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Connecting AI assistants

Trio can connect to AI assistants - such as Claude - over the Model Context Protocol (MCP), letting you ask an assistant questions about your studio in plain language. This article explains what you need to turn it on, how the connection works, exactly what the assistant can see, and how to review or revoke access at any time.

What you'll need

Connecting an AI assistant is a studio-owner feature with a few requirements:

  • A studio on the Max plan. Connected AI assistants are available only on Max - Free and Pro studios cannot enable them.
  • An owner or admin role in the studio. Teachers and staff cannot connect an assistant or manage existing connections.
  • The studio MCP toggle enabled in your studio settings. The connection stays off until an owner turns it on.
  • Alpha access while the connected-assistants feature is in alpha. During the alpha period the feature is opened to studios on a rolling basis.

How it works

Trio exposes a secure MCP endpoint. When you connect an AI assistant, you authorize it through Trio's sign-in flow - the same login you already use. No password or API key is ever shared with the assistant.

  1. In your AI assistant, add Trio as a connected app and start the connection.
  2. You're sent to Trio to sign in and approve the connection. The approval screen shows which studio you're granting access to.
  3. Once approved, the assistant can answer questions using read-only data from your studio. The connection runs under your own account and role, so the assistant never sees more than you can.

What the AI can see

The connection is read-only. A connected assistant can look up studio information to answer your questions - schedules, students and families, invoices, and similar records scoped to your studio and your role. It uses the same multi-tenant boundaries as the rest of Trio, so an assistant connected to your studio can never read another studio's data.

The assistant cannot create, edit, or delete anything in Trio. It cannot send messages, charge cards, change schedules, or modify records. If you want to make a change, you do it yourself in Trio.

Reviewing and revoking access

Every connected assistant appears under Settings → Connected apps. From there an owner or admin can see which assistants are connected, when each was last active, and revoke any connection.

Revoking a connection takes effect immediately - the assistant loses access the next time it tries to read your studio data. You can reconnect later by authorizing again.

A privacy note

Once data leaves Trio and reaches a connected AI assistant, it is handled by that assistant's provider under their terms and privacy policy. Trio cannot controlhow a third-party assistant stores, logs, or uses the information it receives. Only connect assistants you trust, and revoke access from Settings → Connected apps if you no longer use one.

Troubleshooting

  • The connect option is missing.Confirm your studio is on the Max plan, that you're signed in as an owner or admin, and that the studio MCP toggle is enabled.
  • Sign-in approval fails or loops.Make sure you're approving the connection while signed in to the correct studio, then start the connection from your assistant again.
  • The assistant says it can't reach your studio. The connection may have been revoked, or alpha access for your studio may not be active yet. Check Settings → Connected apps and reconnect if needed.