Big Idea

The argument in one line.

MCP turns Claude from a text generator into an action-taker by bridging it to thousands of web-scraping tools with nothing more than a JSON config file and an API token.

Who This Is For

Read if. Skip if.

READ IF YOU ARE…

You already use Claude daily but still copy-paste data manually between it and other tools.
You run a business where lead lists, competitor research, or social data matter and you have no developer budget.
You have heard of n8n or Make.com but the setup curve stopped you.
You want to understand MCP practically before the ecosystem matures further.

SKIP IF…

You are a developer comfortable writing Python scrapers or using APIs directly.
You need enterprise-scale scraping; the per-run model works for targeted queries, not millions of records.

TL;DR

The full version, fast.

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is a config-file bridge that lets Claude Desktop talk directly to external tools, and Apify provides over 4,500 pre-built web scrapers called actors. The setup takes about 10 minutes: install Node.js, enable Developer Mode in Claude Desktop, paste a JSON config block into developer settings, add your Apify API token, and list the actor names you want available. After a restart, Claude sees those tools and invokes them when you type a natural-language prompt. The video demos a live query returning the top 10 roofers in Stockport, UK with full contact data at a cost of nine cents per run.

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Chapters

Where the time goes.

00:00 – 01:50

01 · Problem framing + MCP pitch

Babysitting AI problem stated. MCP introduced as universal adapter. Apify positioned as best integration.

01:50 – 02:15

02 · What Apify is

Web scraping platform with 4,500+ actors: TikTok extractor, Google Maps, Instagram scraper and more.

02:15 – 03:50

03 · Requirements + setup guide

Mac/Windows, Claude Desktop, Node.js, Claude Pro, Apify account. PDF step-by-step guide introduced.

03:50 – 04:45

04 · Install sequence

04:45 – 05:10

05 · Enable Developer Mode

Claude > Help > Enable Developer Mode. One click confirmed.

05:10 – 06:35

06 · Edit MCP config file

Claude Settings > Developer > Edit Config. Paste JSON block, add Apify API token, add actor identifiers.

06:35 – 07:55

07 · Add actors + restart

Demonstrates adding Google Maps and Instagram actors by name. Save config, quit and reopen Claude. Verify MCP tools appear.

07:55 – 09:50

08 · Live demo: roofers in Stockport

Prompts Claude to scrape top 10 roofers in Stockport, UK. Results return website, name, phone, email, address, Google rating. Cost: 9 cents.

09:50 – 10:28

09 · Adding more actors

Browse Apify store for TikTok scraper, copy actor name, add to config with a comma, save and restart.

10:28 – 11:30

10 · CTA + next video

PDF guide download via email opt-in. Next video tease on ChatGPT image generation.

Atomic Insights

Lines worth screenshotting.

Most people who think they are automating with AI are actually just babysitting it, copying outputs and manually pasting them into the next tool.
MCP does not require a developer, a workflow builder, or any glue code; it is a single JSON config file with a token and a list of tool names.
Apify actors are pre-built scrapers for Google Maps, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Twitter, and over 4,500 more, installable in under 60 seconds by adding one line to a config.
The cost of scraping 10 Google Maps business listings with full contact data through Apify is approximately 9 cents per run.
Claude Pro is worth the upgrade here specifically because MCP sessions consume tokens fast; each tool call adds context that accumulates across a long session.
Adding a new actor takes under 60 seconds: find it in the Apify store, copy the actor name, add it to the config with a comma, save, and restart Claude Desktop.
Restarting Claude Desktop after editing the config is the most common failure point in MCP setups; new tools do not appear until you quit and reopen.
The same MCP pattern that works for lead gen works for competitor research, social media mining, and market data collection; the actors just change.
Claude does not natively browse the web; MCP is the mechanism that gives it real-world reach, and Apify is the most turnkey way to supply that capability today.

Takeaway

How to give Claude real-world reach without code.

WHAT TO LEARN

MCP is not a developer tool; it is a config file, and Apify is its most useful plug-in, turning a chat prompt into a live data pipeline for a few cents per run.

