Open Door Directory includes a connector that AI assistants can use to search your published resources directly. Someone can ask “Which food pantries are open right now?” and the assistant answers from your directory, with current hours, phone numbers, and links back to your resource pages.
It uses MCP (Model Context Protocol), an open standard supported by Claude, ChatGPT, and many other assistants.
Find your connector URL
Go to Resources > Settings > General > AI assistants. The connector URL is listed under Allow AI assistants to search this directory. It looks like this:
https://example.org/wp-json/opendoor/v1/mcpYour site needs HTTPS for most assistants to connect.
Add it to an assistant
- Claude: open Settings > Connectors, choose Add custom connector, give it a name such as your directory’s name, and paste the URL. Under Authentication, choose No sign-in (Claude usually detects it) and leave Request headers empty. The warning that anyone with the URL can use it is expected: the connector only shares what is already public on your directory. Then turn the connector on from the tools menu in a new chat.
- ChatGPT: custom connectors are available in developer mode. Open Settings > Apps & Connectors, turn on developer mode under Advanced, then create a connector with the URL.
- Other assistants and tools: use the URL as a remote MCP server with the HTTP (Streamable HTTP) transport. No sign-in or API key is needed.
Then ask a question in a new conversation, for example “Where can I get a free meal tonight?” or “Is there a clinic with Spanish-speaking staff?”
Share the URL with partner agencies, caseworkers, and volunteers so they can use it with their own assistants.
What assistants can see
Assistants get three read-only tools:
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
search_resources | Finds resources by words, category, open now, service features, and language. |
get_resource | Full details for one resource, including every day’s hours and upcoming holiday hours. |
list_categories | Your categories, service features, and languages. |
- Only published resources are included. Drafts, private, and password-protected resources are never shared.
- Confidential locations never include the street address, ZIP code, or map pin. Assistants are told to have people call instead.
- Nothing can be added, changed, or deleted.
How assistants are told to answer
When an assistant connects, it receives guidance from your site. It is asked to:
- Share phone numbers and suggest calling ahead, because hours and services change.
- Say when a listing’s Info last verified date is missing or more than a year old.
- Point people who may be in danger to 911 or the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline first.
- Treat listings as information, not endorsements.
Assistants usually follow this guidance, but they decide how to word their answers.
Privacy and limits
- Searches are not logged or stored.
- To prevent overuse, each visitor can make 60 requests a minute. Only a scrambled (salted hash) form of their IP address is kept, for one minute.
- Answers come straight from your site, so they are always as current as your listings.
Turn it off
Uncheck Allow AI assistants to search this directory and save. The connector URL stops working right away.
For developers
The same tools are registered as WordPress abilities (WordPress 6.9 and later): opendoor/search-resources, opendoor/get-resource, and opendoor/list-categories. They are marked public and read-only, so the WordPress MCP Adapter and other ability-aware tools can use them too. See Developers for filters.
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