Connect to Layer
- Claude.ai / Claude Desktop
- Claude Code (CLI)
Solo user or personal account? Do both steps below.
On a team? Your admin does step 1 once, then each member does step 2.
Step 1 — Add the Layer connector (admin / solo user)
- Open Claude.ai or Claude Desktop, go to Customize > Connectors and click Add custom connector
- Name the connection Layer and set the URL to:
- Click Add
Step 2 — Connect your account (everyone)
- Go to Customize > Connectors > Layer > Connect
- Authorize with your Layer account when prompted
Step 3 — Verify it works
Open a new conversation and ask:“What can I do with Layer?”Claude should respond with Layer’s capabilities. If it doesn’t, check that the connector shows as Connected in your Connectors settings.
Available tools
The MCP server exposes the following tools. Claude selects and calls them automatically based on your prompts.Instructions
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
get_instructions | Returns platform guidance, Creative Unit pricing info, and error codes |
get_workflow_instructions | Returns the full workflow lifecycle: discover, estimate, execute, poll, display |
get_forge_instructions | Returns the forge (direct model execution) lifecycle |
Workspaces
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
list_workspaces | List all workspaces you belong to, including Creative Unit balances |
get_workspace | Get details for a specific workspace |
Models
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
get_model_recommendations | Get curated model recommendations by category |
list_models | Search and filter models by modality, capabilities, or text query |
get_model | Get full details for a model including capabilities and prompt format |
image, video, three_d, audio) and by capabilities like inpainting, style_reference, text_to_3d, lipsync, and more.
Workflows
Workflows are multi-step pipelines built in the Layer app’s Blueprint editor.| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
list_workflows | List available workflows with their inputs and outputs |
estimate_workflow_price | Check the Creative Unit cost before running |
execute_workflow | Run a workflow (async — returns a run_id) |
get_workflow_run | Poll for workflow run status and results |
cancel_workflow_run | Cancel a running workflow and release reserved CUs |
Forge (direct model execution)
Forge runs a single model directly, giving you full control over parameters.| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
estimate_forge_price | Check the Creative Unit cost for a generation |
execute_forge | Run inference on a model (async — returns an inference_id) |
get_forge_run | Poll for forge run status and generated assets |
Files
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
upload_file | Upload an image or video from a URL for use as input in workflows or forge |
Example prompts
Once connected, you can ask Claude things like:- “Generate 4 variations of a crystal sword icon on a transparent background”
- “Show me what image models are available for my workspace”
- “Create a 3D model of a treasure chest from this reference image”
- “Run the product shot workflow with a photo of my item”
- “How many Creative Units do I have left?”
Error codes
| Code | Status | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
UNAUTHENTICATED | 401 | OAuth connection not completed — reconnect in your Connectors settings |
FORBIDDEN | 403 | You don’t have permission for this action |
INSUFFICIENT_BALANCE | 402 | Not enough Creative Units — top up in Settings > Billing |
RATE_LIMITED | 429 | Max 5 concurrent runs per user per workspace |
WORKSPACE_NOT_FOUND | 404 | Workspace doesn’t exist or you’re not a member |
MODEL_NOT_FOUND | 404 | Model not found or not available in this workspace |
WORKFLOW_NOT_FOUND | 404 | Workflow not found or not linked to this workspace |
RUN_NOT_FOUND | 404 | Workflow or forge run doesn’t exist |
INVALID_INPUTS | 400 | Malformed parameters or UUIDs |
UPLOAD_FAILED | 400 | File could not be downloaded or stored |
Troubleshooting
Layer doesn’t appear in my Connectors list Your team admin needs to add the custom connector first. If you’re on a personal account, make sure you’re looking under Customize > Connectors. Authorization fails or times out Make sure you have an active Layer account at layer.ai. If you’re behind a VPN or corporate firewall, the OAuth redirect may be blocked — try on a direct connection. Claude doesn’t seem to use Layer tools Start a new conversation after connecting — existing conversations won’t pick up new connectors. Check that the connector status shows Connected (not just Added). CLI: “unknown transport” error Try--transport sse instead of --transport http — the correct value depends on your Claude Code version.