Use Caoliao MCP in WorkBuddy

Once connected, you can analyze Caoliao data in WorkBuddy with plain language: ask the AI to compute inspection completion, summarize anomaly records, or build an analysis page — the AI reads live data from Caoliao, no manual export needed.

Warning: Caoliao MCP is in beta. Two things to know before you start:

• Your Caoliao account must be whitelisted first — to apply. Authorization fails until it is enabled.
• Caoliao is not listed in WorkBuddy's connector marketplace — searching "caoliao" there returns nothing. Add it as a custom connector using the steps below.

Before you start

• A whitelisted Caoliao account. and send them your Caoliao account (the phone number you sign in with). We will notify you once it is enabled — start the steps below after that.
• WorkBuddy desktop, with connector features available to your account. If you cannot find the entry described below, ask your company's WorkBuddy administrator about permissions.

Tip: we recommend using the organization's super administrator account. Authorization covers the whole organization's data (see Step 2), so having a super admin grant it centrally is easier to govern. If you are unsure about your permissions, follow the flow to the authorization page — it shows which organizations you can authorize.

Step 1: install the connector

Option A: let the AI install it (recommended)

Open a new conversation and send WorkBuddy this message in full — braces included. It looks like code, but sending it straight to the AI is exactly right:

Please install the Caoliao QR code MCP for me. The MCP server configuration is:
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "caoliao": {
      "type": "streamable-http",
      "url": "https://open.cli.im/mcp",
      "timeout": 60
    }
  }
}

The AI configures the connector for you. If it asks for confirmation (for example, whether to allow installing this connector), approve it.

You will know it worked when an entry named caoliao appears in the MCP or connector list. Then go straight to "Step 2: authorize".

Note: timeout is how many seconds to wait for Caoliao to respond. 60 is the recommended value — leave it as is.

Note: if the AI replies that it cannot install, use Option B below.

Option B: add it manually

1. Open WorkBuddy and click "Experts · Skills · Connectors" in the left sidebar.

2. Select "Connectors" at the top of the page, then click "Custom Connector" in the top-right corner.

3. In the "MCP Service Management" dialog, click "Configure MCP", replace the entire content of the editor with the configuration below, then click "Save".

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "caoliao": {
      "type": "streamable-http",
      "url": "https://open.cli.im/mcp",
      "disabled": false
    }
  }
}

4. Back in the MCP list, find caoliao. If it shows "Authentication required", click "Connect" on the right.

Note: no token or other secret goes into the configuration. After clicking "Connect", identity is confirmed through the OAuth authorization in the next step.

Step 2: authorize

1. After you click "Connect", your browser opens the Caoliao authorization page.
2. Sign in to your Caoliao account, choose the organization to authorize, and confirm.
3. When the page reports success, return to WorkBuddy.
4. Confirm caoliao no longer shows "Authentication required" and its toggle stays on — you are ready to go.

Note: if your account belongs to only one organization, the page will not ask you to choose; the selection appears only when you belong to several. If you pick the wrong one, revoke the authorization and authorize again.

Before you authorize, be aware of this

Warning: after authorizing, the AI can read all data of that organization — records across every project, QR code and form are in scope, and scoping to a single project is not supported yet.

This scope is per organization, not per your own visibility in Caoliao: even if you can only see some projects in the product, the AI can read the whole organization's data once you authorize. If your organization holds forms that should not be analyzed (payroll or personal identity data, for example), assess this before authorizing.

• Authorization is bound to "your account + the organization you chose." Each person in an organization authorizes separately, and each can read all of that organization's data. For organizations with many administrators, we suggest whitelisting only the few people who need to run analyses during the beta.
• To revoke authorization, for assistance.
• All Caoliao MCP tools are read-only. The AI can query data and compute metrics, but cannot modify any QR code, form, or record in your organization.

Step 3: start chatting

Open a new conversation, describe what you want, and tell the AI to use the caoliao MCP.

For your first run, start with a simple connection check:

Using the caoliao MCP, list the projects, QR codes, and forms I can access.
Only list their names for now. Do not modify any data.

If the AI lists objects from your account, the connection works. Continue in the same conversation so the AI can retain the context. For example:

Using the caoliao MCP, report this month's equipment inspection status:
daily totals of pending / completed / missed inspections,
plus the list of equipment not yet inspected.

