SkyWatch MCP Server v2.0

Connect the SkyWatch MCP server to Claude, ChatGPT or VS Code, sign in with your SkyWatch account, and work with satellite imagery in plain language: search the archive, check prices and tasking windows, place orders, track deliveries and monitor areas over time.

MCP Endpoint: https://mcp.skywatch.com/mcp

One URL, no API key

Add the URL to your AI assistant. When it asks you to sign in, a browser window opens. Use your SkyWatch Explore or SkyWatch Hub account. You do not need an API key for your MCP host.

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Before you start

You need:

• A SkyWatch account. Sign up for free at explore.skywatch.com, or ask your organization's SkyWatch admin to invite you to Hub.
• An AI assistant that supports remote MCP servers with sign-in. See Supported assistants.

Without signing in, the server offers five tools: search, pricing, satellites, products and a getting started guide. Sign in to order, track your orders and use the rest of your account. See Tools for the full list.

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Supported assistants

Assistant	Status
Claude (claude.ai web and Claude Desktop)	Supported
Claude Code	Supported
ChatGPT	Supported (custom connectors need a plan that allows them)
VS Code (GitHub Copilot Chat, agent mode)	Supported

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What happens the first time you connect

1. You add https://mcp.skywatch.com/mcp to your assistant.
2. Your assistant asks you to sign in. A browser window opens on the SkyWatch sign-in page.
3. You sign in with your SkyWatch account.
4. On your first sign-in you may see two extra screens: one asking you to accept the SkyWatch terms, and one offering to set up a passkey. You can choose Continue without passkeys.
5. The browser hands you back to your assistant, and it can now work as you, with your account's permissions.

You sign in once. After that your assistant reconnects on its own. If it does not keep you signed in, it asks you to sign in again when the session expires.

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Setup by assistant

Claude (web and Desktop)

1. Open Settings, then Connectors.
2. Select Add custom connector.
3. Name it SkyWatch and paste the URL:

   https://mcp.skywatch.com/mcp

4. Select Connect. A browser window opens; sign in to SkyWatch.
5. In a new chat, open the tools menu and check that SkyWatch is turned on.

Connectors you add on claude.ai are also available in Claude Desktop when you sign in with the same Claude account.

Team and Enterprise plans

If you do not see Add custom connector, your organization's Claude owner has to add it first. See For system administrators.

Claude Code

1. Add the server:

   claude mcp add --transport http skywatch https://mcp.skywatch.com/mcp

2. Start Claude Code and run /mcp.
3. Select skywatch, then Authenticate. A browser window opens; sign in to SkyWatch.
4. Back in /mcp, skywatch shows as connected. Select it to see its tools.

To remove it later, run claude mcp remove skywatch.

ChatGPT

1. Open Settings, then Connectors (shown as Apps & Connectors in some versions).
2. Create a custom connector. Name it SkyWatch and paste the URL:

   https://mcp.skywatch.com/mcp

3. Choose OAuth as the authentication method if ChatGPT asks.
4. Complete the sign-in in the browser window that opens.
5. In a new chat, add the SkyWatch connector from the tools menu.

Custom connectors need a paid ChatGPT plan, and on some plans they sit behind Developer mode in the advanced connector settings. If you cannot find the option, it is a plan or workspace setting. See For system administrators.

VS Code

1. Run the MCP: Add Server command, or create .vscode/mcp.json in your workspace:

   {
     "servers": {
       "skywatch": {
         "type": "http",
         "url": "https://mcp.skywatch.com/mcp"
       }
     }
   }

2. Run MCP: List Servers, select skywatch and start it.
3. When VS Code asks to sign in, allow it and complete the sign-in in the browser.
4. In Copilot Chat agent mode, open the tools picker to see the SkyWatch tools.

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For system administrators

On business plans, an administrator often controls which connectors people can add. If your users cannot add SkyWatch themselves, an administrator adds it once for the organization.

Claude Team and Enterprise

1. As an Owner, open Organization settings (Admin settings), then Connectors.
2. Add a custom connector named SkyWatch with the URL https://mcp.skywatch.com/mcp.
3. Members then find SkyWatch in their own Settings, Connectors list and select Connect to sign in with their own SkyWatch account.

ChatGPT Business and Enterprise

1. As a workspace admin, open Workspace settings and allow custom connectors (or Developer mode, depending on your plan).
2. Add the SkyWatch connector with the URL https://mcp.skywatch.com/mcp, or allow members to add it themselves.
3. Each member signs in with their own SkyWatch account the first time they use it.

The administrator does not share a SkyWatch login. Every person signs in as themselves, so each person only sees their own account's data and gets their own account's permissions.

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What you can do

Your assistant gets exactly the permissions your SkyWatch account has, nothing more.

Explore and Hub accounts

Account	What your assistant can do
Not signed in	Search the archive, estimate prices, browse satellites and products
Explore (self-service, explore.skywatch.com)	Everything above, plus order archive imagery and standard tasking, check tasking windows, track your orders and download results, save locations, check your payment method
Hub (organizations, by invitation)	Everything above, plus your organization and team, projects and budgets, order approvals, spend, area monitoring, processing and analytics, DirectView map layers and publishing to ArcGIS

To move from Explore to Hub, ask your organization's SkyWatch admin to invite you.

