Work in Apptifi
from the AI app you already use
AI Access lets the people you choose ask an AI to work in Apptifi for them. Check which circuits have Lumen changes left today, schedule bandwidth for an event, or pull Expense Management audit exceptions, all within that person's role.
What is AI Access?
AI Access uses the Model Context Protocol (MCP), an open standard for connecting AI apps to other software. It's built to connect to Claude on the web, desktop and mobile, ChatGPT, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code and other MCP-compatible apps.
Each app connects to your own Apptifi instance at one address:
https://<your-apptifi-address>/mcpThe AI can work across scheduling, circuits and Internet on Demand changes, orders, Ethernet on Demand connections (EVCs), Lumen Defender Plus, Expense Management and settings, wherever that person's role allows. The AI Access admin area, sign-in and passwords, and the Lumen webhook receiver are never reachable through AI.
What you can ask
"Which circuits have changes left today?"
The AI reads today's Lumen change count for your connections and lists what's left. Lumen allows 24 per connection per day, resetting at 00:00 GMT. Nothing changes, so there's nothing to confirm.
Read only"Schedule 500 Mbps for Friday's quarter close."
The AI adds the event to your bandwidth schedule, just as you could on the calendar. Adding an event doesn't show a preview, so check the details the AI reports back.
Adds to your schedule"Change this circuit to 500 Mbps now."
An immediate change uses one of Lumen's daily changes, so the AI shows you a preview first: the circuit as it is now, changes left today, the Lumen list price and any warnings. It goes ahead only after you agree.
Preview, then confirm"Show me this month's open audit exceptions."
The AI pulls Expense Management audit exceptions for the billing accounts and cost centers you're allowed to see. It can also review budgets and reports, plus orders and EVCs.
Read onlyHow connecting works
First, an admin switches on AI access for the instance and grants it to each person who should have it. Then each person connects one of two ways, depending on their app.
Hosted AI apps
Sign in
Claude on the web, desktop and mobile, and ChatGPT
- 1The person adds your connector address in their AI app.
- 2They sign in to Apptifi.
- 3They check the app name on the Apptifi consent page and click Approve.
The connection lasts until it's disconnected. Admins can disconnect any app.
Apps set up with a file or command
Admin-issued API key
Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code and scripts
- 1An admin creates a key for the person and can make it read-only.
- 2The admin copies the key, which is shown once, and hands it over securely.
- 3The person pastes the key into their AI app's settings.
The key lasts until it's revoked. Apptifi keeps only a fingerprint, so a lost key is replaced, not recovered.
You stay in control
Off by default
AI Access does nothing until an admin switches it on for your instance.
Granted person by person
Admins switch on AI access for each user. Without it, someone can't use a key or approve a connection, even if they have one.
Limited to the person's role
The AI never does more than that person could in the Apptifi screens. Role checks and Expense Management limits still apply.
Consent in Apptifi
Hosted AI apps sign in with OAuth, and the person approves the connection on an Apptifi consent page.
Admin-created API keys
Only admins create keys. Each key is shown once, can be read-only, and can be revoked at any time.
Secrets stay hidden
Passwords and API secrets can be replaced through AI but are never shown to it.
Every call is logged
Admins see when each AI call happened, who it acted as, which key or app made it, what it did and the result.
One switch turns it all off
Switching off AI access stops every key and connected app immediately, without deleting them.
A preview before the changes that matter
Orders, immediate bandwidth changes, deletions, messages sent outside Apptifi and access changes return a preview first. The AI shows it to you before anything happens:
- Current state
- The record as it is now, or exactly what will be deleted.
- Lumen changes
- Changes used and left today for that connection.
- Price
- Lumen's list price for the requested Internet on Demand speed, or the Ethernet on Demand rate tier.
- Warnings
- For example: no changes left today, that speed isn't offered at this location, new orders are billed, or deleting a live order sends a disconnect to Lumen.
The action runs only once the confirmation comes back. A confirmation is good for 5 minutes, works once, and covers only that action with those exact details.
Confirmation happens in your AI app, so keep its approval prompts on. Apptifi can't tell whether a person or the AI sent the confirmation. If someone should only look, give them a read-only key.
Adding or editing an event on your bandwidth schedule doesn't show a preview. It's recorded in the activity log, and deleting an event does need confirmation.
Frequently asked questions
What is AI Access?
AI Access lets the people you choose ask an AI app to work in Apptifi for them. It uses the Model Context Protocol (MCP), an open standard for connecting AI apps to other software. The AI can read, and with confirmation change, what that person could in the Apptifi screens.
Which AI apps does it work with?
AI Access is built to connect to Claude on the web, desktop and mobile, ChatGPT, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code and other MCP-compatible apps. Some AI apps limit custom connectors to certain plans, and on Claude Team or Enterprise plans an organization owner may need to add the connector first.
Does AI Access cost extra?
AI Access is included in the Core + M365 Sync plan at no extra charge. It isn't part of the Core plan. Your AI app and its subscription are separate.
Can the AI do more than I can?
No. The AI acts as you, with your role. A Finance user's AI can manage cost centers but can't place orders, and Expense Management billing-account and cost-center limits apply too. The AI Access admin area, sign-in and passwords, and the Lumen webhook receiver are never reachable through AI.
Can the AI make a change without me agreeing?
Actions that need confirmation return a preview first, and the confirmation happens in your AI app. Apptifi can't tell whether a person or the AI sent that confirmation, so keep your AI app's own approval prompts on. Give anyone who should only look a read-only key, which can't see actions that make changes. Every call appears in the activity log.
Does the AI see our passwords and API secrets?
No. Passwords and client secrets for Lumen, Microsoft Graph, Defender and SMTP can be replaced through AI but are never shown in answers, previews or the activity log. A password Apptifi generates for a new or reset user is hidden from the AI too, and an admin shares it from the Users screen.
How do we turn it off?
An admin can revoke one API key, disconnect one app, switch off one person's AI access, or switch off AI access for the whole instance. The instance switch stops every key and connected app immediately, without deleting them.
Want AI Access for your team?
Tell us how your team works, and we'll walk you through it.
Product names are trademarks of their respective owners and are used here only to identify compatible software. Apptifi is an independent product and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Lumen Technologies, Anthropic, OpenAI, or the maker of any other product named on this page.