MCP connects Claude to external tools by reading a JSON config file: no code, no workflow builder, just a token and a list of actor names.
Apify hosts over 4,500 pre-built scrapers for Google Maps, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and more; each one becomes a one-line addition to your config.
The real cost of a scraping run is low enough to be practical: 10 business listings with full contact data costs approximately 9 cents.
Claude Pro is worth the upgrade here specifically because MCP sessions accumulate context tokens fast; a free-tier account will hit limits quickly on real workflows.
Adding a new actor takes under 60 seconds: find it in the Apify store, copy the actor name, add it to the config with a comma, save, and restart Claude Desktop.
The same pattern applies beyond lead gen: competitor research, social media data, market intelligence, and pricing data all have actors available in the same store.
Restarting Claude Desktop after config changes is required; the tool registry only loads on launch, so changes do not take effect until you quit and reopen.

Glossary

Terms worth knowing.

MCP (Model Context Protocol): An open protocol that lets AI assistants like Claude connect to external tools and data sources through a standardized config file, without requiring custom integration code.
Actor (Apify): A pre-built, cloud-hosted scraper in the Apify ecosystem that targets a specific platform or data source. Actors run on Apify infrastructure and return structured data.
Claude Desktop: Anthropic native desktop app for Claude. Required for MCP server integrations because it reads a local config file to load tool connections.
Developer Mode (Claude Desktop): A setting inside Claude Desktop that unlocks the developer configuration panel where MCP server connections and tool access are managed.

Resources

Things they pointed at.

02:00toolApify ↗

03:20productMCP Setup PDF Guide ↗

04:15toolClaude Desktop ↗

04:00toolNode.js ↗

Quotables

Lines you could clip.

00:21

“Most of us think that we are actually automating, but really we are just babysitting AI.”

Standalone punchline, zero context needed→ TikTok hook↗ Tweet quote

01:15

“No devs, no code, no glue scripts, just powerful plug and play automation.”

Tight benefit stack, repeatable format→ IG reel cold open↗ Tweet quote

09:45

“It cost me about 9 cents to scrape the top 10 roofers in Stockport with names, numbers, emails, addresses, and Google ratings.”

Concrete proof with specificity→ TikTok hook↗ Tweet quote

The Script

Word for word.

Read-along

Don't just watch it. Burn it in.

See every word as it's spoken — crank it to 2× and still catch all of it. The same dual-channel trick behind Amazon's Kindle + Audible.

metaphoranalogy

00:00AI models like Claude are powerful right now but they're locked in a box. They can generate ideas, write code, answer questions and even hold conversations. But when it comes to actually doing something like actually taking action or even triggering a workflow or even generating leads, they kind of hit a wall.

00:19And that's the problem. You've got this brilliant AI sitting there but you're still stuck copying and pasting and really manually pushing everything through your tech stack. It's like hiring a genius who can't use a phone or even send an email, which means most of us think that we're actually automating, but really we're just babysitting AI.

00:38Now you may have heard of AI agents, but they require knowledge, time and investment in software like nan or make.com to really build out. But this is where MCP changes everything. So MCP which stands for model context protocol functions as universal adapter connecting Claude with various tools.

00:58So stick with me on this one. Currently, it integrates exceptionally well with Apify, one of my favorite tools.

01:04Now, this integration allows your AI assistant like Claude to take direct actions right within the conversation area with support of hundreds of additional tools being added every day. No devs, no code, no glue scripts, just powerful plug and play automation.

01:21Well, kind of once you've set it up, but we'll get to that. So in this video, I'm gonna show you exactly how I use Claude and Apify with MCP to build out a lead gen system that scrapes, sorts and delivers leads completely hands free in the conversation area.

01:37And the best part, it doesn't stop at just lead gen. Apify's MCP gives you access to a growing toolkit of powerful automations. So you can move faster, do more, and scale smarter.

01:48So by the end of this video, you'll have everything up and running and a fully functional no code AI workflow that you can use right away inside of Claude. Alright. So to kick things off, we've gotta discuss the absolute powerhouse behind this MCP and that is Apify.

02:03So if you haven't heard of Apify before, it's a web scraping platform that gives you access to over four and a half thousand axes, which are effectively tools like a TikTok data extractor, Google Maps extractor, Instagram scraper, and so much more.

