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Public Signal Labs

Setup guide

Use Public Signal in Claude Code

Add Instagram research to Claude Code.

Connection address (MCP URL)

https://publicsignallabs.com/mcp

This address is public and is not a secret. You never need to open it in a browser: your app pastes it in during setup.

Before you start

For people already using Claude Code. This setup is separate from connecting Claude on the web.

  • Claude Code installed and working with your own Claude Code sign-in.
  • Comfort adding an MCP server through Claude Code settings or its documented commands.
  • A Public Signal account whose credits you want research to use.
  • Do not reuse the Claude-on-the-web connection button for Claude Code: the two surfaces register servers independently.

Effort: About 10 minutes. Take it one step at a time; nothing here runs research or spends credits until you send the first request yourself.

Steps

  1. Register Public Signal as an HTTP server

    In a terminal, open the project where you want to use Public Signal and run the command below. This adds the server in Claude Code's default local scope for that project.

    You do not need a client ID, secret, or token: registration and sign-in happen through the browser.

    Claude Code setup command

    claude mcp add --transport http public-signal https://publicsignallabs.com/mcp

    You should now see: Claude Code lists Public Signal among its MCP servers.

  2. Approve the browser sign-in

    Start Claude Code with claude. Enter /mcp, select public-signal, and choose its authentication option. Complete the browser sign-in with your Public Signal account, review access, and approve it.

    You should now see: Claude Code reports the server as connected.

  3. Confirm the tools, then try one lookup

    Use /mcp inside Claude Code to confirm the server is connected and inspect its tools. Then send the bounded first request from this guide when you are ready. Live research uses Public Signal credits.

    You should now see: You receive a short profile summary with a source link.

Your first request

Copy the request below and send it in your app when you are ready. It asks for exactly one profile, so you can confirm the connection without starting a large search. Running it uses Public Signal credits, and your app may have its own usage charges.

First request (copy, then send in your app)

Using Public Signal, look up the public Instagram profile @natgeo. Summarize its bio and follower count, and include its profile link. Use only one profile lookup; do not fetch follower lists or expand the research.

Keep it switched on

  • Scope the server to the projects where you want research; a user-level entry travels with you, a project entry stays with the folder.
  • If a session cannot see the tools, start a new session before re-adding the server.

Next, bring your own campaign brief and ask for a small evidence-backed shortlist. Build your first creator shortlist walks through that.

If something goes wrong

  • The browser sign-in never returns: Finish the approval in the browser Claude Code opened, then return to the terminal manually if it does not switch back by itself.
  • It keeps asking me to sign in: Use the Public Signal account whose credits you want for the whole approval, without switching accounts halfway through.
  • I connected it, but nothing happens: Confirm the server is enabled for the current scope and its tools are listed in the session, then retry the bounded first request.

Still stuck? Get connection help covers the common cases across every app, or write to support@publicsignallabs.com.

Remove the connection

  • Inside Claude Code, use /mcp, select public-signal, and choose Clear authentication to revoke its authentication. In the same project directory used for setup, run claude mcp remove public-signal to remove the server and its locally stored tokens.
  • Disconnecting does not restore credits already used.

Good to know

  • Signing in lets your app use Public Signal on your behalf. Your Public Signal password is not shared with the app.
  • Research uses your Public Signal credits. Your AI app may have its own plan or usage charges, and hosted-agent chats also consume credits for model inference.
  • Public Signal uses browser sign-in, not API keys or manually pasted access tokens. Use automatic registration where offered; do not invent a client ID or secret.
  • Prefer to skip setup entirely? Open the agent and research here instead.