Bring independent income investment research directly into your AI conversations.
Income Quality Score (IQ Score) connects with AI assistants such as Claude and ChatGPT through the Model Context Protocol (MCP).
Instead of switching between research tools and your AI assistant, you can retrieve IQ Scores, compare income investments, explore distribution quality, and analyze portfolios through natural-language questions.
Trusted research. Your questions. Better-informed investment decisions.
What Can You Do?
Evaluate Income Investments
Retrieve the IQ Score of an individual security, including its Friend, Question Mark, or Foe classification, confidence level, and data date.
Example:
What is the latest IQ Score for ARCC, and what factors explain its classification?
Compare Multiple Securities
Compare income investments side by side using their IQ Scores, classifications, confidence levels, and available yield data.
Example:
Compare the IQ Scores of ARCC, MAIN, and OBDC. Which has the strongest income quality?
Discover Income Opportunities
Screen the covered universe of Closed-End Funds (CEFs), Business Development Companies (BDCs), REITs, and income ETFs using quality classifications, IQ Scores, and forward yields.
Example:
Find CEFs classified as Friends with a forward yield of at least 8%, ranked by IQ Score.
Analyze Portfolio Income Quality
Provide a list of securities and position values to see your portfolio's exposure to Friends, Question Marks, and Foes.
The connector calculates a market-value-weighted average IQ Score and identifies lower-quality or unscored exposures.
Example:
Analyze this income portfolio using IQ Score: ARCC $10,000, MAIN $15,000, and OBDC $20,000.
You provide the positions. No brokerage connection is required.
Track Quality Over Time
Explore historical monthly IQ Scores, classification changes, and the largest monthly score improvements or declines.
Example:
Show the monthly IQ Score history of ARCC and explain when its classification changed.
How to Connect IQ Score to Claude
IQ Score provides a secure, remotely hosted MCP server.
Step 1 — Open Claude
In Claude, navigate to your connector settings and choose the option to add a custom connector.
Step 2 — Enter the MCP Server URL
Use the following address:
https://api.incomequalityscore.com/mcp
This is the official Income Quality Score MCP endpoint.
Step 3 — Connect Your IQ Score Account
Select Connect and follow the secure OAuth sign-in process.
Sign in using your Income Quality Score account and authorize the requested read-only access.
Step 4 — Start Asking Questions
Once connected, Claude can access the available IQ Score research tools on your behalf.
Try asking:
What are the five highest-scoring BDC Friends with a forward yield above 8%?
Claude will use the appropriate IQ Score tools to retrieve the available research.
Note: Connector availability and setup options may differ between AI platforms and subscription plans.
Connecting from ChatGPT or Other MCP Clients
IQ Score uses the open Model Context Protocol standard, enabling integration with compatible AI clients that support remote MCP servers and OAuth authentication.
Where supported, connect using the same MCP server URL:
https://api.incomequalityscore.com/mcp
The availability of third-party connectors depends on the AI platform and its supported features.
Available Research Tools
The IQ Score connector provides eight read-only capabilities:
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| Get an IQ Score | Retrieves an individual security's score |
| Compare IQ Scores | Retrieves scores for multiple securities |
| Explain an IQ Score | Shows recorded scoring signals and reasons |
| Track IQ Score History | Retrieves historical monthly scores |
| Screen Income Assets | Filters the covered investment universe |
| Explore Monthly Score Changes | Shows the largest monthly score movements |
| Analyze Portfolio Quality | Analyzes a user-supplied portfolio |
| Understand IQ Score Methodology | Explains classifications, data freshness, and methodology |
All eight tools operate within your IQ Score membership permissions.
Membership and Data Freshness
Your IQ Score subscription determines which research data is available through the connector.
| Membership | Data access |
|---|---|
| Free | Delayed monthly IQ Scores |
| Starter | Latest published monthly IQ Scores |
| Pro | Latest completed daily IQ Scores |
Historical score analysis uses published monthly snapshots. Daily IQ Scores are refreshed through scheduled calculations and are not real-time market data.
Responses include available data dates and source information so you can understand how current the research is.
Security and Privacy
Your account stays under your control.
IQ Score uses OAuth authentication. You do not need to share your IQ Score password or API key directly with your AI assistant.
The connector requests the iq.read permission, which provides read-only access to research data according to your membership.
The connector cannot:
- Place trades or submit investment orders.
- Access your brokerage accounts or account balances.
- Retrieve a private portfolio unless you explicitly provide the positions for analysis.
- Modify securities, IQ Scores, or subscription settings.
Your AI assistant sends relevant research requests to the IQ Score API. These requests are processed according to our security and privacy practices.
Troubleshooting
I cannot connect to the server
Check that you entered the exact MCP endpoint:
https://api.incomequalityscore.com/mcp
Ensure your AI client supports remote MCP connections and OAuth authentication.
I am asked to sign in
This is expected. IQ Score requires authentication before providing research data.
Follow the sign-in process and authorize the read-only connection.
The connector is connected, but I cannot retrieve scores
Check that your IQ Score membership is active and that the requested security is within the covered universe.
Some securities may have insufficient history or unavailable scoring data.
If you recently changed your subscription, try reconnecting.
The scores are older than expected
Data freshness depends on your membership. Free and Starter plans use monthly datasets, while Pro accesses the latest completed daily scoring run.
IQ Score is not a live market-price service.
I cannot see the connector in my AI assistant
Check whether your AI platform supports custom remote MCP connectors. Public directory availability may vary by platform and region.
About Income Quality Score
Income Quality Score is an independent research system designed to help income investors evaluate the quality and sustainability of distributions.
Each scored investment receives a numerical IQ Score and a research classification:
Friend — Evidence supports stronger income quality.
Question Mark — Mixed, incomplete, or insufficiently verified evidence.
Foe — Evidence indicates weaker income quality.
Scores reflect a defined methodology and available historical and financial information. They are not predictions or guarantees of future distributions.
Explore the IQ Score Methodology
Need Help?
If you encounter connection problems, authentication issues, or unexpected results, please contact us.
Income Quality Score provides investment research, not personalized investment advice. It does not execute trades or manage client assets.