claude enterprise barndoor universal url.md

Lock Down Claude Enterprise to One Barndoor URL

How to configure Claude with Barndoor to manage the MCP access of your organization's users.

If you are a Claude Team or Enterprise admin, the Barndoor ToolIQ MCP simplifies your users' experience accessing your organization's business systems while giving IT the access-control and governance tooling to ensure AI is adopted safely.

Instead of configuring, exposing, and managing a separate connector MCP for every system your organization uses — and training users on when to enable or disable each one — you configure a single Barndoor ToolIQ URL and let the Barndoor platform handle all the downstream access control and interactions. Your users then connect through that single entry point, while Barndoor decides which MCP servers, tools, and policies apply to them at runtime.

Best For: Enterprise teams that want one controlled Claude connector, centralized policy enforcement, and a simpler rollout and experience for users.

What This Achieves

With this setup:

Before You Begin

Before setting this up, make sure you have:

This guide assumes you want Claude users to enter through one Barndoor-controlled MCP endpoint. The governance model lives in Barndoor, so Claude stays simple while Barndoor handles server access, policy enforcement, and auditability.

Step 1: Prepare Barndoor First

Before touching Claude, confirm the Barndoor side is ready.

Barndoor readiness checklist

If these pieces are not in place first, Claude users may connect successfully but see the wrong tools or fail policy checks later.

Step 2: Copy the Barndoor ToolIQ URL

Go to your Barndoor AI Client Setup page and copy the ToolIQ MCP endpoint for your organization.

This will be the single connector URL you want Claude Enterprise to expose to users.

Tip

Do not create one Claude connector per downstream system unless you have a special exception. The point of this pattern is to centralize Claude access behind one Barndoor-controlled MCP.

Step 3: Add the Connector in Claude Enterprise

In Claude Enterprise, the organization owner adds the connector once for the whole organization.

Steps

  1. Open Claude Organization Settings
    In Claude, go to Organization Settings > Connectors.

  2. Add Custom Connector
    Click Add custom connector.

  3. Name the Connector
    Give it a recognizable name, such as Barndoor.

  4. Enter the Barndoor ToolIQ URL
    Paste your Barndoor MCP URL, for example:

    https://your-org.platform.barndoor.ai/mcp

    You won't need to configure any Claude-side OAuth credentials — only the Barndoor URL is required.

  5. Save the Connector
    Save the connector so it becomes available to your Claude organization.

At this point, Claude has one approved enterprise connector, and that connector points to Barndoor rather than directly to a single downstream MCP server.

Step 4: Expose the Connector to Claude Org Users

After the owner adds the connector, Claude users can connect to it individually.

Steps

  1. Have Users Open Claude Settings
    Users go to Settings > Connectors in Claude.
  2. Locate the Organization Connector
    Users find the Barndoor connector that was added by the Claude Enterprise admin. It will appear under the organization connectors section, distinct from any personal or directory connectors.
  3. Connect and Authenticate
    Users click Connect and complete the authentication flow to Barndoor.
  4. Begin Using Claude with Barndoor
    Users start a new Claude conversation with the approved Barndoor connector enabled.

Note

Users are connecting to one Claude-approved Barndoor entry point. They are not managing separate Salesforce, Slack, Notion, Snowflake, etc. connectors inside Claude.

Step 5: Validate the Runtime Experience

Before broad rollout, test the connector with pilot users. The pilot users should have the "User" role in Claude.

Claude Enterprise validation checklist

Once pilot validation is complete:

This gives you a clean enterprise model: one Claude connector, one Barndoor ToolIQ URL, many governed downstream systems.

Advanced Bypass Prevention settings

Network-Level Enforcement

The most reliable way to ensure all MCP traffic routes through Barndoor is to enforce it at the network layer.

Managed MCP Configuration (Claude Desktop & Claude Code)

Enterprise accounts only

For organizations using Claude Desktop or Claude Code, a managed managed-mcp.json file takes exclusive control of MCP connections on the machine. This is the strongest client-side lockdown: it removes the user's ability to define their own MCP servers, parameters, paths, or environment variables entirely — not just filter them.

