Integration · Customer support

Connect Claude & ChatGPT to Higher Logic Vanilla

Ask your AI which discussions are still unanswered, search the whole community for a topic, or reply to a thread in Higher Logic Vanilla. It can post discussions, questions and comments, write and update knowledge base articles, pin or close threads, and send private messages. It works with your own user's permissions.

Connect Higher Logic Vanilla free

Free plan, no credit card. Takes about a minute.

Try asking

“Which discussions in the Support category are still unanswered?”
The AI finds the category and lists its discussions filtered by status, with author and date.
“Search the community for posts about single sign-on.”
It searches discussions, comments, articles and users and lists the matches.
“Reply to discussion 482 with the fix from the release notes.”
It posts a comment on the discussion. The comment is published to the community.

What your AI can do

Discussions and comments

List, search, read and post discussions, questions and comments, edit them, pin, close, tag or move them, and delete a discussion.

Knowledge base

List knowledge bases and categories, read and search articles, and create or update articles.

Users and messages

Search users, read profiles and notifications, and start or reply to private conversations.

“Turn this thread into a knowledge base article.”
It reads the discussion, finds the right knowledge category and creates the article there.
“Pin the maintenance announcement and close it for comments.”
It updates the discussion so it is pinned and closed.
“Send a private message to our three moderators about the spam posts.”
It finds the moderators and starts a private conversation with them. They are notified.

30 tools for Higher Logic Vanilla

These tools are switched on when you connect. You can switch any of them off, or require your approval before it runs.

create_articleChanges dataCreate a knowledge base article with `name`, `body`, `format`, `locale` and `knowledge_category_id`. It is published to the knowledge base.
create_commentChanges dataPost a comment on a discussion. Pass `discussion_id`, `body` and `format`. It is published to the community.
create_discussionChanges dataPost a new discussion with `name` (title), `body` and `format` (e.g. markdown, text, html) in an optional `category_id`. It is published to the community.
create_questionChanges dataPost a new question with `name` (title), `body` and `format` in an optional `category_id`. It is published to the community.
delete_discussionDeletesPermanently delete a discussion by `discussion_id`, including its comments. This cannot be undone.
get_articleGet one knowledge base article by `product_id` (the article ID), with its body.
get_categoryGet one category by `category_id`.
get_commentGet one comment by `message_id` (the comment ID).
get_current_userGet the connected Vanilla user (the account the AI acts as).
get_discussionGet one discussion by `discussion_id`, including its body, author, category and counts.
get_userGet one user by `user_id`, with profile, roles and post counts.
list_articlesList knowledge base articles, filtered by `knowledge_category_id`, knowledge base, tag or status.
list_categoriesList community categories, optionally only followed or featured ones. Use this to find a category ID.
list_commentsList comments, typically for one `discussion_id`, or by a user (`insert_user_id`), with paging.
list_conversation_messagesList the messages in a private conversation by `conversation_id`.
list_conversationsList private conversations (direct messages) of the current user or a `participant_user_id`.
list_discussionsList discussions, filtered by `category_id`, tag, status, pinned or followed, with sorting and paging. Use to see recent or unanswered posts.
list_knowledge_basesList the knowledge bases in the community.
list_knowledge_categoriesList knowledge base categories, optionally for given knowledge bases. Use this to find a `knowledge_category_id` for articles.
list_notificationsList the current user's notifications.
list_tagsList or search tags by `query`. Use this to find tag IDs for discussions.
search_commentsSearch comments by text in `query`, optionally within a `category_id`.
search_communitySearch the whole community (discussions, comments, articles, users) by `query`, optionally filtered by record types, category or tags.
search_discussionsSearch discussions by text in `query`, optionally within a `category_id`.
search_usersSearch community users by `query`, `name`, `email` or role.
send_conversation_messageChanges dataSend a private message in an existing conversation. Pass `conversation_id` and `body`. The participants are notified.
start_conversationChanges dataStart a private conversation with the users in `participant_user_i_ds`, with an optional first message (`initial_body`). The participants are notified.
update_articleChanges dataUpdate a knowledge base article by `product_id` (the article ID): title, body, category or tags.
update_commentChanges dataEdit a comment by `message_id` (the comment ID) with a new `body`.
update_discussionChanges dataUpdate a discussion by `discussion_id`: title (`name`), body, category, pinned or closed state, or tags.

Set up in three steps

1
Pick the app
Create a free PipMCP account and choose Higher Logic Vanilla from the app list.
2
Paste your key
Enter your community address without https:// (for example community.example.com or acme.vanillacommunities.com) and a personal access token. In your community click the MeBox, then your profile picture, choose Edit Profile and click Access Tokens in the sidebar. Click Generate New Token, name it and copy the token. Your role needs the Garden > Tokens > Add permission.
3
Add the link to your AI
You get a personal MCP link. Add it to Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor:
1. Click your name, then Settings › Connectors › Add custom connector.
2. Paste your link as the Remote MCP server URL.
3. Switch it on from the + menu in a chat.

Questions

What can the AI do in Higher Logic Vanilla?

The AI can search the community and read discussions, comments, categories, tags, users, notifications, knowledge bases, articles and private conversations. It can post discussions, questions and comments, edit them, create and update knowledge base articles, start and reply to private conversations, and delete a discussion if you switch that tool on.

Does the AI see my Vanilla access token?

No. Your Vanilla credentials are encrypted at rest and never shown to the AI. After you save them, they are not shown again, not even to you. The AI only sees the results of the tools it calls.

Can I control what the AI is allowed to do?

Yes. You choose which tools are switched on, so you can start read-only. Posting to the community, sending private messages and deleting a discussion can require your approval before they run. Deleting a discussion also removes its comments and cannot be undone. Every tool call is logged.

Does it work with ChatGPT?

Yes. In ChatGPT go to Settings › Apps & Connectors › Advanced and turn on Developer mode, then add your PipMCP link. Developer mode needs a paid ChatGPT plan: Plus, Pro, Business or Enterprise. The same link also works in Claude (Settings › Connectors › Add custom connector), Cursor and other MCP clients.

What does it cost?

PipMCP has a free plan with no credit card required. Paid plans bill per completed task. You also need your own Higher Logic Vanilla community.

Whose permissions does the AI have?

Your own. The personal access token belongs to your user, so the AI can only see and do what your role allows, and its posts and messages are made as you. To limit it further, connect with a user whose role has fewer permissions.