Side by side
| Topic | Garmin MCP | Strava MCP |
|---|---|---|
| Sleep stages and sleep score | Yes | No |
| Body Battery | Yes | No |
| Daily steps and calories | Yes | No |
| All-day heart rate | Yes | No; heart rate during recorded activities |
| Garmin training status and running threshold | Yes | No; Strava has its own fitness trends and readiness |
| Activities | Yes | Yes |
| Laps and interval reps | Yes | Not listed in their help article |
| Per-second streams, GPS routes, cycling power | No | Yes |
| Workouts from other apps and devices | Only what syncs to Garmin Connect | Yes, anything you upload to Strava |
| Can change your data | No | No |
| Who can use it | Anyone with a Garmin Connect account | Strava subscribers |
Why the whole day matters
A hard session only makes sense next to how you slept and how recovered you are. Strava does not receive your Garmin sleep, Body Battery, or steps, so a Strava connection cannot see them. Garmin MCP reads them straight from Garmin Connect, so your AI can put last night, today, and your last run in one answer.
Pick Garmin MCP if
- You wear a Garmin watch day and night.
- You want your AI to weigh sleep and recovery before it suggests a session.
- You want interval reps and threshold pace from your Garmin runs.
Pick Strava MCP if
- You want second-by-second streams, GPS routes, or cycling power.
- Your workouts come from many devices and all meet in Strava.
Use both
In Claude, for example, you can add more than one connector. Many athletes can keep Strava for detailed workout streams and add Garmin MCP for sleep, recovery, and training status.
Try Garmin MCP in your AI app
The steps below use Claude as the example.
- Open the connect page. Go to garminmcp.com/connect.
- Enter your Garmin email. Use the email of your Garmin Connect account and select Continue.
- Enter your password. Select Connect Garmin. Type the 6-digit code if Garmin sends one.
- Copy your private link. Select Copy. The link is your key, so keep it to yourself.
- Open Claude settings. In the Claude app or on claude.ai, open Settings, then Connectors. In the desktop app, Connectors is under Customize. Select Add.
- Add the connector. In Add custom connector, name it Garmin MCP, paste your link, and select Continue.
- Finish. Keep No sign-in selected and select Add.
- Ask. Open a new chat and ask: “How did I sleep last night?”
Questions
Can the Strava MCP read my Garmin sleep?
No. Strava does not receive Garmin sleep, Body Battery, or step data, so its connector cannot show them to your AI.
Does Garmin MCP read Strava?
No. Garmin MCP reads Garmin Connect only.
Which one has more detail per workout?
Strava MCP gives per-second streams, GPS routes, and cycling power. Garmin MCP gives laps, interval reps, and reps compared across recent runs.
Do I need a Strava subscription for Garmin MCP?
No. You only need a Garmin Connect account.
Can I use both in my AI app?
Yes, in apps that accept more than one connector, such as Claude. Add both as connectors and ask questions that use sleep from Garmin and workout detail from Strava.
Are both read-only?
Yes. Neither one can change your data.
Give your AI your whole day, not only your workouts. Connect Garmin, copy one link, paste it in.
Try it on my own data