What you need
- A Formatix account. Sign up at platform.formatix.ai. Free to try: 10 free CVs on sign-up, no card. After that, it uses your plan's credits. Paid plans start at £20/month.
- A Claude plan with custom connectors: claude.ai, Claude Desktop or Claude Code. Anthropic lists custom connectors on the Free, Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans (Free is limited to one custom connector). On Team and Enterprise plans, an owner adds the connector for the organisation first.
Connect in claude.ai or Claude Desktop
- Open Customize → Connectors. Find Formatix AI in the directory and click Connect. If it isn't listed yet, click + Add, then Add custom connector, name it "Formatix AI", and paste
https://platform.formatix.ai/mcp/claude. - A Formatix window opens. Sign in to your Formatix account.
- Check the consent screen. It shows that access goes to claude.ai. Click Authorize.
- In a chat, open the tools menu and make sure Formatix AI is switched on.
Claude asks before it runs a tool that changes something (for example, changing a template in place or publishing a page). You can change those permissions in the connector's settings.
Connect in Claude Code
claude mcp add --transport http formatix https://platform.formatix.ai/mcp/claudeThen, in Claude Code, run /mcp, choose formatix and Authenticate. Your browser opens the Formatix sign-in page. The consent screen says access goes to a program on this computer (Claude Code). Click Authorize, and the browser returns to Claude Code (http://localhost:<port>/callback).
To share the connector with a project team, add it with --scope project. Each person still signs in with their own Formatix account.
What you can ask
- "Which template should I use for a one-page CFO profile? What fields does it need?"
- "Here is our Word candidate profile. Turn it into a Formatix template that keeps our design."
- "Create a position specification for a Chief Financial Officer at Northbridge Logistics, Manchester, in our brand."
- "Fill my candidate summary template for this CV and give me the PDF."
- "Make a shortlist deck for the CFO search with these three candidates."
- "Draft the 'we have been retained' LinkedIn announcement for a confidential CFO search for a FTSE 250 industrial group."
- "In my profile template, put the headings in our navy and add a languages section."
Tools (22)
Find and understand templates(read-only, no credits)
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| find_template | Finds the template that best fits a plain-language request (up to 3 matches, with reasons). |
| list_templates | Lists the templates in your account, with id, type and formats. |
| get_template_schema | Shows a template's extraction prompt (what Formatix takes from a CV) and its fields. |
| get_template_html | Shows the HTML and CSS of an HTML template. |
| list_custom_templates | Lists your own custom templates and their status. |
| get_custom_template_detail | Shows the full detail of one of your custom templates. |
| download_template_file | Gives a 24-hour download link to the file of one of your own templates. Templates Formatix set up for your firm are preview-only. |
| list_brand_kits | Lists your firm's brand kit and any client brand kits. |
| check_template_upload_status | Shows the progress of a template Formatix is building from a file. |
| get_refine_status | Shows the progress of a template change. |
Create templates
| Tool | What it does | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| create_platform_template | Saves a Word, PowerPoint or Excel template that Claude designed from your file (placeholders, extraction prompt, schema). Formatix checks every tag and saves nothing if a tag would not fill. | 0 |
| create_template | Creates an HTML template from scratch. | 0 |
| create_template_with_file | Creates a template from a file plus a prompt and schema that Claude wrote. | 0 |
| upload_custom_template | Formatix's AI builds the template from your file. | Uses credits (at least 1 needed) |
Change your own templates
| Tool | What it does | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| update_template_html | Edits an HTML template. The change is saved as a new copy; the original is unchanged. | 0 |
| update_custom_template | Edits a custom template's title, prompt, schema, HTML or blind-CV settings. Saved as a new copy. | 0 |
| template_chat | Makes a plain-language change. HTML templates are saved as a new copy. Word, PowerPoint and Excel templates you built yourself are changed in place; every earlier version is kept, and you can restore one in Formatix. | 0 |
Templates that Formatix set up for your firm are never changed from Claude. Open them in Formatix and click Edit to work on your own copy.
