Check DOC Hut Availability in ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini

Hut Finder works in OpenAI’s ChatGPT and is listed in Claude’s connector directory. You can also add it to Google’s Gemini as a custom app and to Muse, Meta’s AI assistant, as a custom connector. Once you connect it, your assistant can look up the same DOC availability you see on the Hut Finder map: more than 400 DOC huts, lodges and campsites that are booked online.

It’s built on the Model Context Protocol (MCP), the open standard ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and other assistants use to connect to outside tools. You don’t need to know anything about MCP to use it. You connect it once, then ask questions the way you would ask a friend who has DOC’s booking calendar open.

On its own, an AI assistant can’t see DOC’s booking calendar. Ask it whether Awaroa Hut is free next Friday and the best it can do is guess from old web pages or tell you to check DOC yourself. Bunk counts change every time somebody books or cancels, so a guess is no basis for a trip.

Trampers have noticed. When Wilderness magazine asked ChatGPT to plan a couple of Canterbury day hikes, it found real value but clear limitations. One reader asked ChatGPT for directions to Packhorse Hut on Banks Peninsula and was told to drive to Arthur’s Pass, about 150 km away.

The connector fixes the data part. When you ask about availability, your assistant asks Hut Finder, and Hut Finder answers from DOC’s booking data. You keep what the assistant is good at, such as comparing options, reshuffling an itinerary and explaining the result, but the numbers come from DOC.

1. 1

   Look for Hut Finder in Apps

   In ChatGPT, open Settings → Apps and search for Hut Finder.
2. 2

   Not listed yet? Add it yourself

   Turn on Developer mode under Advanced settings, choose Create, and paste https://dochutfinder.com/mcp as the server URL.
3. 3

   Leave authentication on OAuth and save

   If ChatGPT asks you to sign in to Hut Finder, enter your email and the code we send you, then approve access. New to Hut Finder? This creates a free account.
4. 4

   Pick it and ask

   In a chat, pick Hut Finder from the + menu (or mention it by name), then ask which huts have space, check a Great Walk night by night, or set an alert.

Menu names can differ slightly between ChatGPT plans and versions. The connector setup page has the current steps and troubleshooting.

1. 1

   Add Hut Finder from Claude’s directory

   Open claude.ai/directory/hut-finder, signed in to Claude, and connect it. If you ask Claude about huts first, it may suggest Hut Finder in the chat; accepting that does the same thing.
2. 2

   No Hut Finder sign-in yet

   Searching needs no account. Claude only asks you to sign in to Hut Finder when you first use alerts, your account, or dates more than 14 days ahead.
3. 3

   Turn it on and ask

   In a chat, check Hut Finder is on under Connectors in the + menu, then ask which huts have space, check a Great Walk night by night, or set an alert.

Using Claude Code? Run claude mcp add --transport http hutfinder https://dochutfinder.com/mcp. If Claude answers without using Hut Finder, mention it by name; more fixes are on the setup page.

1. 1

   Open Connected Apps on the web

   On a computer, go to gemini.google.com and open Settings → Connected Apps. Custom apps can only be added on the web, but they then work in the Gemini mobile app too.
2. 2

   Add Hut Finder as a custom app

   Under Custom apps, choose Add a custom app, paste https://dochutfinder.com/mcp and click Next.
3. 3

   Sign in to Hut Finder

   Gemini links your Hut Finder account as part of setup. Enter your email and the code we send you, then approve access. New to Hut Finder? This creates a free account, which is all you need.
4. 4

   Mention it and ask

   In a chat, type @ and pick Hut Finder so Gemini uses it, then ask your question. Gemini asks you to confirm before it creates or cancels an alert.

Using Gemini CLI? Run gemini mcp add --transport http hutfinder https://dochutfinder.com/mcp, then /mcp auth hutfinder inside the CLI when you want to sign in.

1. 1

   Ask Muse to create a custom connector

   In a Muse chat, ask: “Create a custom connector for Hut Finder at https://dochutfinder.com/mcp.” Muse walks you through the setup.
2. 2

   Sign in if asked

   If Muse asks you to sign in to Hut Finder, enter your email and the code we send you, then approve access. Muse keeps the connection in its secure credentials store.
3. 3

   Ask your question

   Ask which huts have space, check a Great Walk night by night, or set an alert. Muse asks for your approval before important actions, unless you change that in its settings.

We’ve also submitted Hut Finder to Muse’s connector directory, and it’s in review with Meta. Once it’s approved, you’ll be able to add it from Settings → Connectors in Muse with one tap, no custom setup needed.

Ask in plain English, with whatever detail you have. Hut names, regions, track names, “this Saturday” and party sizes all work. Dates are New Zealand dates.

Follow-ups work too. If a trip doesn’t fit, ask your assistant to try the next day, the other direction or a different hut. It checks again rather than guessing.

On 24 October 2026 we asked Claude to check the Abel Tasman Coast Track for two people, starting Wednesday 4 November, on the usual three-night hut itinerary. Hut Finder checked each hut in walking order:

1. Wed 4 NovAnchorage Hut25 bunks free
2. Thu 5 NovBark Bay Hut22 bunks free
3. Fri 6 NovAwaroa HutFull

Two easy nights, but the trip didn’t work: Awaroa Hut was full on the Friday. Instead of opening three DOC calendars, we asked a follow-up: “When does Awaroa have space that week?” Hut Finder checked Awaroa live with DOC. It was full on Friday 6 and Saturday 7 November, with space again from Sunday.

So we asked Claude to try starting on Friday 6 November. Every night worked: 11 bunks at Anchorage, 8 at Awaroa on the Sunday, and exactly 2 at Bark Bay on the Saturday. Two bunks for a party of two is cutting it fine, so that’s the night to book first, using the DOC link Claude gave for each hut.

Prefer a screen to a chat? The Trip Planner does the same night-by-night check on the website, and the Great Walks availability guide covers how each walk is booked.

Most of the connector works without a Hut Finder account. You only need to sign in for alerts, your account details, or dates more than 14 days ahead.

When you ask for something that needs your account, your assistant asks you to sign in: Claude shows a sign-in card, while ChatGPT and Gemini may sign you in when you first connect them. Sign in with the email code you use on the website and approve access once. Alerts you create in a chat are the same alerts as on your Alerts page, and they email you the same way. Cancelling one always asks you to confirm first. See pricing for Pro.

• One hut is checked live. When you ask about a single hut, Hut Finder checks DOC on the spot (a check from the last five minutes is reused).
• Searches and trip checks may be cached. Before you book, ask your assistant to check each hut on its own for a live result.
• Hut Finder can’t book. Every answer includes the DOC booking link. A booking exists only once DOC has your payment and sends confirmation. DOC online bookings.
• Your conversation stays with your assistant. Hut Finder receives only the details of each request, such as hut, dates and party size, and never stores your chat. See the Privacy Policy.
• Disconnect any time. Remove Hut Finder in ChatGPT’s Apps settings, Claude’s connector settings, Gemini’s Connected Apps or Muse’s Connectors, or use Account → Connected apps on the website. How to disconnect.

New to DOC bookings? Start with How to Book a DOC Hut in New Zealand, or read how to score a cancellation on a full hut.