Quickstart

Connect NexLev MCP to your preferred AI assistant and start analyzing YouTube channels in under 5 minutes. Choose the platform you use below.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

Active NexLev account — Free for all users. Upgrade to Pro for higher quota limits.

Via Claude's custom connector

Step 1 — Active NexLev account

Make sure your NexLev account is active before proceeding.

Step 2 — Open Claude Connectors

Go to claude.ai → Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector. You can also open the connectors page directly:

Connect on Claude →

Claude Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector

Step 3 — Enter the connector details

Fill in the following information exactly as shown:

Field	Value
Name	`NexLev`
Server URL	`https://prod.dashboard.nexlev.io/api/claude-mcp`
Authentication	`OAuth`

Enter NexLev connector details in Claude

Step 4 — Approve the connection

After adding the connector, please click the Connect button and Claude will redirect you to sign in with your NexLev account.

Step 5.A — Set tool permissions

Go to claude.ai → Settings → Connectors, find NexLev, and click Configure. Then set Tool permissions to Always allow — this lets Claude use your NexLev tools automatically without asking you every time.

Set NexLev tool permissions to Always allow in Claude

Step 5.B — Allow write/delete tools

In the same permissions panel, scroll down through the tools list and make sure you also set Always allow for any write or delete tools (such as Swipe File). These are listed separately and require individual approval.

Allow write and delete tool permissions for NexLev in Claude

Step 6 — Verify NexLev is active in chat

Before starting, confirm NexLev is enabled in your Claude chat window. Click the + button in the message bar, hover over Connectors, and check that the toggle next to NexLev is turned on.

Verify NexLev connector is enabled in Claude chat

Connect on Claude →

Via Claude Code CLI

Step 1 — Active NexLev account

Make sure your NexLev account is active before proceeding.

Step 2 — Add the NexLev MCP server

Run this once from any terminal:

claude mcp add -s user --transport http nexlev https://prod.dashboard.nexlev.io/api/claude-mcp

Field	Value
Name	`nexlev`
Server URL	`https://prod.dashboard.nexlev.io/api/claude-mcp`
Transport	`HTTP`
Scope	`user — available in all projects on your machine`

The -s user flag registers the server globally so it's available in every project. Omit it (or use -s local) to restrict it to the current directory only.

Step 3 — Authenticate

Start Claude Code in any directory:
```
claude
```
Run the /mcp slash command inside the Claude prompt:
```
/mcp
```
Select nexlev from the list, then choose Authenticate.
Your browser opens to dashboard.nexlev.io — log in with your NexLev account and approve the connection.

Back in the terminal you'll see:

Authentication successful. Connected to nexlev.

Step 4 — Verify the connection

claude mcp list

You should see:

nexlev: https://prod.dashboard.nexlev.io/api/claude-mcp (HTTP) - ✓ Connected

Step 5 — Use it

Just talk to Claude in natural language — it picks the right NexLev tool automatically:

Find 10 faceless YouTube channels in the personal finance niche earning over $5K/month

Pull the full analytics for @MrBeast — subscriber growth, RPM, and top videos

Managing the server

Task	Command
List all MCP servers	`claude mcp list`
Inspect NexLev's config	`claude mcp get nexlev`
Remove the NexLev server	`claude mcp remove nexlev`
Re-authenticate (token issue)	Inside `claude`, run `/mcp` → select `nexlev` → Authenticate

If claude mcp list shows ✗ Failed to connect, the server URL is unreachable. Remove and re-add it with the correct URL.

Troubleshooting

! Needs authentication after running /mcp The browser flow didn't complete. Re-run /mcp and make sure you finish the login on dashboard.nexlev.io until the browser tab shows a success page.

✗ Failed to connect

Confirm the URL is correct: https://prod.dashboard.nexlev.io/api/claude-mcp
Check your network / VPN / firewall — the CLI must reach *.nexlev.io over HTTPS
Run curl -I https://prod.dashboard.nexlev.io/api/claude-mcp to test reachability

Tool call returns access_denied or rate_limited

access_denied — your NexLev plan doesn't include this tool. Upgrade your plan in the dashboard.
rate_limited — you've hit your plan's daily quota. Wait and retry, or upgrade.

