> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.rockhopper.co/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.rockhopper.co/product-guide/ai-assistant.md). # Using Rockhopper with an AI Assistant Rockhopper exposes your spreadsheet workspace to AI assistants like **Cursor**, **Claude Desktop**, **Claude Code**, **VS Code**, **Claude.ai**, and **ChatGPT** through the [Model Context Protocol (MCP)](https://modelcontextprotocol.io). Once connected, the AI can read your enrolled files, summarize changes, surface review requests, and (with your explicit permission) post comments or open reviews on your behalf. This page is a plain-language tour of **what your AI can do**, **what it can't do**, and **how it stays inside your permissions**. For technical setup instructions, see [MCP Server (AI Integration)](/it-setup/mcp-server.md). For testing the integration with a UI, see [Postman Workspace](/it-setup/mcp-postman-workspace.md). ## What your AI can do The AI assistant gets sixteen "tools" it can choose to call on your behalf, plus a small set of pre-built workflows ("prompts") and read-only data sources ("resources"). Each tool is one of two flavors: * **Read-only** — the AI can look but not touch. * **Read-write** — the AI can also post comments, open reviews, and rename files. You decide which flavor your AI gets when you create the Personal Access Token. Start with read-only and only upgrade if you have a workflow that genuinely needs writes. ### Read-only — what your AI can see | Capability | What you'll ask | What happens behind the scenes | | ------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | List your files | *"Show me my Rockhopper files."* | The AI calls `list_files`, returns names and types. | | Search by name | *"Find any file with 'budget' in the name."* | `search_files` filters by substring. | | Version history | *"What versions exist of Q2 Forecast?"* | `get_file_versions` returns every committed snapshot with author + timestamp. | | Cell-level history | *"How did B10 in Sheet1 change between v1.4 and v1.7?"* | `get_cell_history` walks the cell across versions and returns old/new values. | | Pending changes | *"What's been edited in Budget.xlsx that hasn't been committed yet?"* | `get_unattributed_changes` lists live-sheet edits not yet attached to a version. | | Comments | *"List the open comments on Forecast.xlsx."* | `get_file_comments` returns threads with author, cell anchor, replies, resolution state. | | Review requests | *"Are there any reviews waiting on the latest version?"* | `get_reviews` returns requesters, reviewers, statuses. | ### Read-write — what your AI can do **on your behalf** | Capability | What you'll ask | Effect | | --------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | Create a version | *"Commit the current changes on Budget.xlsx as a minor version."* | `create_version` saves uncommitted changes as a new semver version (major/minor/patch). | | Discard changes | *"Discard the uncommitted changes on Forecast.xlsx — they were exploratory."* | `discard_changes` reverts to the latest committed version. Changes are preserved in history for audit. | | Add a comment | *"Drop a comment on B10 saying 'check this projection'."* | `add_comment` posts the comment as **you**; appears in the app + emails like a normal comment. | | Reply in a thread | *"Reply to Sarah's question about cell C7."* | `reply_to_comment` posts a threaded reply. | | Resolve a comment | *"Mark the comment about labels as resolved."* | `resolve_comment` closes the thread (only your own comments). | | Open a review request | *"Ask Sarah and Joe to review v1.4 of Forecast."* | `create_review_request` sends review-invite emails to the assignees. | | Approve a review | *"Approve the review they sent me."* | `approve_review` records your approval (only on reviews assigned to you). | | Cancel a review | *"Cancel the pending review on v1.3 — we're going to rework the assumptions."* | `cancel_review` cancels a pending review request (only the requester can cancel). | | Rename a file | *"Rename 'New Folder Copy 3.xlsx' to 'Q2 Forecast — Final'."* | `rename_file` updates the display name. | ### Pre-built workflows The AI can also invoke four pre-built "prompts" that bundle several tools into a single workflow: | Prompt | What it does | | ---------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **File overview** | Pulls versions, comments, reviews, and pending changes for one file, then asks the AI to write a status report. | | **Summarize recent changes** | Surfaces the last five versions and twenty unattributed edits, then summarizes what changed and who made the changes. | | **Pending reviews** | Lists every reviewer status on the latest version and asks the AI to flag what needs attention. | | **Unresolved comments** | Filters to open comment threads only and asks the AI to prioritize follow-ups. | These show up as "/" commands in clients that support MCP prompts (like Claude Desktop and Claude Code). ## What your AI **cannot** do This list is intentional — Rockhopper deliberately does **not** expose anything below today, and most of it never will. | Not supported | Why | | ------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Edit a cell value in your spreadsheet | Editing live data from an AI surface is a different risk tier; would require a two-step user-confirmation flow. Use Excel/Google Sheets directly. | | Enroll a new file or remove an existing one | Enrollment