If your CRM is HubSpot, the fastest way to connect it to Claude is HubSpot's own connector: in Claude, go to Settings, then Connectors, click Browse, pick HubSpot, click Connect, log in and choose the permissions to allow. It needs a paid Claude plan, and in most accounts a HubSpot Super Admin has to approve the connector first. For other CRMs, or when you need tighter rules than the connector offers, the route is a custom MCP connection.
This guide covers both. We read HubSpot's Claude connector guide and its developer docs for the remote HubSpot MCP server on October 29, 2026. If MCP is new to you, start with what MCP servers are.
Option 1: the HubSpot connector for Claude
Before you start
- An active HubSpot user and a paid Claude plan (Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise), per HubSpot's guide.
- Approval. Super Admins and users with App Marketplace Access can connect without prior approval. Everyone else needs a Super Admin to approve the connector first. During approval, the Super Admin picks which data permissions the connector gets and who may install it.
The steps
- 1In Claude, open your profile menu and click Settings.
- 2Click Connectors, then Browse.
- 3Search for HubSpot and select it.
- 4Click Connect and log in to the HubSpot account you want to use.
- 5On the permissions page, select what to allow, then click Connect app.
- 6Back in a chat, click + then Connectors, and switch HubSpot on.
Set write tools to Needs Approval
HubSpot recommends setting the connector's write tools to Needs Approval in Claude's connector settings. If they are set to Always allow, edits can happen without asking. We treat this as required, not optional. With approval on, Claude shows the proposed change and waits for a yes.
Tell us your CRM. We'll reply with the right route: official connector or a custom MCP server.
What it can and cannot do
| Area | Read | Create or update | Delete |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contacts, companies, deals, tickets, leads | Yes | Yes | No |
| Calls, meetings, notes, tasks, emails | Yes | Yes | No |
| Marketing emails, landing pages, blog posts | Yes | Yes | No |
| Invoices, orders, payments, subscriptions | Yes | No | No |
Other limits from HubSpot's guide worth knowing:
- Bulk creates and updates are capped at 10 records at a time.
- It respects each user's HubSpot permissions, so a rep only sees what they could see in HubSpot.
- Every create and update is recorded in HubSpot's audit log against both the user and the connector.
- If Sensitive Data is turned on in your HubSpot account, the connector cannot see engagement data at all, and it never sees custom Sensitive Data properties.
- One Claude account connects to one HubSpot account at a time.
Option 2: a custom client on HubSpot's remote MCP server
If you want to use HubSpot from another MCP client, such as your own agent, HubSpot runs a remote MCP server at `https://mcp.hubspot.com`.
- 1In HubSpot, go to Development, then MCP Connectors, and click Create MCP connector.
- 2Give it a name and a redirect URL. HubSpot generates a client ID and secret.
- 3Point your MCP client at `https://mcp.hubspot.com` with those credentials. The client must support OAuth with PKCE, which HubSpot requires.
- 4Run the `get_user_details` tool first. It returns the user, the account and which objects and tools that user can read or write.
You do not pick scopes directly. HubSpot sets them from the server's tools and the permissions the user grants at install. When HubSpot adds tools, users may need to reinstall to grant new scopes.
The write tool, `manage_crm_objects`, shows a summary of proposed changes and asks for confirmation before it creates or updates anything. Search uses HubSpot's CRM search API, which HubSpot notes has no vector search.
Option 3: a CRM without an official connector
Many CRMs used by small businesses, such as Follow Up Boss in real estate or Redtail and Wealthbox in financial advice, either have no official Claude connector or one that does not do what you need. In that case you build a small MCP server that sits between Claude and the CRM's API.
The build has five parts:
- 1Pick the tools. Name each action the assistant may take, such as "find contact", "add note" or "list stale deals". Fewer, narrower tools are safer.
- 2Authenticate as a dedicated user. Give the server its own API key with the smallest permissions, so its changes are visible in the CRM's history.
- 3Validate every write in code. Check fields, formats and limits before the call reaches the CRM.
- 4Log every call with who asked, what changed and the result.
- 5Choose local or remote. A local server runs on one person's computer; a remote one serves the whole team. Our post on local vs remote MCP servers covers the trade-offs, and securing a production MCP server covers the hardening.
What clients have used this for
In our MCP CRM assistant case study, a 15-agent real estate brokerage connected Follow Up Boss to an AI assistant through an MCP server. Daily CRM time fell from about 40 minutes to 3 to 5 minutes, 47 leads the pipeline reports had missed were re-engaged in the first month, and 13 of the 15 agents used it.
In our prospect nurture case study, a wealth management firm connected HubSpot and Microsoft 365 through an MCP server. Two prospects who had gone quiet for 8 months or more became clients within 60 days of the first personalized outreach.
In our annual review prep case study, a solo RIA cut prep from 2.5 hours to 20 minutes per review using an MCP server across Salesforce, QuickBooks and Xero.
Safe settings checklist
- Write tools set to need approval.
- The connector or server uses the smallest permissions that work.
- Sensitive data stays out unless you have checked the provider terms and your own rules.
- Someone reviews the CRM audit log weekly for the first month.
- You have tested on one record before any bulk change. HubSpot's guide recommends starting small in the same way.
Our AI agent governance checklist has the full list.
When to use the connector and when to build
Use the official connector when your CRM has one, your team works in Claude, and the built-in permissions are enough. Build a custom MCP server when your CRM has no connector, when you need rules the connector cannot enforce, such as blocking certain fields, or when an agent needs CRM access outside a chat window. Our MCP hub explains where each fits.
How this fits implementation work
We set up official connectors with safe settings as part of a small engagement, and we build custom MCP servers from $3,500 at a fixed price. Integrations between two tools start at $2,000 under systems integration. All prices are on the pricing page, and the cost guide shows what moves a quote. To check which route fits your CRM, send it through the free automation audit; we reply within one business day.
Independence and limitations
OrchestriAI is not affiliated with HubSpot or Anthropic. Menus, plans and limits change, so check the linked HubSpot pages before you set this up. Case study results are from specific clients.
