How to Use the New York Times MCP in Claude

Q: Can Claude Desktop pull specific New York Times book lists?

Yes, by using getbooklists. Tell Claude Desktop which genre you want, and it queries the New York Times API to return the current bestsellers.

Q: How does Claude Desktop handle New York Times movie reviews?

The agent calls getmoviereviews with your film title. Claude Desktop then parses the New York Times critic's verdict and summarizes it for you.

Ask Claude Desktop to pull live New York Times articles, bestseller lists, and reviews directly into your chat.

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Connect New York Times MCP to Claude Desktop

Create your Vinkius account to connect New York Times to Claude Desktop and route execution through our secure gateway. The platform manages server hosting, runtime updates, and security layers. Configuration requires no manual server provisioning.

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Setup New York Times with Claude Desktop

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Run New York Times article search inside Claude Desktop

The `search_articles` tool lets Claude Desktop search the New York Times archive without leaving your chat window. When you ask about historical trends, the Claude Desktop agent runs this query to pull raw text, dates, and headlines directly from the New York Times API. You can refine these New York Times searches by date ranges inside Claude Desktop using the same tool. This MCP setup lets Claude Desktop build instant timelines of major historical events based entirely on verified New York Times reporting.

Analyze bestseller lists with this MCP Server

Using `get_book_lists` lets your Claude Desktop agent feed current New York Times bestseller trends straight to your chat. Claude Desktop can compare what is actually selling on the New York Times list against your own reading list or market research by pulling the exact slug like hardcover-fiction. This New York Times MCP Server connection means you do not have to copy-paste web pages into Claude Desktop anymore. Your local Claude Desktop client handles the heavy lifting, parsing the New York Times bestseller data to find trends or generate summaries.

Monitor trending news stories in Claude Desktop

The `get_most_viewed` tool shows Claude Desktop what the world is reading on the New York Times right now. When you ask for the day's biggest talking points, the Claude Desktop agent calls this or `get_most_shared` to find the most popular New York Times pieces. If you need to know what is landing in inboxes, the Claude Desktop agent triggers `get_most_emailed` to pull the top New York Times articles. You get the raw New York Times data inside Claude Desktop, direct from the newsroom.

Setup guide

Set up New York Times MCP in Claude Web or Desktop

1

Open Claude Settings

Go to claude.ai, click your profile icon, then navigate to Customize → Connectors.
2

Add Custom Connector

Click the "+" button and select Add custom connector. Paste your Vinkius endpoint URL: https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp Replace [YOUR_TOKEN_HERE] with your token from cloud.vinkius.com. For OAuth-protected servers, expand Advanced settings to add credentials.
3

Start a conversation

Open a new chat. The New York Times MCP tools are available immediately — no restart needed.

Endpoint URL

https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp

No configuration file needed — paste the URL directly in the Claude web interface.

Available on Free (1 connector), Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise plans.

Prerequisites

Claude Desktop installed (macOS or Windows)
Active Vinkius subscription with a valid endpoint token

1

Open Claude Desktop Settings

Click the menu icon at the top-left corner, go to Settings → Developer → Edit Config. This opens claude_desktop_config.json in your default text editor.
2

Paste the New York Times MCP configuration

Copy the JSON snippet on the right into the mcpServers object. Replace [YOUR_TOKEN_HERE] with your endpoint token from cloud.vinkius.com.
3

Restart Claude Desktop

Close and reopen the application. Claude needs a full restart to load new MCPs — refreshing a conversation is not enough.
4

Verify the connection

Open a new conversation. Click the 🔌 icon at the bottom of the message input. You should see tools listed under new-york-times-mcp.

json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "new-york-times-mcp": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Get your connection token →

Independent Platform Disclaimer: Vinkius is an independent platform and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, verified by, or otherwise authorized by New York Times. All third-party trademarks, logos, and brand names are the property of their respective owners. Their use on this website is strictly for informational purposes to identify service compatibility and interoperability.

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Common questions about New York Times MCP in Claude Desktop

You just ask Claude Desktop to use this MCP Server to find articles from a specific timeframe. The agent uses `get_archive` or `search_articles` to pull the exact pieces from the New York Times database straight into your sidebar.

Yes, by using `get_book_lists`. Tell Claude Desktop which genre you want, and it queries the New York Times API to return the current bestsellers.

The agent calls `get_movie_reviews` with your film title. Claude Desktop then parses the New York Times critic's verdict and summarizes it for you.

Yes, you need a New York Times developer key. You add it to your local MCP config file so Claude Desktop can authenticate your requests.

Only the specific search queries you type into Claude Desktop are sent to the New York Times API to fetch articles. Vinkius runs this in a zero-trust sandbox, so your private New York Times developer keys and local Claude Desktop history never leak.

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