API
The set of doors that lets software talk to HighLevel.
Why it matters:
It is the difference between copy-pasting by hand and software doing the work instantly.
HighLevel chapter breakout
Claude Code + HighLevel: build custom tools without being a developer.
Start with the simple path today: no API, no live connection, no code experience required. Claude builds the custom app. HighLevel keeps doing the CRM work.
Start here
There are two paths. Pick where you are.
| Question | Path A: Build & Embed | Path B: Live Connection |
|---|---|---|
| What Claude does | Builds custom apps, pages, tools, and experiences that plug into HighLevel. | Reads and writes inside your account in real time. |
| Setup needed | None beyond hosting and embedding. | MCP server, connector, credentials, and guardrails. |
| Touches your account? | No. Leads flow through HighLevel snippets. | Yes. Claude can act live if you allow it. |
| Risk | Very low. | Higher. Start read-only. |
| Today | Start here. | Next level homework. |
Big idea: HighLevel's native forms and chat widgets are already easy inside HighLevel. Path A is for the custom things HighLevel cannot easily make: calculators, dashboards, microsites, onboarding tools, and client-facing apps.
MCP
Model Context Protocol, a universal adapter that lets AI safely use a tool.
Why it matters:
It is how Claude connects live to HighLevel in the advanced path.
Embed / snippet
A small piece of code HighLevel gives you for forms, chat widgets, calendars, and other assets.
Why it matters:
It is the whole mechanism of the beginner path.
iFrame
A way to display one website inside another.
Why it matters:
It is how your custom app can appear inside the HighLevel dashboard.
Custom Menu Link
An agency feature for adding an external page into the HighLevel sidebar.
Why it matters:
It turns your Claude-built app into part of your agency offering.
Path A
Build custom apps that plug into HighLevel.
Mental model: HighLevel is the engine. Claude Code builds the custom body. You can connect them in two beginner-friendly directions.
Snippet in
HighLevel snippet -> Claude-built app
Grab a HighLevel form, chat widget, or calendar embed. Ask Claude Code to build a custom page around it. Leads and conversations still flow through HighLevel.
App in
Claude-built app -> HighLevel iframe
Host the app, get a URL, and add it as a Custom Menu Link iframe so it appears inside HighLevel like part of your agency product.
Basic
Custom external page with a HighLevel snippet inside
Ask Claude:
"Build a one-page site with this layout, then embed this HighLevel form snippet in the signup section."
Why:
You get total design freedom while leads still land in HighLevel.
Slightly more
Standalone tool that captures into HighLevel
Ask Claude:
"Build a lead-magnet microsite or mini-portal with custom logic, then use the HighLevel form or chat snippet as the capture layer."
Why:
You deliver an experience HighLevel cannot easily build, while HighLevel remains the CRM.
Intermediate
Custom app embedded back into HighLevel
Ask Claude:
"Build a quote calculator, onboarding wizard, or dashboard that will be hosted and embedded as a Custom Menu Link iframe."
Why:
To the client, it looks native. To your agency, it is your own tool.
Agency aha
Build once. Make it feel native. Ship it to clients.
Agency-only by design: agency users create Custom Menu Links; sub-accounts do not.
Auto-deploy potential: Custom Menu Links can be tied to SaaS plans so new sub-accounts receive the embedded app automatically.
Client-aware URLs: use values such as location ID in the URL so one hosted app can serve many clients.
Visibility control: decide whether the link appears in agency navigation, sub-account navigation, or selected accounts.
How to ask Claude Code
Describe the outcome, not every step.
Prompt line 1
"This will be embedded as a Custom Menu Link iframe inside HighLevel for my clients."
Prompt line 2
"Here is my HighLevel form or chatbot embed code. Wire it into the capture section."
Prompt line 3
"Read the location ID from the URL so the app knows which client is viewing."
Prompt line 4
"Give me a deploy-ready project I can put on Vercel or Netlify."
Prompt line 5
"Keep the design simple, mobile-friendly, and on brand."
Path B
Live connection is powerful. Make it homework, not the first demo.
When the app needs to read contacts, draft texts, move opportunities, or act inside HighLevel, you cross into MCP/API territory. Start read-only, make the server reachable, and turn tools on one at a time.
Local server via Docker
Best for experimenting on your own machine.
Watch out:
Local only. It stops when your computer sleeps.
Always-on machine
Best for personal use if you keep a desktop or mini-PC running.
Watch out:
Still your responsibility to keep it awake, updated, and secure.
Hosted server
Best when it needs to run while you sleep or be shared with a team.
Watch out:
Use Railway, Render, Fly.io, a VPS, or another host with public internet access.
Connecting it later
Once your MCP server has a public URL, add it as a custom connector in Claude, then turn individual tools on or off. Begin with read-only tools. The rule is simple: "show me before you send."
Q&A cheat sheet
Answers to keep ready.
Do I need to know how to code?
No for Path A. You describe the outcome, Claude writes the app, and you paste snippets and URLs. Path B has a one-time technical setup.
What does it cost?
Path A can start very cheap: Claude, a free hosting tier on Netlify or Vercel, and the HighLevel assets you already use. Path B may add a few dollars per month for hosting if the server needs to run all the time.
Is it safe?
Path A does not touch your account directly. Leads flow through HighLevel snippets. Path B can act live, so start read-only and require approval before anything sends or changes.
What is the catch with the live version?
It needs a publicly reachable server and real guardrails. Do not start there. Earn it after Path A makes sense.
Can clients copy what I build?
A hosted app can be protected and packaged as part of your agency offering. Custom Menu Links are controlled at the agency level, which gives agencies leverage in how the tool is delivered.
Reference links
These are here for follow-up after the breakout. You do not need them to understand Path A.