insights, also with the API. A token doesn't give you API access, and it doesn't replace the API.

Do I need API access to use a token?

Not for MCP. Anyone with access to an Audiense application can create a token and use it with that application's MCP. To use a token with the API, your account needs API access as well.

Can I use a token to build my own integration?

Yes, in two ways:

• With MCP: connect your agent, automation or AI workflow to an Audiense MCP with your token. You work in natural language and the AI chooses the tools.
• With the API (Audiense Insights): call the API endpoints from your code, using your token to authenticate. You get structured data.

Can my team share one token?

No. A token always acts as the person who created it: it sees their reports and does things in their name. Each person should create their own. If you build an integration on a token, it only has access to what that person can see in Audiense.

Do I need a token to use Audiense with Claude, ChatGPT or Copilot?

Usually not. These assistants connect by signing in with your Audiense account. You only need a token when your client can't sign in.

Related articles

• Audiense MCP Endpoints and Availability
• Integrate Audiense Apps to your Claude account
• Integrate Audiense Apps to your ChatGPT account
• Connect an Audiense MCP to a Copilot Studio agent