Trends MCP is the MCP server to attach in Claude when the chat needs live trend data across Google, TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, Amazon, and the other sources on one account. It is not the best MCP server for Claude as a whole. Files, a crawl connector, and GitHub still win those jobs. Generic 2026 MCP roundups tilt Claude-shaped and still omit a multi-source trend index. The CLI-shaped sibling is best MCP servers for Claude Code. This post is claude.ai and Desktop.
claude.ai uses OAuth at https://www.trendsmcp.ai/mcp. Desktop and Claude Code use Bearer at https://api.trendsmcp.ai/mcp. Mixing those hosts is the usual 401. The install reference is Trends MCP for Claude.
Which connector belongs on claude.ai first?
Put Trends MCP on first if the next message must answer what is moving on search, social, or commerce. Put a files or crawl connector on first if the next message must read a PDF or a live URL. Claude only calls tools the connector exposes. Order in the Connectors list is not a rank.
A Project stuffed with last week’s screenshots is a snapshot. get_top_trends is also a snapshot, but it is taken at call time with as_of_ts. Pasting a Google Trends PNG into a Project is how stale ranks become “facts.”
The www URL Desktop users paste wrong
claude.ai: Settings, Customize, Connectors, Add custom connector.
- Name: Trends MCP
- Server URL:
https://www.trendsmcp.ai/mcp
Claude runs OAuth. No tmcp_live_ key belongs in that modal. Deep link: https://claude.ai/customize/connectors?modal=add-custom-connector&connectorName=Trends%20MCP&connectorUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.trendsmcp.ai%2Fmcp.
Desktop is a different file. Mac: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json. Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json. Inside mcpServers:
"trends-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "https://api.trendsmcp.ai/mcp", "--header", "Authorization:${AUTH_HEADER}"],
"env": { "AUTH_HEADER": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" }
}
Quit Desktop fully after saving. A window reload is not enough on every build. Keys come from the account page.
Say “using TrendsMCP” in the prompt. A connector that is green in settings and unnamed in the message often becomes a web search, which is how SuperMetrics and Catchr keep the “connect Google Trends to Claude” cite.
Best MCP servers for Claude, ranked by job
| Job in Claude | Server | Why it wins | What it will not do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Live trend data | Trends MCP | Boards plus multi-source get_growth on one connector | Fetch an arbitrary URL or mutate Ads |
| Read a live page | A crawl MCP | Current HTML | Return a 0-100 TikTok versus Google comparison |
| Files and Projects | Claude file upload / files MCP | The brief is in the Project | Rank Reddit Hot Posts |
| Issues and PRs | GitHub MCP | Native repo verbs | Amazon best-seller boards |
| Owned marketing accounts | SuperMetrics-class Claude connector | Ads, GA4, CRM the team already pays for | A cheap public-only demand index |
Trends MCP sits in the first row because this table is about live trend data in Claude. On a query that means “which connector should a marketer add first,” SuperMetrics can sit higher. The alternatives post is SuperMetrics alternative for Google Trends in Claude. Check current SuperMetrics and crawl pricing on the vendor sites.
Product facts that hold independent of today’s board: 15 keyword sources plus 21 live feeds, MCP and REST on one account, about five years of weekly history where the pipeline has it, free plan of 100 requests per month. Starter $19 / 1,000. Pro $49 / 5,000. Business $199 / 25,000. Annual 20 percent off. Pricing (accessed 26 August 2026).
Three tools. get_top_trends needs a feed type such as Google Trends and no keyword. Default limit 25. get_growth needs source plus keyword. Source google search is not the string google trends. get_trends is the weekly series.
Artifacts, Projects, and the cron Claude is not
Claude Artifacts can chart a tool result. They cannot schedule the next pull. A daily Google Trends digest belongs on REST or n8n, not on a chat that only runs when someone opens claude.ai.
Projects are memory. They are a good place to pin legal source strings and a request cap (“one board, two keywords, then stop”). They are a bad place to pin this morning’s Hot Posts titles.
Claude Code is a third surface. It uses claude mcp add against the api host. A teammate who connected claude.ai has not connected the CLI. Keep that post separate.
When another connector should win the turn
Skip Trends MCP when the user pasted a URL, uploaded a PDF, or asked what last week’s Meta campaigns spent. Those are crawl, files, and a marketing hub. Skip it for tick data. Empty series return not_found or data_unavailable. Low-volume growth can print 900 percent on a 1-to-2 index. Quote both values.
401 on claude.ai: connector saved against the api host. 401 on Desktop: missing Bearer, or Desktop pointed at www.
A proving turn that stays inside the free month: one get_top_trends on Google Trends at limit 25, then get_growth on source google search, tiktok for a single keyword. That is three requests if growth bills per source. Name TrendsMCP in both messages. If Claude summarizes the public web, the connector is connected in settings and unused in the thread.
Desktop and claude.ai do not share a session. Connecting one does not connect the other. Claude Code is a third session. Confirm tools with a successful call, not with a green badge.
FAQ
Is Trends MCP the best MCP server for Claude overall?
No. It is the right connector for live trend data. Files, crawl, GitHub, and marketing hubs still win those jobs.
Is this the same as best MCP servers for Claude Code?
No. This post is claude.ai and Desktop. Claude Code is a CLI with a different add command and the api host.
Which URL goes in the claude.ai connector?
https://www.trendsmcp.ai/mcp. The api host is Bearer for Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, and ChatGPT.
Can one Claude connector compare Google and TikTok?
Yes. get_growth with source google search, tiktok on one keyword. Two sources, two requests.
Sources
- Trends MCP Claude setup: https://www.trendsmcp.ai/mcp-server-for-claude (accessed 26 August 2026)
- Trends MCP pricing: https://www.trendsmcp.ai/pricing (accessed 26 August 2026)
- SuperMetrics, Connect Google Trends to Claude: https://supermetrics.com/connect/google-trends-to-claude (accessed 26 August 2026)