02:18And I'm gonna show you a step by step guide on obviously how to set everything up in this video. First thing you need to do is really sign up to an Applefy account. So there will be a link below this video in the description.

02:28You You can sign up to a free account. Once you've signed up, you'll have access to Applefy and it'll look something like this. You can go to Applefy store and then you can see all the different tools.

02:38Now if I click on this Instagram post scraper, you can use this directly in Apify, but the power really comes when we can connect this up to our day to day tools. So like I mentioned, you can connect this up to say makeornan.com, but you need to have the knowledge, the investment, and the time to really do that.

02:55Now in this video, obviously, I'm gonna show you how you can connect this up to Clord desktop with an MCP and really use everything inside of your conversational AI.

03:03Let's set this up. I'm gonna kinda go through a step by step guide. And if you wanted access to that step by step guide, below this video in the description, there will be a link.

03:12You click that link, add in your name and email, click download now and it'll give you access to this step by step guide that I'm gonna run you through here. So let's kick things off. Let's dive straight in.

03:22First of all, you're gonna need to have a Mac OS or Windows computer or laptop. You're gonna need the latest version of Claude desktop. You're gonna need Node.

03:30Js. So you just need to download this. It's gonna allow you to obviously run what we're trying to do.

03:34You're gonna need I recommend having a Claude Pro account purely because you're gonna obviously do a lot of testing with this and you're probably gonna run a few different prompts and it's probably gonna need a lot of tokens. So I recommend just sign up to Club Pro. And then like I mentioned, you're gonna need an Apify account.

03:50So let's dive straight in and the first thing you need to do is sign up to Apify. So you've probably or hopefully already done that, but sign up to Apify. Next, we're gonna need to download and install Node JS.

04:01So that's here. Just click download and install it. Like I said, I've already done some of this, so I'm not gonna kind of run you through that, but that's dead simple.

04:08Click on download Node, install it and and just leave that on your computer. Next you need Claude desktop. So I'm just gonna go to Claude desktop here.

04:16Click on macOS and I'm gonna download and install the Claude desktop. Click on the dmg, drag that to applications and then just open that up.

04:28It's probably gonna ask you to log in. Again, obviously, like I mentioned, you're gonna need an account. Recommend getting the pro account.

04:34We'll just start to log in here. Accept that.

04:38Alright. So we're now logged in. We'll click skip on there and we're all logged in.

04:43Alright. Next step. So we're logged in there.

04:46Next step is we need to enable developer mode. So to do that, what we're gonna do is we're gonna open up Claude. We're gonna go to help and we're gonna just click on enable developer mode there.

04:57We'll click enable and that's all done. Next, we're gonna go to Claude and then we're gonna go to developer section and then we're gonna go to this folder and we're gonna copy and paste this following, uh, piece of code in.

05:11So I've previously saved this. Again, you need to copy this exactly, but then we obviously need to change a few things. We're gonna need to obviously add our actors in which are here and then we're gonna have to add our own AppFi token in here.

05:23Alright. So let's do this. Let's go over to Claude.

05:26Let's go to Claude there. Go to settings. Go to developer.

05:32Edit config. And then we've got this here. We'll click on that.

05:37And then we'll get rid of these brackets and we'll paste this in. So now we've got this. We're now going to need to grab, like I said, when you're gonna add our Appify token in here, and then this is where we can obviously add in the different actors.

05:50So we can see here I've got the Instagram scraper if it wants to add more in. I'll show you how to do that now. Alright.

05:57So let me go and grab my token and then I'll drop that in and then obviously we'll update everything else from there.

06:06So to get your token, all you're gonna do is go over to Apify and you're gonna want to go to your profile and then you're gonna come down to settings and then you're gonna go to API integrations and then you're just going to copy and get your token from here.

06:22Next, you're gonna wanna go back to Claude and we're gonna wanna go back to that file that we're in and then we're gonna wanna drop our Apify token in here. Okay.

06:33So now we have our API token dropped in. We can now add actors in. So like I said, you can add as many as you want in here.