Produce documents
| Tool | What it does | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| render_custom_template | Fills one of your HTML templates and returns a PDF (or HTML) link. | 1 |
| render_search_document | Creates a branded executive-search document. See the credit cost of each type below. | 0.5–1 |
| create_launch_announcement | Drafts the "we have been retained" LinkedIn posts and a brand graphic in three sizes. Nothing is posted. | 1 |
| announce_appointment | Drafts the appointment announcement posts and graphic. Nothing is posted. | 1 |
| publish_appointment_page | Publishes a public web page for an appointment, from an appointment brief Formatix drafted. At most 10 an hour. | 0 |
Cost of each render_search_document type
| Document | Credits |
|---|---|
| Position specification | 1 |
| Shortlist deck | 0.5 |
| Search progress report | 0.5 |
| Interview pack | 0.5 |
| Appointment brief | 1 |
| LinkedIn carousel | 0.5 |
| Role teaser | 0.5 |
Confidential searches: tell Claude the search is confidential. Formatix uses the client's name only to check the output, and describes the client instead of naming them.
Credits
- Formatix tools use the credits in your Formatix account, exactly as on the platform. The tables above show the cost of each tool.
- Reading templates and brand kits, saving templates you designed, and changing your own templates use no credits.
- You buy credits and manage your plan in Formatix (platform.formatix.ai), never in Claude.
- If you run out, Claude tells you how many credits a step needs and how many you have.
- When Claude retries a step after a timeout with the same request id, you are not charged twice.
Privacy and security
- Data Formatix receives: only what a tool needs, such as the CV text or brief you ask Claude to use, or the file you supply. The connector never sees your other conversations, Claude's memory or your chat history.
- Where data goes: CVs and documents are processed under the Formatix privacy policy, which covers the UK GDPR, our ICO registration (ZC184545) and our sub-processors.
- Sign-in: OAuth 2.0 with PKCE. Claude never sees your Formatix password. Access tokens last 24 hours and refresh automatically.
- Disconnecting: you can disconnect at any time in Claude's connector settings.
- Links: downloads are signed links that expire (24 hours).
- Firm templates: templates Formatix set up for your firm stay read-only and preview-only.
- Reporting a security issue: see formatix.ai/security.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| "Not signed in", or the connector asks you to reconnect | Your session expired or was revoked. Click Connect again and sign in. |
| "Not enough credits" | Top up or change plan in Formatix, then ask again. |
read_only | That template was set up for your firm by Formatix. Open it in Formatix and click Edit to work on your own copy. |
download_disabled | Firm templates are preview-only. Format CVs with them in Formatix. |
| A template change is still running | Ask Claude to check its status (get_refine_status). |
| Claude Code sign-in doesn't return | Make sure your browser can open http://localhost, then run /mcp → Authenticate again. |
Support
Email [email protected], see the help centre or use the contact form. Security reports: formatix.ai/security.
Frequently asked questions
Does using Formatix from Claude cost anything?
Formatting and AI steps use your Formatix account's credits, exactly as on the platform; each tool states its cost. Reading templates and brand kits, saving templates you designed and changing your own templates use no credits. Formatix is free to try: 10 free CVs on sign-up, no card.
Which Claude apps work with the Formatix connector?
claude.ai, Claude Desktop and Claude Code. In claude.ai and Claude Desktop, add it under Customize → Connectors. In Claude Code, run: claude mcp add --transport http formatix https://platform.formatix.ai/mcp/claude, then /mcp to sign in.
What data does the connector receive?
Only the inputs of the tool Claude calls, such as the CV text, brief or file you ask it to use. It never sees your other conversations, Claude's memory or your chat history. Data is processed under the Formatix privacy policy.
Can Claude change the templates Formatix set up for my firm?
No. Those templates stay read-only and preview-only in Claude. Open them in Formatix and click Edit to work on your own copy. Templates you built yourself can be changed from Claude.
Last updated 2026-10-15.