Claude Desktop

Create and deploy a managed-mcp.json file that defines only the Barndoor URL:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "barndoor": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://your-org.platform.barndoor.ai/mcp",
      "description": "All MCP access through Barndoor"
    }
  }
}

When this file is deployed, users cannot add, modify, or remove MCP servers through Claude Desktop. Only the servers defined in the managed config are available.

Claude Code (absolute lockdown)

A soft control — an allowlist or an organization instruction — can still be worked around. A determined user might point Claude at an unauthorized MCP server that happens to match a generic naming convention or allowlist string. To remove that possibility entirely on Claude Code, deploy a system-level managed-mcp.json.

Drop a standalone managed-mcp.json file into the system config directory for the platform:

OS Path
macOS /Library/Application Support/ClaudeCode/
Linux / WSL /etc/claude-code/
Windows C:\Program Files\ClaudeCode\

Define the exact Barndoor endpoint, and only that:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "barndoor": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://your-org.platform.barndoor.ai/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Once this file is present, Claude Code switches to a strict "only load what is explicitly defined here" state:

Tip

Roll managed-mcp.json out at fleet scale with your device management tooling — Jamf or a configuration profile on macOS, Group Policy or Intune on Windows. Anthropic publishes starter MDM templates at github.com/anthropics/claude-code/tree/main/examples/mdm. Pair the rollout with spend-limit controls to cap API token consumption.

Info

Managed MCP configuration applies to the Claude Desktop and Claude Code clients on managed machines. It does not control connectors added through the Claude.ai web interface or mobile apps. Pair this with network controls (Option 1) for full coverage.

Steer Claude with Organization Instructions

This control targets the second bypass vector — Claude defaulting to a native connector even when Barndoor is enabled. Claude Team and Enterprise admins can set organization-wide custom instructions under Organization Settings > Organization and Access. Well-crafted instructions push Claude to route through Barndoor first and treat native connectors only as a fallback.

Note

This is a behavioral steer, not a hard control. Claude generally follows clear instructions, but model adherence is not guaranteed. Layer it on top of network or desktop enforcement (Options 1 and 2) rather than relying on it alone.

In the Organization Instructions box, add language such as the below:

When accessing any external service (Jira, Confluence, Slack, Salesforce,
Google, etc.), always route calls through the <Your Barndoor Connector Name>
connector using its execute_tool tool. Never call stock/native Claude
connectors (e.g., Atlassian Rovo, Gmail, etc.) directly. Only fall back to a
stock connector if <Your Barndoor Connector Name> is explicitly unavailable
or returns a connection error.

Replace <Your Barndoor Connector Name> with the exact name of your Barndoor connector as it appears in Claude (for example, Barndoor).

Summary: Layered Defense

For a complete lockdown, combine these approaches:

Layer Control Coverage Strength
Network Firewall allowlist for Barndoor URL only Claude.ai, Desktop, Code, Mobile Hard
Client config managed-mcp.json deployment Claude Desktop & Claude Code Hard
Instructions Org-wide custom instructions steering to Barndoor Claude.ai, Code, workspace Soft (best-effort)
Policy Acceptable use policy + Barndoor audit logs All surfaces Soft

Operational Best Practices

Troubleshooting

Users can see the connector but not the expected tools

Check Barndoor first. The most common causes are:

Users can connect but actions are denied

Review the active Barndoor policies and enforcement logs. Confirm whether the denial is expected and which policy caused it.

Different teams want different systems through the same Claude connector

Keep the single connector model and separate access in Barndoor through server selection, user identity, group mapping, and policies. Do not solve this by creating many duplicate Claude connectors unless you have a strict org-level reason.

We want to add more MCP servers later

You can keep the same Claude connector and expand the governed systems behind it in Barndoor, as long as you update server connectivity and policies before rollout.

Next Steps