06:40And in my guide, I give you, uh, lots of different ones. We've got kind of the Instagram scraper. We've got the Ragweb browser.

06:47We've got the Google Maps. We've got the TikTok. We've got the Facebook and we've got the Tweets one as well.

06:51I also kind of give you lots of different options and use cases in here as well and then different Appify actors. So we can see here the different ones for lead gen, the different ones for market competitor research, uh, and so on.

07:03But for this example, I'm just gonna show you kind of the Google Maps one and maybe the Instagram one, uh, just because again, uh, you can obviously install these and have a play around. So let's just grab that. I think I've already got the Google one installed.

07:19Let's have a look. So let's go to edit config, bring this open.

07:23So I've got the Google Maps installed. If I wanna install another one, I'm just gonna put comma and just drop that in there and then I'm just gonna click command s and save that. And then all I need to do now is just close down Claude.

07:35So I'm just gonna open up Claude. I'm just gonna quit and then if I just reopen Claude.

07:42Okay. So all we're looking for now is it will say MCP has access and then if we click on this search and tools and go to act as MCP, we can now see that those tools have been added.

07:52So we can see we've got the Google Maps scraper, we've got the Instagram scraper. So from here, now we can do is just ask it a prompt. So we could say, scrape.

08:03Let's just go with roofers from Stockport area in The UK.

08:30Alright. So I'm just gonna ask it a prompt. I'm gonna run it and let's see if the MCP server kicks in.

08:35It should bring up a request. So we can see here it's adding it and then we obviously need to go always allow.

08:42And it's running the Apify MCP server and it's looking for, like I said, location query Stock Port UK. It's looking for 10 results and it's looking for roofers. So we're now using the direct actor that in Apify using the Google search crawler and we're gonna pull through that information directly inside of Claude.

09:00So we'll take a few seconds and we'll see what results we get back. Okay. So it's run its search and it's done scraping and it's pulled through the top 10 roofers in Stockport, The UK.

09:10So it's pulled through all the information that I asked for it, website, the name, the number, their email, even their address and their Google rating as well. So again, you can see the power of this. We can scrape as much detail as we want.

09:22We can do this on Instagram. We can do this on Twitter. We can do this across any platform or any actor that Appify allows us to connect to.

09:29So super awesome to see. Love this tool. I use it a lot in my own business.

09:34And again, you can obviously add in as many as you want. You could scrape hundreds if you wanted to. It will just take a little bit longer and obviously it will cost in terms of the run-in the background.

09:43So we just look at this run on my account. We can see it cost me no point no 9.

09:48So about 9¢. So if you want to add more actors, all you do is come to the AdFi store. You could search the actors.

09:55So let's say we want to add a TikTok one and all you do is just grab the names. You can see the Clockworks TikTok scraper here. We'll go back to Claude.

10:03Open up Claude. Go to Claude here. On the top left, go to settings.

10:08Go to developer. Edit config. Open up this and then obviously add this in with a comma and then click save.

10:18So command save or control save if you're on a PC. And then just close that down, reset Claude and you're good to go.

10:26So that's really how to connect up Apify, your MCP and directly to Claude and use those tools directly inside of Claude in the conversations tab. Like I mentioned, if you wanted to get access to my step by step guide, can download it here with a link below and then also it will give you access to kind of other options to use and some use cases that you can use this, what I've been doing in my online business and then obviously some actors as well with each one of their names in here.

10:53So hope this was useful. Hopefully you get this set up in your online business and obviously you can use the powerful Apify to help you scrape information and grow your online business. And if you thought turning Claude into a hands free lead gen machine was powerful, wait until you see what ChatGeeVeeT can do with visuals.

11:11In my next video that I have linked up here, I put together 12 insane examples of how to use ChatGeeVeeT's new image generator. From content design marketing assets that really stop the scroll.

11:23So if you want to unlock the next level of AI powered creativity, make sure to check this one out and I'll see you in the next video.

The Hook

The bait, then the rug-pull.

The pitch lands in the first four seconds: Claude is brilliant but boxed in, and most people building with AI are not automating anything, they are just babysitting it. The analogy is sharp enough to share on its own. The fix is MCP, and the rest of the video is the install guide.

Frameworks