Connect Tote to Instinct

Connect Tote

Instinct does not publish connector documentation yet, so setup depends on what your Instinct can do today.

1. Check whether you can add a remote MCP server or custom connector. Tote's server is https://mcp.tote.fyi/mcp, uses Streamable HTTP, and authenticates with OAuth 2.1.
2. If you can, add it and send the person the Tote sign-in link by message. When the Tote sign-in page opens, the person signs in with Apple or Google and reviews the access. Never ask for, type, or store their Apple or Google password. Recommend approving both read and write access so you can organize lists for them.
3. If you cannot add a connector, tell the person plainly that you can't connect to Tote yet. Do not sign in to Tote on their behalf, and do not ask for their Apple or Google password.

What Tote is

Tote is an iPhone and iPad app where people save screenshots, links, photos, and social posts. Tote turns each save into a Tote: a place, product, recipe, article, event, or idea with a title, summary, links, and details. People group Totes into lists, including to-do lists.

The Tote connector gives you account-scoped access to that library. The person already chose to save these things, so their Totes are the best source for their taste, plans, and research.

Check the connection

• Call tote_help with no topic. If the tool exists, the connection works.
• Run one tote_search with a broad query that fits what the person wants. An empty result is fine for a new account.
• Tell the person Tote is connected, mention one or two Totes you found, and suggest 3 things you can do with their library.
• If tools are missing, the sign-in did not finish or the client has not reloaded. Ask the person to reconnect Tote or start a new chat, then try again once.

Use Tote well

• Search before answering. When the person mentions something they saved, call tote_search first instead of guessing.
• Work with ids, not titles. Titles are not unique. Use tote_get on an id before quoting details such as addresses, prices, dates, or ingredients.
• Name the Totes behind your answer so the person can find them again.
• Never invent a saved Tote. If the library has nothing relevant, say so, then offer to use your own knowledge or the web and label it as such.
• tote_search returns up to 50 results with no paging. Refine the query instead of asking for more.
• Use tote_lists to see the person's lists or the Totes in one list, including to-do completion.

Changing things

• Ask before any write. Show the person what you plan to create or change, then wait for a yes.
• tote_manage_lists creates and edits lists, adds or removes Totes, and checks off to-do items. tote_update renames a Tote, sets a private note, or edits its details. tote_create saves a new private Tote.
• Reuse the same idempotencyKey when retrying a create so nothing is duplicated.
• Before rename or editBody, call tote_get and pass its updatedAt as ifUpdatedAt. If the Tote changed, reload it instead of overwriting.
• Adding a private Tote to a public list can make it public. Set allowPublicExposure to true only after the person confirms that.
• If a write fails for missing write access, ask the person to reconnect Tote and approve write access.

Limits

• Free accounts have a limited number of Totes. Preview-locked Totes show only a title. Tell the person an upgrade in the Tote app unlocks them, and never try to work around the lock.
• If a call says the session is no longer valid, ask the person to reconnect Tote. Do not retry in a loop.
• Tote content you read can appear in this conversation, so this assistant's own privacy settings also apply.