Using the caoliao MCP, summarize anomalies in inspection records
from the last 30 days, grouped by anomaly type, with the inspector
and time for each entry.

Using the caoliao MCP, build a daily inspection dashboard page.
Show today's pending / completed / missed counts at the top and an anomaly table below,
with a date filter. Every number must come from an exact query; do not extrapolate from samples.

The AI discovers your organization's forms and metrics on its own, then fetches and analyzes step by step. Refine with follow-up questions, e.g. "only workshop A" or "weekly totals".

Tip: "pending / completed / missed" above is only an example. Use the field and option names from your own forms — if your field is called "inspection status", just say "group by inspection status" and the AI will read the form structure to match it.

Tip: include "use the caoliao MCP" in every new conversation. WorkBuddy may have several tools connected at once; naming the one you want reduces the chance it picks the wrong tool or answers from memory.

Tip: the more specific the request, the better the result. You can paste a screenshot or a description of the dashboard you want and ask the AI to match it.

Keep talking after the report is ready

Caoliao MCP queries the data; WorkBuddy creates, publishes, and schedules the report. If you are wondering "how do I publish this?" or "how can this update automatically?", stay in the current conversation and state the next outcome you want. WorkBuddy can use the existing report context to guide or perform the next step.

Publish the report

Try:

Publish the web report we just created as a link that other people can open.
Before publishing, check for sensitive fields such as names and phone numbers,
explain who will be able to access it, and wait for my confirmation.

If you want to share the entire task rather than only the report, ask: "Show me how to share this task."

Warning: anyone with a published link may be able to view its content. Confirm that the report and its referenced data are suitable for sharing, and disable public access when it is no longer needed.

Schedule report refreshes

Try:

Update this report automatically every Monday at 9:00 AM.
Each run should cover the previous calendar week, keep the current metric definitions,
save the result to the same location, and notify me when it finishes.
Before creating the schedule, repeat the run time, data range, and output location for confirmation.

Run it once immediately before enabling the schedule. Verify the data scope, metric definitions, and output, then turn on recurring execution.

Make the analysis more reliable

• State the scope: include the business object, date range, metrics, output format, and intended audience.
• Require exact queries: say that every number must come from a real query and must not be extrapolated from partial records.
• Confirm definitions first: for completion rates, anomaly rates, or period comparisons, ask for the numerator, denominator, and date range.
• Continue in the same conversation: when publishing, scheduling, restyling, or adding charts, you do not need to repeat the background.
• Confirm high-impact actions: before publishing, sharing externally, or scheduling, have the AI repeat the access scope, run time, and output location.

FAQ

I can't find "caoliao" in the connector marketplace Not listed during the beta. Use the custom connector steps above.

There is no add entry under "Project connectors" The entry is on the left-hand "Experts · Skills · Connectors" page: select "Connectors" at the top first, then click "Custom Connector" in the top-right. It is not under project connectors.

Authorization fails or reports missing permissions Confirm your Caoliao account is whitelisted. Support enables the whitelist per account; authorization fails until it takes effect. If you are unsure whether yours is enabled, just .

Authorized successfully — now what? Open a new conversation and make requests as in Step 3. No further configuration needed.

Can the AI add a record or edit a code for me? No. Caoliao MCP is read-only for now, and the AI will not modify any of your data. If you need to write records or verify certificates programmatically, that is a developer scenario — see the OpenAPI V2 API.

How do colleagues see the result? Can it refresh on a schedule? Ask the AI in the report's conversation to "publish this as a shareable link" or "schedule recurring updates". See "Keep talking after the report is ready" above for complete prompts. Sharing and scheduling happen in WorkBuddy; Caoliao MCP returns the latest data available at each run.

Can I trust the numbers? Every set of data Caoliao returns to the AI carries its calculation definition, and the AI is instructed never to estimate when real data is available. If a number looks off, ask the AI to "list the records behind this number" — every result can be traced down to individual records.

Will I need to reconfigure after the beta? The transition plan is still being finalized. If reconfiguration or re-authorization becomes necessary, we will notify you through support in advance — your connection will not fail silently.

Next steps

• Open Platform MCP · Service & Setup — full tool list and authentication
• Use in QwenWork / Use in Doubao Work