My assistant won't connect to bernard
Your AI assistant connects to bernard through one address — https://mcp.bernardmoves.com/mcp —
plus a secure key that proves it's acting for you. When the connection won't work,
it's nearly always one of four small things, and every one of them has a
two-minute fix.
First: paste the setup prompt, don't hand-type the config
bernard's setup prompt (in Account → Your AI) carries the address and the key,
correctly formatted for your assistant. Most connection failures we see come from
hand-typed configs: the address copied without the /mcp on the end, or the key
pasted into the wrong field so the assistant connects "anonymously" and sees no
tools. If anything is misbehaving, delete the connection and paste the setup
prompt again — that alone fixes most of it.
The four failures, and what each means
"Unauthorized" or a 401 — the key is missing, or it's an old key that has been replaced. Keys don't expire on a timer, but replacing one (the Replace key button) kills the old one instantly. Fix: fresh setup prompt from Account → Your AI, paste it back in.
Connected, but no bernard tools appear — the assistant reached the address but
sent no key (see above), or it's pointed at the wrong address entirely. The
address must be exactly https://mcp.bernardmoves.com/mcp.
"Site forbidden" — the connection is fine; the assistant asked about a site that isn't on your account. Ask it to "list my bernard sites" and continue from what comes back.
The Claude one-click sign-in stalls at Allow — retry in a regular (not incognito) browser window. If it keeps stalling, use the pasted-key route instead; it does exactly the same job.
Still stuck?
Replace the key (Account → Your AI → "Want to change your connection key?" → Replace key), paste the brand-new setup prompt into your assistant, and ask it to "list your bernard tools". If it can name tools, you're connected — and remember your drafts and live site were never at risk: Is it safe to let an AI edit my site? explains why. The technical connect reference your assistant can read is at https://bernardmoves.com/agent.
The prompt
“Try connecting to my bernard sites and tell me exactly what happens — if it fails, tell me which of these it is: no key, wrong address, or an old key that needs replacing.”
The [bracketed] parts are yours to fill in. First time? Connect bernard to your AI over MCP — a one-time setup in bernard → your site → Use your own AI — then paste the prompt above.
Questions people ask
- My assistant says it's connected but shows no bernard tools — why?
- Nine times out of ten the server was added without the key. The connection needs both the address (https://mcp.bernardmoves.com/mcp) and the Authorization header carrying your key — the setup prompt from Account → Your AI includes both, which is why pasting it whole beats typing the config by hand.
- It worked last week and now everything fails — what changed?
- Almost certainly the key: if you (or someone on your account) pressed Replace key, every assistant using the old key stops working that instant. Get the fresh setup prompt from Account → Your AI and paste it back into each assistant you use.
- I pressed Allow in the Claude sign-in and nothing happened.
- Try it once more in a normal browser window — the sign-in flow occasionally needs a second attempt, and private/incognito windows or strict content blockers can swallow the final step. If it still won't complete, the pasted-key route in Account → Your AI always works as a fallback.
- The assistant says it isn't allowed to touch one of my sites.
- Your key only covers sites on your own bernard account. If the assistant is naming a site that isn't yours (or spelling yours differently), ask it to list your sites first — it has a tool for exactly that — and work from that list.
- Could a connection problem have broken my site?
- No. Connection trouble means your assistant can't reach bernard at all — nothing was changed. And even a fully connected assistant only ever edits drafts; your live site changes only when you press Approve.