MCPs vs. APIs: How to Get Your Strava, WHOOP and Oura Data
Two ways to connect Claude to your fitness apps, when to use each, and how to set them up.
I've been getting a lot of questions about the difference between MCPs and APIs, and how to connect to apps beyond Strava and Garmin.
So I put together a full guide on what they are and how to use them to connect Claude Code directly to Strava, WHOOP and Oura.
The same process works for almost any fitness app, as long as it has an open API or an MCP (either official, made by the company, or third-party, made by an outside developer). If you're trying to connect another app, point Claude Code at it and tell it to get to work.
Two ways to connect
People mix these up all the time, so here's the quick version:
MCP (Model Context Protocol) is the plug-in layer. It lets the AI talk to the service directly, so you can ask Claude or ChatGPT about your sleep or last week's runs and it pulls the data live. Far less setup, and a great daily driver.
API is the raw developer path. You create an app, get your keys, and write the requests yourself. Most control, most setup. Best if you're building something for multiple users or pulling data into your own tools.
Rule of thumb: if you just want to chat with your data, use an MCP. If you want to build or automate something, use the API.
One thing that trips people up
MCPs are basically plug-and-play in Claude (Strava's one-click connector is there, although it's still limited). On ChatGPT, it takes an extra setup step. If you're on your phone and want easy, Claude is the move.
Let me know what you start stringing together.
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