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Connect Sterndesk Recruit to Claude using a custom MCP connector. Once connected, Claude can use Sterndesk Recruit tools to search and retrieve recruitment information directly from your Sterndesk organization.

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Before you start

Make sure you have:
  • A valid Sterndesk API key
  • Access to custom connectors in Claude or Claude Desktop
Note: Every API key is tied to a Sterndesk account and organization. You don’t need to sign in to Sterndesk separately when connecting Claude — the API key is used to authenticate the connection.
If you don’t have an API key, contact the Sterndesk account owner or administrator who manages API access for your organization.

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1. Open Connectors

In Claude or Claude Desktop:
  1. Open Settings.
  2. Go to Connectors.
  3. Click + Add to add a custom connector.

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2. Add Sterndesk Recruit

Enter the following MCP server URL:
https://edge.sterndesk.com/mcp For the connector name, we recommend:
Sterndesk: Recruit
Note: Claude allows you to choose your own name when adding a custom connector. We recommend Sterndesk: Recruit to make it easy to distinguish Recruit from other Sterndesk products and integrations.
Add Sterndesk Recruit

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3. Configure authentication

Under Authentication, select No sign-in. Sterndesk Recruit authenticates requests using your personal API key. Under Request headers, add:
Header: authorization
Value: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY Enable Required for this header.
Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your personal Sterndesk API key. For example:
Bearer sk_…
Important: There must be a space between Bearer and your API key.
Your API key will be sent with requests from Claude to the Sterndesk Recruit MCP server. Configure Authentication

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4. Verify the connection

Click Add to finish the setup. Open Sterndesk: Recruit from your connectors. Once the connection is successful, Claude will display the Sterndesk Recruit tools available through the MCP server. Verify The Connection Sterndesk Recruit tools available to Claude after a successful connection.
You can also control when Claude is allowed to use individual tools from this screen.

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5. Try the connection

Start a new conversation in Claude and ask it to retrieve information from Sterndesk Recruit. For example:
Find Chief Engineers with PSV experience.
You can also ask Claude to retrieve information about a particular candidate:
Show me the profile information for [candidate name].
Claude will use the appropriate Sterndesk Recruit tools to retrieve the requested information.

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What Claude can do

The current integration is intended for retrieving Sterndesk Recruit data. Claude can use the read methods exposed through the MCP server to search for crew and retrieve information available through your Sterndesk account. Actions that modify Sterndesk data are not currently documented for general use.

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Keep your API key secure

Your API key provides access to your Sterndesk data and should be treated like a password. Do not share your API key with other users, paste it into conversations, include it in screenshots, or expose it in source code or public repositories. If you believe your API key has been exposed, revoke it in Sterndesk and create a new one.