Claude doesn't seem to use NexLev tools Run /mcp to confirm nexlev is Connected. If you added it with local scope, you must launch claude from that project directory. Re-add with -s user to make it global.

Via ChatGPT custom MCP app (OAuth)

Step 1 — Active NexLev account

Make sure your NexLev account is active before proceeding.

Step 2 — Enable Developer mode

Go to chatgpt.com → Settings → Plugins → Developer mode and toggle on Developer mode.

Turn on developer mode

ChatGPT Settings → Plugins → Developer mode

Step 3 — Create a new app

Go to Settings → Plugins → Browse plugins and click on the + icon.

Go to plugins

The ChatGPT Plugins page with the + button highlighted

Step 4 — Enter the app details

Fill in the following information exactly as shown:

Field	Value
Name	`NexLev`
MCP Server URL	`https://prod.dashboard.nexlev.io/api/mcp`
Authentication	`OAuth`

Connect the Nexlev MCP

The New Plugin dialog filled in with the NexLev server URL and OAuth authentication

Step 5 — Confirm and connect

Tick "I understand and want to continue", then click Create. ChatGPT will auto-discover the OAuth settings — no Client ID or secret needed.

When you first use a NexLev tool, ChatGPT will redirect you to sign in with your NexLev account. Click Approve to connect.

Via Codex CLI

Step 1 — Active NexLev account

Make sure your NexLev account is active before proceeding.

Step 2 — Add the NexLev MCP server

Run this once from any terminal:

codex mcp add nexlev --url https://prod.dashboard.nexlev.io/api/codex-mcp

Field	Value
Name	`nexlev`
Server URL	`https://prod.dashboard.nexlev.io/api/codex-mcp`
Transport	`Streamable HTTP`

This registers the server globally in ~/.codex/config.toml, available across all projects.

Step 3 — Authenticate

Start Codex in any directory:
```
codex
```
Run the /mcp slash command inside the Codex prompt:
```
/mcp
```
Select nexlev from the list, then choose Authenticate.
Your browser opens — log in with your NexLev account and approve the connection.

Step 4 — Verify the connection

codex mcp list

You should see nexlev listed as connected.

Step 5 — (Optional) Manual config edit

Alternatively, you can directly edit ~/.codex/config.toml and add:

[mcp_servers.nexlev]
url = "https://prod.dashboard.nexlev.io/api/codex-mcp"

Managing the server

Task	Command
List all MCP servers	`codex mcp list`
Remove NexLev	`codex mcp remove nexlev`
Re-authenticate	Inside `codex`, run `/mcp` → select `nexlev` → Authenticate

Via OpenClaw

Prerequisites — CLI installed & NexLev registered

Before setting up OpenClaw, confirm at least one CLI is installed and NexLev MCP is already registered in it — OpenClaw calls the CLI, which in turn calls NexLev.

claude mcp add -s user --transport http nexlev https://prod.dashboard.nexlev.io/api/claude-mcp

codex mcp add nexlev --url https://prod.dashboard.nexlev.io/api/mcp

See the Claude or ChatGPT tabs above for full CLI setup instructions.

Step 1 — Install OpenClaw

npm install -g openclaw@latest
openclaw onboard --install-daemon

This installs the Gateway daemon and walks you through pairing with your messaging channel (Telegram, Discord, WhatsApp, etc.).

Step 2 — Install the acpx plugin

ACP sessions are powered by the acpx plugin. Install and enable it:

openclaw plugins install @openclaw/acpx
openclaw config set plugins.entries.acpx.enabled true
openclaw config set plugins.allow '["acpx"]'

Then enable ACP and set your default CLI:

openclaw config set acp.enabled true
openclaw config set acp.backend acpx
openclaw config set acp.allowedAgents '["claude", "codex"]'

# Pick your default (whichever CLI you have installed):
openclaw config set acp.defaultAgent claude
# or:
openclaw config set acp.defaultAgent codex

Step 3 — Register NexLev inside OpenClaw

The URL depends on which CLI OpenClaw will call:

# If your default CLI is Claude Code:
openclaw mcp set nexlev '{"url":"https://prod.dashboard.nexlev.io/api/claude-mcp","transport":"streamable-http"}'