Hub roles

In Hub, your role decides which actions are allowed:

Role	What you can do
Reader	Search, price, check tasking windows, view orders, results, budgets, spend, monitors and saved locations
Creator and above	All of the above, plus place and cancel orders, create monitors, save locations and publish to ArcGIS
SuperAdmin	All of the above, plus approve or reject orders waiting for approval

If a tool refuses and names a role, that is your account's role, not an error. Ask your organization's admin to change it.

Orders cost money

Ordering paid imagery or tasking charges your account, the same as ordering in Hub or Explore. Your assistant shows the product and price and asks you to confirm before it places an order. Free imagery (Sentinel-2, Landsat) costs nothing to order.

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Tools

The tools your assistant sees depend on whether you are signed in and on your account. Each list includes the one before it, except get_started, which is only offered before you sign in.

Without signing in (5 tools)

Tool	What it does
get_started	Explains what SkyWatch can do and how to sign in
search_archive_imagery	Searches the archive for imagery of a place or area
calculate_pricing	Estimates the price of imagery for an area
get_satellites	Lists satellites and their specifications
get_offerings	Lists the imagery products you can order

Explore accounts (24 tools)

Tool	What it does
search_archive_imagery	Searches the archive for imagery of a place or area
calculate_pricing	Estimates the price of imagery for an area
get_satellites	Lists satellites and their specifications
get_offerings	Lists the imagery products you can order
retrieve_knowledge	Answers questions about SkyWatch products and policies
build_aoi	Builds an area of interest from a place, address or feature
check_aoi	Checks an area is valid and splits a large one into parts
aoi_coverage_gaps	Shows how much of your area a scene covers
tasking_planner	Checks when a satellite could capture your area
request_tasking_feasibility	Asks SkyWatch to review a tasking request
place_order	Orders archive imagery from a search result
place_tasking_order	Orders a new satellite capture (tasking)
cancel_order	Cancels an order
get_my_orders	Lists your orders and their status
get_order_results	Gets the downloads for a delivered order
save_location	Saves an area as a named location
list_locations	Lists your saved locations
get_location	Shows a saved location
rename_location	Renames a saved location
delete_location	Deletes a saved location
get_my_account	Shows your account details
get_billing	Shows your billing details
check_payment_method	Checks that you have a payment method on file
agent_message	Hands a request to the SkyWatch assistant

Hub accounts (51 tools)

Hub accounts get every Explore tool, plus:

Tool	What it does
get_organization	Shows your organization
list_users	Lists the people in your organization
invite_user	Invites someone to your organization
list_projects	Lists your organization's projects
check_budget	Checks your budget for the current period
get_spend_summary	Summarizes your organization's spend
approve_order	Approves an order waiting for approval
reject_order	Rejects an order waiting for approval
create_monitor	Creates a monitor that watches an area for new imagery
create_monitors	Creates several monitors at once
list_monitors	Lists your monitors
get_monitor	Shows a monitor
get_monitor_results	Shows the imagery a monitor has found
update_monitor	Changes a monitor
pause_monitor	Pauses a monitor
resume_monitor	Resumes a paused monitor
delete_monitor	Deletes a monitor
list_processing_graphs	Lists the processing workflows you can run
get_processing_graph	Describes a processing workflow
run_processing	Runs a processing workflow on delivered imagery
list_processing_jobs	Lists your processing jobs
get_processing_status	Shows the status of a processing job
get_processing_results	Gets the results of a processing job
cancel_processing	Cancels a processing job
create_directview	Creates a DirectView map layer for a delivered order
publish_to_arcgis	Publishes a delivered order to ArcGIS Online
get_publish_status	Shows whether an order was published to ArcGIS

Your Hub role still decides which of these you can run. See Hub roles.

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Try it

Once you are connected, try prompts like these:

• "Find recent cloud-free imagery of the Port of Rotterdam."
• "How much would 30 cm imagery of a 5 km² area around Denver cost?"
• "When could a satellite capture my site next week?"
• "Show my orders from the last month and their status."
• "Save this area as a location called North Field."

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Troubleshooting

What you see	What to do
Only 5 tools, or tools say "Authentication required"	You are connected but not signed in. Start the sign-in from your assistant (in Claude Code: /mcp, then Authenticate).
The sign-in window never opens, or the assistant reports it could not register	Your assistant may not support sign-in for remote MCP servers yet. Check Supported assistants.
No option to add a custom connector	Your plan or workspace restricts it. See For system administrators.
You signed in as the wrong SkyWatch account	Remove the connector, sign out of SkyWatch in your browser, then add it again and sign in with the right account.
A tool refuses and names a role	Your Hub role does not allow that action. Ask your organization's admin.
"The order was not placed: ..."	SkyWatch refused the order. The text after the colon says why, for example no payment method or a budget that is too small.
"It may have been created anyway" after an order	Ask your assistant to list your orders before ordering again, so you do not order twice.
Asked to sign in again often	Your assistant does not keep the session. Sign in again, or remove and re-add the connector.

Still stuck? Contact your SkyWatch account manager or support@skywatch.com. Include which assistant you used, the URL you added and the exact message you saw.