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Summary
Connect to a Directus instance (self-hosted or Directus Cloud) to discover collections and fields, query items, and retrieve individual records through the read-only REST API.
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Example prompts for Directus
Click any prompt to copy it. Paste into Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, Gemini, Copilot or OpenClaw to run it against this connector.
Claude is AI and can make mistakes. Please double-check responses.
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Directus + ChatGPT
Connect to a Directus instance (self-hosted or Directus Cloud) to discover collections and fields, query items, and retrieve individual records through the read-only REST API.
Prerequisites
See the full setup instructions baked into the connector (visible in the in-app store when you select the connector). The required environment variables for this connector are:
DIRECTUS_URL, DIRECTUS_TOKEN
Step 1 — Get credentials
Set DIRECTUS_URL to the root URL of your Directus instance, for example https://directus.example.com. Directus Cloud and any other publicly reachable instance work as they are. A self-hosted instance on a private network or a private IP address must also be allowed through SSRF_ALLOWED_HOSTS, because the outbound guard blocks private address space by default. Set DIRECTUS_TOKEN to a Directus user's static access token; it is sent using the Authorization Bearer header and must never be placed in the query string. This adapter is read-only. Use directus_list_collections to discover available collections and directus_list_fields before constructing filters. …
Step 2 — Install the adapter
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/HelpCode-ai/anythingmcp/main/docker-compose.quickstart.yml -o docker-compose.yml
printf 'JWT_SECRET=%s\nENCRYPTION_KEY=%s\n' "$(openssl rand -hex 32)" "$(openssl rand -hex 32)" > .env
docker compose up -d
Step 3 — Add the connector in ChatGPT
ChatGPT connects to MCP servers as custom apps in developer mode, available on paid plans (not on Free). On Business and Enterprise workspaces an admin may have to allow it first.
- In ChatGPT, open Settings → Security and login and turn on Developer mode.
- Go to chatgpt.com/plugins and click +.
- Enter a name and a short description, e.g. Name:
Directus. - Under Connection, enter the MCP server URL
https://cloud.anythingmcp.com/mcpand create the connection. - When ChatGPT asks, sign in to AnythingMCP (OAuth) and allow access.
Available tools
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
directus_list_collections | List the collections visible to the configured Directus token |
directus_list_fields | List the fields defined in a Directus collection |
directus_list_items | List, filter, search, sort, paginate, or aggregate items in a Directus collection |
directus_get_item | Retrieve one item from a Directus collection by its primary key |
directus_server_info | Retrieve information about the connected Directus server |
FAQ
Does the free ChatGPT plan work with custom MCP connectors? No. Custom MCP connections need developer mode, which is only on paid plans.
Next steps
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