# If your default CLI is Codex:
openclaw mcp set nexlev '{"url":"https://prod.dashboard.nexlev.io/api/mcp","transport":"streamable-http"}'

Verify it was saved:

openclaw mcp list

Step 4 — Authenticate NexLev

OpenClaw inherits auth from the CLI it calls. Authenticate inside that CLI:

claude    # or: codex
/mcp
# Select nexlev → Authenticate
# Browser opens → log in to dashboard.nexlev.io → approve

Step 5 — Spawn a session & use NexLev

From your connected messaging app (Telegram, Discord, etc.), spawn a session:

/acp spawn claude --bind here

The --bind here flag pins the conversation to the session so follow-up messages route to the same CLI instance. Then just ask in natural language:

Find 10 faceless YouTube channels in the finance niche earning over $5K/month

Pull full analytics for @MrBeast — subscriber growth, RPM, and top videos

Managing the server

Task	Command
List MCP servers in OpenClaw	`openclaw mcp list`
Remove NexLev from OpenClaw	`openclaw mcp unset nexlev`
Check ACP health	`/acp doctor` (in chat)
Check active sessions	`/acp status` (in chat)
Close a session	`/acp close` (in chat)
Restart the gateway	`openclaw gateway restart`

Troubleshooting

NexLev tools not visible OpenClaw calls the CLI — the CLI is what talks to NexLev. Verify the CLI itself has NexLev registered: claude mcp list or codex mcp list.

Wrong endpoint Using the Claude Code URL with Codex (or vice versa) will silently fail.

Claude Code → https://prod.dashboard.nexlev.io/api/claude-mcp
Codex → https://prod.dashboard.nexlev.io/api/mcp

ACP spawn blocked ACP sessions run on the host runtime. If your session is sandboxed, use runtime="subagent" or disable sandboxing for the session.

Via Hermes Agent

Prerequisites — Hermes installed

macOS / Windows (recommended): Download the Hermes Desktop installer from hermes-agent.nousresearch.com — it installs both the desktop app and the CLI in one step.

Linux / macOS / WSL2 (CLI only):

curl -fsSL https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/install.sh | bash
source ~/.bashrc   # or source ~/.zshrc

Step 1 — Run first-time setup

hermes setup

Walks you through choosing a model provider (Nous Portal, OpenRouter, Anthropic, etc.). If you already have ~/.openclaw, the setup wizard detects it and offers to migrate your settings, memories, and API keys automatically.

Step 2 — Register NexLev as an MCP server

Add NexLev to ~/.hermes/config.yaml:

mcp_servers:
  nexlev:
    url: "https://prod.dashboard.nexlev.io/api/claude-mcp"
    auth: oauth

Verify it was saved:

hermes mcp list

Test the connection:

hermes mcp test nexlev

Step 3 — Authenticate NexLev

On first connection, run:

hermes mcp login nexlev

A browser opens → log in to dashboard.nexlev.io → approve. Tokens are cached at ~/.hermes/mcp-tokens/nexlev.json and reused silently on subsequent runs.

Step 4 — Connect a messaging platform (e.g. Telegram)

Interactive setup (recommended):

hermes gateway setup

Select Telegram when prompted. The wizard asks for your bot token and allowed user IDs and writes the config automatically.

Manual setup — add credentials to ~/.hermes/.env:

TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN=123456789:ABCdefGHIjklMNOpqrSTUvwxYZ
TELEGRAM_ALLOWED_USERS=123456789    # comma-separated for multiple users

Then start the gateway in the foreground:

hermes gateway

Or, if you've installed it as a background service:

hermes gateway start

Step 5 — Use NexLev from your messaging app

Message your bot in natural language:

Find 10 faceless YouTube channels in the finance niche earning over $5K/month

Pull full analytics for @MrBeast — subscriber growth, RPM, and top videos

Managing the server

Task	Command
List MCP servers	`hermes mcp list`
Remove NexLev	`hermes mcp remove nexlev`
Test NexLev connection	`hermes mcp test nexlev`
Re-authenticate NexLev	`hermes mcp login nexlev`
Re-select NexLev tools	`hermes mcp configure nexlev`
Check gateway service status	`hermes gateway status`
Restart the gateway service	`hermes gateway restart`
Check platform status (in chat)	`/platforms`
Reload MCP config (in chat)	`/reload-mcp`

Troubleshooting

NexLev tools not visible Run hermes mcp list to confirm the entry exists, then hermes mcp test nexlev to verify it's reachable. If the connection succeeded but tools are missing, run hermes mcp configure nexlev to check your tool selection checklist.