requires a Microsoft/Google OAuth handshake your AI client doesn't have access to. Enroll from the Rockhopper app. | | See files outside your workspace permissions | The MCP server uses **your** identity. If you can't see a file in Rockhopper, your AI can't either. Period. | | Bypass review requirements | Approvals only work on reviews assigned to you; same gate as the web app. | | Run arbitrary database queries | The MCP server has no direct database, S3, or Microsoft Graph access — only the Rockhopper REST API. | | See another user's PAT or session | PATs are user-scoped, hashed, and never returned after creation. | | Read your password / personal info | The API never exposes credentials, billing details, or PII beyond what's already visible in the workspace UI. | | Send email outside what comments and reviews already trigger | The AI can post a comment that triggers a notification email — same email rules as if you typed it yourself. | | Make Rockhopper send Slack/Teams messages | We don't expose chat-platform writes. | ## How permissions work — three layers of protection 1. **You hold the keys.** Your AI authenticates with a Personal Access Token (PAT) you create in **Avatar → Access Tokens**. Tokens have a name, scope (`read-only` or `read-write`), and expiry. You can revoke them instantly from the same page. 2. **Permissions follow your account.** A PAT inherits your permissions exactly. If you lose access to a workspace, your PAT loses access at the same time. Reviewer-only tools require you to be an assigned reviewer; "resolve comment" requires you to be the comment's author. Same rules as the web app. 3. **Read-only is read-only.** A PAT scoped `read-only` cannot post comments, open reviews, or rename files — even if the AI is asked to. The check happens server-side, not in your client. For web-based AI clients (Claude.ai, ChatGPT) you don't paste a PAT — you sign in through Rockhopper's normal SSO and the gateway issues a **short-lived** session token (default 30 minutes) that auto-rotates. You can revoke active sessions from the same Access Tokens page (look for entries prefixed `gateway:`). ## Audit trail Everything your AI does is logged the same way as actions in the web app: * **Comments** posted by an AI show up under your name in every comment thread, in every email digest, and in the activity feed. * **Reviews** opened by an AI show your name as the requester. * **API calls** are recorded server-side with tool name, user id, latency, and outcome — viewable by your administrator. * **Request and response bodies are never persisted.** We log metadata, not content. If you're not sure whether an AI assistant did something, ask your admin to pull the API audit log for your user — every tool invocation is there. ## Recommended starter workflows Once you're connected, try one of these to get a feel for the integration: 1. **Daily catch-up.** *"Using Rockhopper, give me a one-paragraph summary of what changed across all my files in the last 24 hours."* 2. **Review triage.** *"Are there any review requests assigned to me? Group by urgency."* 3. **Comment cleanup.** *"List unresolved comments on my files, sorted by oldest first. For any thread that hasn't had activity in 30 days, suggest a reply or resolution."* 4. **Cell-level forensics.** *"In Q2 Forecast, find any cell whose value changed by more than 10% between v1.0 and v2.0 — and tell me who made each change."* 5. **Review drafting.** *"Draft a review request for v1.4 of Forecast.xlsx, assigning Sarah and Joe, with a description noting that the revenue assumptions in column F have been updated."* The AI client decides which tools to call based on your wording — you don't need to know the tool names. ## Frequently asked questions **Can my AI delete data?** No. There are no delete tools in the MCP surface today. The most destructive actions are `discard_changes` (reverts uncommitted edits — but they're preserved in version history for audit) and `cancel_review` (cancels a pending review). Comment resolution and review approval are also reversible. **Can I undo something the AI did?** Yes — via the Rockhopper app. Posted comments can be deleted by their author; resolved comments can be reopened; review requests can be cancelled. **Does the AI see my data even when I'm not chatting with it?** Only when it actively calls a tool. The MCP server doesn't background-poll; every tool call is in response to a user prompt in your AI client. **Is my data sent to OpenAI / Anthropic?** Whatever the AI fetches via Rockhopper tools is then visible to the AI model that processed your prompt — that's the nature of any chatbot integration. Read your AI client's data policy to understand how they handle that. Rockhopper itself does **not** send data to any LLM provider. **Can I limit my AI to specific files?** Indirectly — by limiting which files your account is enrolled in. There's no per-file PAT scoping today; it's a planned enhancement. **Can my admin disable the integration globally?** Yes — admins can revoke all PATs in the workspace from the Access Tokens admin page, or set the workspace flag that disables PAT creation. ## Next steps * **Set it up.** [Install the MCP server in your AI client →](/it-setup/mcp-server.md) * **Test it manually.** [Try the Postman workspace →](/it-setup/mcp-postman-workspace.md) * **Understand the security posture.** [Read the data governance summary →](/security-and-compliance/data-governance.md) Questions? Email .