# Expo MCP in Claude: connect once for EAS builds and store feedback

> Connect Expo’s Claude connector once for EAS builds, TestFlight crashes, and store reviews — keep local simulator tools on your machine.
> By Dave · 2026-09-16
> Source: https://otf-kit.dev/blog/expo-mcp-connector-claude

Expo listed its MCP server in Claude's connector directory. The [Expo changelog](https://expo.dev/changelog/connect-expo-in-claude) is the primary: connect once at `claude.ai/directory/connectors/expo`, sign in with your Expo account, and the connector stays available wherever Claude runs — claude.ai, Claude Desktop, Claude Mobile, Cowork, and Claude Code.

That changes a production workflow. Before, you wired the Expo MCP server by hand with a CLI command or a config URL. That path still works. The directory listing removes the setup tax and puts EAS, TestFlight, Play, and review tools in the same chat surface you already use to ship.

This post is the how-to and the ownership boundary: what the connector can do from a phone, what still needs your machine, and how an owned kit keeps the product spine while Claude drives build and store chores.

![Expo changelog: Connect Expo in Claude, captured 2026-09-16](https://cdn.otf-kit.dev/blog/expo-mcp-connector-claude/changelog-screenshot-20260916.png)

*Capture: [https://expo.dev/changelog/connect-expo-in-claude](https://expo.dev/changelog/connect-expo-in-claude) on 2026-09-16.*

## What the connector enables today

Per Expo's changelog, most tools talk to EAS and the app stores — they do not need a local repo open. Prompt examples Expo documents include:

- Start a production iOS build and show status
- Submit the latest iOS build to TestFlight
- Pull new TestFlight crashes with stack traces
- Show latest TestFlight feedback with screenshots
- Read recent App Store reviews
- Draft a reply to a 2-star review (Claude shows the text before it posts)
- Show latest ANRs from Google Play
- Run a deploy workflow and show logs

Review-reply tools write in public, so Claude previews text before posting. That is the right default for store reputation work.

On a Claude Team plan you may see **Request** instead of **Connect**. Expo says that is expected: it routes the connector to admins to enable for the organization.

![Hosted EAS chat tools versus local simulator automation capabilities](https://cdn.otf-kit.dev/blog/expo-mcp-connector-claude/inbody-01-split-20260916a.png)

## How to connect Expo in Claude today

1. Open [claude.ai/directory/connectors/expo](https://claude.ai/directory/connectors/expo)
2. Connect (or Request on Team) and sign in with your Expo account once
3. From any Claude surface, try a read-only prompt first: build status, TestFlight crashes, or Play ANRs
4. For write actions (review replies, submissions), keep the preview step Expo describes

Manual MCP setup remains valid for coding agents that already have a config. Existing installs keep working. The listing is additive, not a forced migration.

MCP usage is included on Claude's Free plan; paid plans get higher limits. Usage counts per billing account, so org members share one allowance — plan that before you turn the connector into a team-wide build console.

## What still needs your machine

Expo is explicit about the split. In Claude Code with an Expo project open, the same connector can search Expo docs and install version-compatible packages. Screenshots, tap automation, React Native DevTools, and the Expo Router sitemap still need a dev server next to your simulator. That local setup has not changed.

So the connector is not a replacement for a local agent loop on the monorepo. It is a hosted bridge to EAS and store telemetry that travels with you — including on Claude Mobile.

![Successful mobile build status after connecting Expo tools in chat](https://cdn.otf-kit.dev/blog/expo-mcp-connector-claude/inbody-02-win-20260916a.png)

## Why this matters for production builders

Solo founders and small teams shipping with Cursor or Claude Code already hit the same wall: the UI kit is done, but release ops live in another tab. A connector that starts production builds, surfaces TestFlight crashes, and drafts review replies from the same chat reduces context switching without inventing a new release process.

Pair it with habits you already need:

- Keep store credentials and Expo tokens in team-managed places, not pasted into prompts
- Prefer read-only prompts until the team agrees who may submit or reply
- Treat Claude's review-reply preview as mandatory — public replies are brand surface

If your app still lives in a sandbox export, a connector will not save you. You need a repo agents can extend — screens, schema, auth, billing, and prompt packs — so build and store tools have something real to ship.

## Owned kits under the connector

Open Template Forest kits ship as owned monorepos with AI-tool configs (`CLAUDE.md`, Cursor rules, tested prompts) so coding agents extend the product instead of regenerating it. Free SDK packages (`@otfdashkit/ui`, `@otfdashkit/ui-native`, `@otfdashkit/tokens`) keep one component API across web and native. Paid kits (SaaS Dashboard, Fitness, Booking) wire auth and billing. Live demos: [saas.otf-kit.dev](https://saas.otf-kit.dev) and [fitness-preview.otf-kit.dev](https://fitness-preview.otf-kit.dev). Browse [templates](https://otf-kit.dev/templates).

Related reading on agent-readable repos: [production repository conventions for AI coding agents](/blog/production-repo-conventions-for-ai-coding-agents) and [Claude Code on an OTF kit](/blog/claude-code-otf-kit-docs). The Expo connector handles release ops; the kit owns the product spine those builds wrap.

## Server URL and the manual Claude Code path

Expo documents the remote server as Streamable HTTP at `https://mcp.expo.dev/mcp` with OAuth. For Claude Code without the connector UI, the documented add command is:

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http expo https://mcp.expo.dev/mcp
```

Then start Claude and run `/mcp` to authenticate with your Expo account. That path matches the older "wire it by hand" flow Expo still supports.

Docs also separate **server capabilities** (hosted EAS, docs search, build list) from **local capabilities** (simulator screenshots, taps, Router sitemap) that need SDK 54+, `expo-mcp`, and a running local Expo server. Do not assume every prompt works from a phone — match the prompt to the capability class Expo documents.

`search_documentation` is called out as requiring an EAS paid plan in the MCP capabilities table. Treat that as a plan gate when you design team workflows, and verify against the live docs table the day you roll this out — Expo notes the capability list can change.

## Operational guardrails for teams

- Start with read-only prompts (build list, crashes, ANRs, reviews) before submissions or public replies
- On Claude Team, expect the Request path and get admin enablement before you promise the connector in a release runbook
- Keep Expo account roles least-privilege; the connector inherits whatever the signed-in Expo account can do
- Log which human approved a store reply — Claude's preview is necessary but not a substitute for brand ownership
- Pair connector use with an owned monorepo so package-install and docs tools have a coherent target SDK

## Decision checklist

1. Do you already ship with EAS and need faster status, crash, and review loops?
2. Is your team on Claude Free, paid, or Team (Request vs Connect)?
3. Who may run write actions (submissions, public review replies)?
4. Do local DevTools and Router sitemap workflows still need a machine-side MCP?
5. Is the app an owned repo agents can extend, or still a throwaway sandbox?

If 1 and 5 are yes, connect the Expo listing today and start with read-only prompts. If 5 is no, fix ownership of the monorepo first — a connector cannot ship a product you do not own.

## Sources

- [Expo changelog: Connect Expo in Claude](https://expo.dev/changelog/connect-expo-in-claude) — connector directory listing, surfaces, prompt examples, Team Request behavior, Free/paid usage note, local vs hosted split
- [Using MCP with Expo](https://docs.expo.dev/mcp/) — remote server URL `https://mcp.expo.dev/mcp`, OAuth, Claude Connectors note, capability table, local capabilities
- [Set up your tools (Expo AI tutorial)](https://docs.expo.dev/tutorial/build-with-ai/set-up-your-tools/) — `claude mcp add --transport http expo https://mcp.expo.dev/mcp` and `/mcp` auth