Wrong endpoint Hermes uses the Claude-MCP endpoint. Make sure your config has: https://prod.dashboard.nexlev.io/api/claude-mcp Not the Codex/plain variant (/api/mcp).

Auth expired Run hermes mcp login nexlev to refresh the OAuth token.

Gateway not responding Check with hermes gateway status. Restart with hermes gateway restart.

What You Can Do Next

Once connected, start using NexLev tools directly inside your AI chat:

Long Form Channel Search

Find 20 long-form channels related to the minecraft niche

Short Form Channel Analysis

Show me 15 viral YouTube Shorts channels in the comedy niche

Keyword Research

Find high-volume, low-competition keywords for cooking content

Content Strategy

What content strategy should I use for a tech review channel with 10K subscribers?

Competitive Research

Compare successful channels in the fitness niche and identify common patterns

Thumbnail Generation

Generate a thumbnail for my video "I Tried Waking Up at 4AM for 30 Days" — match the style of the top productivity channels

Off-Platform Earnings

What does @AliAbdaal sell outside of ads, and which brands sponsor the most finance channels?

Network Research

Which network is MrBeast signed to, and what other channels are under it?

Understanding NexLev Responses

When you use NexLev through Claude, ChatGPT, or Claude Code CLI, you'll receive interactive widgets displaying:

Channel data — Comprehensive metrics, performance indicators, and growth analytics
Sortable results — Click column headers to sort by different metrics
Expandable details — View in-depth information for each result
Filtering options — Refine results by various criteria
Pagination — Navigate through large result sets

Rate Limits

All limits are per user, per tool, and reset every 24 hours.

Networks & CMS

Tool	Free	Lite	Pro
Content owner lookup`get_content_owner`	0	5	15
CMS network search`search_cms_networks`	0	5	15

Per user · resets every 24 hours

Upgrade to Pro →

With usage credits enabled, calls past the daily limit cost $0.05 each for both tools. See CMS Networks.

Channel Discovery

Tool	Free	Lite	Pro
Long-form channel search`find_long_form_channels`	10	150	300
Short-form channel search`find_shorts_channels`	10	150	300
Similar channels`get_similar_channels`	5	20	30
Latest discovered faceless niches`latest_discovered_faceless_niches`	20	150	300
Faceless channel check`check_faceless_channel`	5	100	300
Channel resolver`channel_resolver`	10	100	500
Niche channel search`search_niche_finder_channels`	10	100	200

Per user · resets every 24 hours

Upgrade to Pro →

Video Intelligence

Tool	Free	Lite	Pro
Similar videos`get_similar_videos`	5	20	30
Video search`search_videos`	10	150	300
YouTube search`youtube_search`	50	100	500
Video details`youtube_video_details`	10	100	300
Video comments`youtube_video_comments`	10	150	300
Video transcript`get_video_transcript`	5	150	300
Bulk video transcripts`get_bulk_video_transcripts`	5	50	100
Video subtitle`get_video_subtitle`	5	150	300
Bulk video subtitles`get_bulk_video_subtitles`	5	50	100
Channel outlier videos`youtube_channel_outliers`	10	50	100
YouTube suggested videos`search_youtube_suggested_videos`	20	150	300
Viral videos — small channels`search_viral_videos_small_channels`	20	150	300
Faceless outlier videos`faceless_outliers_videos`	20	150	300

Per user · resets every 24 hours

Upgrade to Pro →

Visual Search

Tool	Free	Lite	Pro
Similar thumbnails`get_similar_thumbnails`	5	20	30

Per user · resets every 24 hours

Upgrade to Pro →

Visual Video Analysis

Tool	Free	Lite	Pro
Watch YouTube video and ask`watch_youtube_video_and_ask`	1	5	15
Watch Instagram video and ask`watch_instagram_video_and_ask`	1	5	15
Watch TikTok video and ask`watch_tiktok_video_and_ask`	1	5	15

