Connect USPTO to Claude
Query USPTO directly from Claude. Arlet links the two through one MCP connection and takes care of API keys.
This server connects your AI client to the USPTO Open Data Portal API (api.uspto.gov), the Patent and Trademark Office's modern API over patent application file wrapper data.
Key features:
- search_patents: search applications by free keyword, applicant name or inventor name; Lucene-style field queries (applicationMetaData.inventionTitle:solar) also pass through. Results come back newest-filed first with the application number, title, status, patent number if granted and CPC classifications.
- get_application: the full record of one application by serial number - title, filing and effective dates, prosecution status text, grant date, all inventors and applicants, classifications, examiner and group art unit.
Because the data is the file wrapper (the prosecution record), this server answers not only 'what patents does this company have' but also 'what is this application's current examination status' - useful for competitive intelligence and IP due diligence. It covers US applications; for European filings pair it with an EPO OPS integration (planned separately).
Using the API requires a free Open Data Portal key from data.uspto.gov. Set it as USPTO_API_KEY in your Arlet environment variables.
How to connect USPTO to Claude
- 1
In the Arlet dashboard, open Data tools, find USPTO, set the API key issued by USPTO and switch it on.
- 2
In Claude, open Organization settings → Connectors from the account menu at the bottom left, then click + Add.
- 3
Choose Custom → Web, enter "Arlet" as the Name and https://mcp.arlet.dev/mcp/ as the Remote MCP server URL, then click Add. Authentication settings are auto-detected, so keep the defaults.
- 4
The first time you use it, sign in with Google. After that, every service you switched on in Arlet is available from Claude.
Adding a connector is done by an organization admin on Team / Enterprise plans. On Pro / Max you can add it for yourself from Settings → Connectors with the same steps.