Askline · MCP
Find buyers on X, from inside Claude
Askline reads X for people publicly saying they want to buy something, scores how close they are, and drafts a reply. This page is about using it without opening Askline at all — from Claude, Claude Code, Cursor, or anything else that speaks MCP.
Two of the four tools need no account
You can point an assistant at this server and get real answers before signing up for anything. That is deliberate: the demand data is the part nobody else has, and it is easier to judge a tool by using it than by reading a landing page.
| Tool | Needs | What it does |
|---|---|---|
demand_index |
no account | Real, dated posts from people publicly asking to buy software, by category. |
score_post |
no account | Score a single post 0-100 for buying intent and explain the reasoning: is this person asking for a recommendation, leaving a tool, complaining, comparing, naming a budget? No account needed. |
search_buyers |
API key | Search X for people expressing buying intent for what you sell, score them, and draft a reply for each. |
list_leads |
API key | Read contacts already found, newest first, with their score, the original post and the drafted reply. |
Things you can ask
These are sentences, not API calls. Your assistant picks the tool.
Who is asking for a CRM on X right now?
Reads the public demand index and comes back with real, dated posts and their links. No account needed.
Is this post worth answering? “Our CRM costs $400/mo for features nobody uses.”
Scores it 0-100 and says why: complaining, comparing, asking for a recommendation, naming a budget.
Find people who want what I sell — I make invoicing software for freelancers.
Runs a live search on X, scores everyone found, and drafts a reply for each one.
Show me the contacts I have not answered yet.
Reads your Askline inbox, newest first, with the drafted reply for each.
Connecting it, in three minutes
1. Get a key. Sign in at askline.app, open Settings, and create one under API keys & MCP. It is shown once and never again — copy it then. Skip this step if you only want the two open tools.
2. Add the server to your MCP client configuration:
{
"mcpServers": {
"askline": {
"url": "https://askline.app/mcp",
"headers": {
"Authorization": "Bearer ask_live_your_key_here"
}
}
}
}
3. Ask. “Who is asking for what I sell on X?” is enough to start.
Where the configuration file lives
The block above goes in different places depending on the client, and this is where most people lose ten minutes.
| Client | Where |
|---|---|
| Claude Desktop | Settings → Developer → Edit Config, which opens claude_desktop_config.json |
| Claude Code | claude mcp add, or the mcpServers block in your project or user settings |
| Cursor | Settings → MCP → Add new server |
| Anything else | Any client that speaks MCP over HTTP. The endpoint is plain JSON-RPC 2.0 — no SDK required. |
Restart the client after editing. If the tools do not appear, that is almost always the reason.
What comes back
Tools return structured data, not prose, which is what lets you push on the answer.
A call to demand_index on a category returns entries shaped like this:
{
"category": { "slug": "crm", "name": "CRM" },
"posts": [
{
"handle": "paulsanders87",
"text": "My HubSpot renewal is coming up — and it is bloody expensive…",
"url": "https://x.com/paulsanders87/status/2085611348453409229",
"posted_at": 1787000000,
"intent": "comparing",
"urgency": "now",
"score": 91,
"why": "Renewal coming up, price named as the problem, actively looking."
}
]
}
Every entry carries url. That is the point: your assistant can quote a claim and
you can open the original in one click to check it. A number without a source is an opinion.
When something does not work
The tools do not show up. Restart the client. If they still do not, the configuration file has a JSON syntax error — a trailing comma is the usual culprit, and most clients fail silently on it.
A tool says it needs a key. search_buyers and
list_leads do. Check that the header reads
Authorization: Bearer ask_live_… and that the key has not been revoked in Settings.
A search returns nothing. That is a real answer, not a failure. If nobody in your market posted publicly in the search window, no tool can invent them. Try a broader offer description, or read the public index to see whether your category has any traffic at all before spending a search on it.
A search says the quota is reached. Searches count against the same monthly allowance as the web app — three on the free plan. Reading the demand index and scoring posts do not count and need no key.
What it will not do
It does not post anything. Askline drafts a reply and hands it to you; publishing stays a decision you make yourself, on your own account. A search counts against the same monthly quota as the web app — three on the free plan. Reading the demand index and scoring posts cost nothing and need no key.
Why buying intent and not mentions
Monitoring tools watch for your brand name. That finds people who already know you. The person writing “our CRM costs four hundred a month for features nobody uses” names no brand at all, and is the one worth answering. Askline reads for the shape of a problem rather than for a string. The reasoning is written up in the guide to finding buyers on X, and the difference with each monitoring tool is laid out in the comparisons.
See the data before you connect anything
The demand index is public: real posts, real dates, each linked to the original on X.
Start free