Per user · resets every 24 hours

Upgrade to Pro →

Channel Analytics

Tool	Free	Lite	Pro
Channel analytics`get_channel_analytics`	5	20	30
Daily analytics`get_daily_analytics`	5	20	30
Short vs long views`get_short_vs_long_views`	5	20	30
Geography & revenue`get_geography_revenue`	5	20	30
Batch channel metrics`get_batch_channel_metrics`	5	20	30
Channel categories`get_channel_categories`	10	100	500
Channel formats`get_channel_formats`	10	100	500
Channel videos`youtube_channel_videos`	50	100	300
Channel shorts`youtube_channel_shorts`	50	100	300
Channel playlists`youtube_channel_playlists`	50	100	300
Channel about`youtube_channel_about`	50	100	300

Per user · resets every 24 hours

Upgrade to Pro →

Monetization

Tool	Free	Lite	Pro
Channel monetization check`check_channel_monetization`	5	100	300
Video monetization check`check_video_monetization`	5	100	300
Video RPM`get_video_rpm`	5	150	300

Per user · resets every 24 hours

Upgrade to Pro →

Niche Intelligence

Tool	Free	Lite	Pro
Niche overview`get_niche_overview`	5	20	30
Niche categories`get_niche_finder_categories`	10	100	500
Niche formats`get_niche_finder_formats`	10	100	500
Niche tags`get_niche_finder_tags`	5	100	500

Per user · resets every 24 hours

Upgrade to Pro →

Swipefile

Tool	Lite	Pro
List swipefile folders`list_swipefile_folders`	200	500
List swipefile items`list_swipefile_items`	200	500
Get folder insights`get_swipefile_folder_insights`	100	300
Save to swipefile`save_to_swipefile`	100	300
Update swipefile item`update_swipefile_item`	50	200
Move swipefile item`move_swipefile_item`	30	100
Delete swipefile item`delete_swipefile_item`	30	100
Create swipefile folder`create_swipefile_folder`	20	50

Per user · resets every 24 hours

Upgrade to Pro →

Personal Channel Analytics

Tool	Lite	Pro
List my YouTube channels`list_my_youtube_channels`	100	200
Channel overview`get_my_channel_overview`	20	50
Channel analytics`get_my_channel_analytics`	20	50
Revenue report`get_my_revenue_report`	15	40
Top videos`get_my_top_videos`	15	40
Audience demographics`get_my_audience_demographics`	15	40
Traffic sources`get_my_traffic_sources`	15	40
Device & OS report`get_my_device_report`	15	40
Geography report`get_my_geography_report`	15	40
Playback locations`get_my_playback_locations`	15	40
Content sharing`get_my_content_sharing`	15	40
Subscriber status`get_my_subscriber_status`	15	40
Video analytics`get_my_video_analytics`	20	50
Audience retention`get_my_audience_retention`	15	40

Per user · resets every 24 hours

Upgrade to Pro →

Thumbnail Lab

Plan	Generations	AI edits
Free	— (not available)	— (not available)
Lite	3 / day · 10 / month	3 / day · 15 / month
Pro	5 / day · 25 / month	5 / day · 25 / month

With usage credits enabled, extra actions past the included allowance cost $0.15 (lite model) or $0.40 (pro model) per generation and $0.10 / $0.25 per AI edit, capped at 30 generations and 30 edits per rolling hour. Failed jobs are refunded automatically.

Promotions & Sponsorships

Tool	Free	Lite	Pro
Channel promotions`get_channel_promotions`	5	100	250
Live promotions analysis`get_channel_promotions_realtime`	2	10	20

Per user · resets every 24 hours

Upgrade to Pro →

With usage credits enabled, calls past the daily limit cost $0.02 each for get_channel_promotions and $0.05 each for get_channel_promotions_realtime. See Channel Promotions.

Get Help

Dashboard — dashboard.nexlev.io
Support — contact@nexlev.io
Community — Discord server