When the connector won't connect.
Work down this checklist in order — most failures are resolved by the first three steps. Each error state below tells you whether the problem is your client, your network, or our data.
The connector URL, for reference:
https://gettrustapp.com/mcpFull setup instructions per client live on the connect page.
Walk me through it.
One step at a time, in the order that resolves the most cases. Tell us when it starts working and we'll record which step did it — that's how this list gets shorter for the next person.
Nothing is sent anywhere except an anonymous count of which step worked.
The checklist
Confirm you're using the connector URL, not the help page
The connector URL is https://gettrustapp.com/mcp. It is the machine endpoint — opening it in a browser returns a short block of JSON describing the service, which is the correct behaviour. Pasting /connect or /help into your assistant's connector field will always fail.
Check your assistant supports custom connectors on your plan
Custom MCP connectors are available on ChatGPT's paid tiers and in Claude's Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise plans, plus Claude Desktop. On a free tier the field is either hidden or silently ignored. If you can't find where to paste a URL, that's the reason — not the URL.
Add it with no authentication
Trust's connector is public and read-only. Leave the API key, client ID, secret, and OAuth fields blank. Entering a placeholder key makes some clients send an Authorization header that fails the handshake.
Run the connection test on this page
The test below asks the server for its tool list from your browser. If it returns tool names, the server is healthy and the problem is in your assistant's connector settings. If it fails here too, the issue is network-side — a VPN, corporate proxy, or content filter blocking the request.
Restart the assistant after adding the connector
Claude Desktop and several IDE clients only read connector configuration at launch. Quit fully — not just close the window — and reopen. Web clients need a page reload and sometimes a new conversation.
Ask a question that forces a tool call
Try: "Using the Trust connector, what does Ohio require to renew an RN licence?" Naming the connector and a specific state and credential makes the model call a tool instead of answering from memory.
Verify the answer carries a source
Every real tool response includes last_verified, source_url, confidence, and a disclaimer. If your assistant answers with none of those, it did not call Trust — it guessed. Ask it to cite the source_url it used.
Test it from this page
This asks the Trust server for its tool list, from your browser, on your network. A pass here narrows the problem down to your assistant's settings.
Sharing this with support or IT?
The debug report captures exactly what your browser saw — probe statuses, latencies, response content types, the tool list, and which step last fixed things for you.
Runs three live probes against the connector and saves a JSON file with statuses, latencies, tool list, and your browser and network details. No account data, licence records, or credentials are included.
Error glossary
Every error state you're likely to see, what it actually means, the fix that resolves it most often, and the checklist steps to jump to.
404 Not FoundThe client reports the connector URL doesn't exist.The request reached our domain but not the connector endpoint.
Most likely fix
Re-paste the URL exactly, with no extra path.
A trailing path or typo is the usual cause. The URL is exactly https://gettrustapp.com/mcp — no /v1, no /sse, no trailing slash, and https rather than http.
Checklist steps:1. Confirm you're using the connector URL, not the help page
406 Not Acceptable"Client must accept both application/json and text/event-stream."The client's Accept header is incomplete, so the handshake is refused.
Most likely fix
Use an official client, or send both content types on POST.
Your client is sending an incomplete Accept header. Official ChatGPT and Claude clients do this correctly — this almost always means a custom script or proxy in the middle. Send Accept: application/json, text/event-stream on POST requests.
Checklist steps:2. Check your assistant supports custom connectors on your plan4. Run the connection test on this page
429 Too Many RequestsAnswers stop mid-conversation and the client mentions rate limits.Your IP crossed the 60-requests-per-minute ceiling.
Most likely fix
Wait out the Retry-After window, then continue.
The endpoint allows 60 requests per minute per IP. Wait for the number of seconds in the Retry-After header — usually under a minute — then continue. Shared office IPs hit this sooner than home connections.
Checklist steps:4. Run the connection test on this page
401 / 403 UnauthorizedThe client says credentials were rejected or access is forbidden.Your client is sending an Authorization header the public endpoint never asked for.
Most likely fix
Clear every API key, secret, and OAuth field and re-add the connector.
Trust's connector is public and read-only, so it expects no credentials at all. A placeholder key, a leftover bearer token, or an OAuth config makes some clients attach an Authorization header that fails the handshake. Remove the connector, clear the auth fields, and add it again with all of them blank.
Checklist steps:3. Add it with no authentication5. Restart the assistant after adding the connector
Empty tool listThe connector shows as connected but exposes zero tools.The client cached a failed handshake and never re-listed the tools.
Most likely fix
Remove the connector, restart the app fully, then re-add it.
Almost always a client that cached a failed handshake. Remove the connector, restart the app, and add it again. Run the test below first to confirm the server is listing tools.
Checklist steps:4. Run the connection test on this page5. Restart the assistant after adding the connector
Timeout or "could not reach server"The handshake hangs and then fails.Something between you and us — VPN, proxy, or DNS filter — is dropping the request.
Most likely fix
Retry on a phone hotspot; if it works, ask IT to allow gettrustapp.com.
A VPN, corporate proxy, or DNS filter is blocking gettrustapp.com. Try the same connector on a different network — a phone hotspot is the fastest test. If it works there, ask IT to allow the domain.
Checklist steps:4. Run the connection test on this page
The assistant answers without calling TrustYou get a confident answer with no source, last_verified, or confidence field.The model answered from memory instead of invoking a tool.
Most likely fix
Name the connector, the state, and the credential in your prompt.
Ask something that can only be answered by a tool call — "Using the Trust connector, what does Ohio require to renew an RN licence?" — then ask it to cite the source_url it used. Every real tool response includes last_verified, source_url, confidence, and a disclaimer.
Checklist steps:6. Ask a question that forces a tool call7. Verify the answer carries a source
"Trust doesn't cover this credential yet"The tool answers, but says it has no record.Not an error — a deliberate structured miss instead of a guess.
Most likely fix
Check the credential is in scope; use the nearest matches it returns.
This is a real, deliberate answer rather than an error: Trust returns a structured miss with nearest matches instead of guessing. Coverage is RN and LPN/LVN for all 50 states plus DC, paramedic in selected states, and national allied-health certifications. Never let an assistant substitute a neighbouring state's rule.
Checklist steps:7. Verify the answer carries a source
Answers look out of dateA fee or CE hour count doesn't match the board's site.The record predates a board change, or the assistant reused an earlier reply.
Most likely fix
Read last_verified, then confirm against the board page in source_url.
Check the last_verified date in the response, then confirm against the board page in source_url. Boards change requirements without notice — the board's own page always wins, and Trust is not a licensing authority.
Checklist steps:7. Verify the answer carries a source
Still stuck?
You can always read the same requirements without a connector — browse renewal requirements or explore the raw dataset. The FAQ covers privacy and supported credentials.