Data & Analytics · Chartly + Claude
Chartly MCP with Claude: Turn Chart Requests into Shareable Visuals
The short answer
Claude connects to Chartly through the Model Context Protocol (MCP), an open standard that lets Claude use software securely with permissions you control. Once connected, Claude can turn a chart configuration into a PNG or SVG image, create a stable link to share or embed, and update a chart when you describe the change in plain language.
What is Chartly?
Chartly is a service that renders Chart.js chart configurations as images. It produces PNG pictures for reports and presentations and SVG vector graphics that stay sharp at any size. It also creates permanent chart URLs that can be shared or embedded in websites, documents and internal tools. Analysts, marketing teams, product managers and developers commonly use it to keep charts consistent and easy to distribute.
How Claude connects to Chartly through MCP
The Model Context Protocol is an open standard that acts like a universal adapter between Claude and other software. It lets Claude read information from a tool and take actions in it, using access that your organisation sets and can withdraw at any time. For Chartly, access is granted with an API key, so the connection is tied to a specific account.
Once connected, Claude can accept a chart described in everyday words, build the Chart.js configuration, and ask Chartly to render it as a PNG or SVG. It can return a permanent link for sharing, and it can update an existing chart when someone asks for a different colour, a new time period or a clearer title. Claude can also convert configurations between image formats when a document needs a particular file type.
Permissions and approvals keep people in charge. Each API key can be limited, rotated or revoked, and actions that publish or overwrite charts can require a person to confirm first. Audit logs record what was created and changed, so teams can see who requested what and when.
What you can automate
Weekly sales dashboard images
A sales operations lead asks Claude to pull the week's figures and produce a bar chart of revenue by region. Claude renders the chart through Chartly and returns a stable link that the team can paste into a status update. The same chart can be regenerated next week with updated numbers, keeping the look consistent over time.
Charts for client reports
An account manager describes the trend they want to show a client. Claude builds the Chart.js configuration, renders an SVG for crisp printing, and places the image in the report draft. Because the SVG is a vector graphic, it stays sharp on large posters and small screens alike.
Embedded charts on internal wikis
A knowledge manager wants key metrics visible on the company intranet. Claude creates permanent chart URLs for each metric and embeds them in the relevant pages. When a figure needs a new view, the owner asks Claude to adjust the configuration, and the embedded link continues to work without manual copying.
Marketing campaign performance visuals
A marketing executive reviews campaign results and asks for a comparison of channel performance. Claude generates the chart, adds a clear title and labels, and provides a PNG suitable for a slide deck. The team can request revisions in plain language, such as switching to a line chart or highlighting one channel.
Product usage snapshots
A product manager wants to track feature adoption each month. Claude renders a series of charts from the usage figures the team provides and shares them with a permanent link in the product review notes. Stakeholders can see the same visuals every month, which makes changes easier to spot.
An end-to-end workflow: Monthly board pack charts
TriggerThe finance team sends Claude the month-end figures from the accounting system at the start of each reporting cycle.
Claude reads the monthly totals and builds Chart.js configurations for revenue, costs and margin.
Claude renders each chart through Chartly as an SVG for the board document and a PNG for the slide deck.
Claude creates permanent chart URLs and places them in the draft pack stored in Microsoft 365.
The finance controller reviews the charts and asks for changes in plain language, such as a different date range.
Once approved, the final links and files are saved to the shared board folder and the approval is logged.
OutcomeBoard charts are produced in a fraction of the usual time, stay consistent from month to month, and are checked by a person before they reach the board.
How we set it up
Free automation audit
We review your reporting and presentation workflows to find where charts take the most time and where shared visuals would help most.
Secure API key connection
We connect Claude to Chartly using an API key tied to your account, with the narrowest access needed for your workflows. Keys are stored securely and can be rotated or revoked at any time.
Workflow design
We map how chart requests flow between Claude, Chartly and your other systems such as Microsoft 365 or your data sources, and agree which actions need human approval.
Testing with real examples
We run the workflow against past reports and real requests, checking chart accuracy, formatting and link behaviour before anything goes live.
Launch and team training
We launch with monitoring and audit logs in place, then train your team on requesting, reviewing and updating charts through Claude.
Who benefits
- Finance and reporting leads
- Produce consistent board and management charts faster, with a clear review step before release.
- Marketing and communications teams
- Create polished visuals for decks, campaigns and web pages without waiting on a designer for every change.
- Operations and analytics managers
- Keep shared dashboards and embedded metrics current with stable links that colleagues can rely on.
- IT and data governance heads
- Control access with individual API keys, approval steps and audit logs across every chart created.
Security and control
- API keys are scoped to the minimum access needed and can be rotated or revoked immediately.
- Publishing or overwriting a chart can require a named person to approve the action first.
- Audit logs record each chart created, updated or shared, with the requester and time.
- Source figures are checked against your systems before charts are published, so errors are caught early.
- Sensitive data is kept out of shared links unless you have decided it should be shared.
For teams in the US, UK, India and the Middle East
Organisations in the United States and the United Kingdom can use Claude with Chartly under their own data protection and sector rules, and we design the workflow to meet them. In India, we follow the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, including consent and purpose limitation for any personal data in charts. For organisations in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, we align with local data protection laws. Claude can be hosted in India, the United States, the United Kingdom or the European Union, so the hosting region is chosen to meet your requirements.
Learn more about Claude and MCP
Anthropic's AI model and assistant.
Secure links between Claude and business tools.
How engineers build and change software with Claude.
Hosted agents that run multi-step work.
The open standard Claude uses to connect to tools.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Chartly MCP server do?
The Chartly MCP server gives Claude a secure way to use Chartly. Through it, Claude can render chart images, convert Chart.js configurations to SVG or PNG, generate shareable chart URLs and update chart settings from plain-language requests. It acts as the connection point, with access controlled by the API key you provide.
Is connecting Chartly to Claude secure?
Security depends on how the connection is set up. We use an API key tied to your account, limit it to the access your workflows need, and store it securely. Approval steps and audit logs add further control, so you can see and manage every chart created or changed.
What can Claude do with Chartly once connected?
Typically, Claude can turn a described chart into a Chart.js configuration, render it as an image, create a permanent link, convert it between PNG and SVG and update the chart when asked. It works within the permissions you set, and sensitive actions can be routed for human approval.
How long does setup take?
Timing depends on how many workflows you want and how your systems are arranged. A focused setup for one chart workflow is often completed in a few weeks, including the audit, testing and team training. Broader projects that involve several systems take longer, and we agree a timeline after the audit.
What account or permissions are needed?
You need a Chartly account that can generate an API key. In general terms, the key should be issued with only the permissions your chart workflows require. We confirm the exact plan and access level during the audit, because these depend on your current Chartly arrangement.