Claude Cowork + xCloud

Manage SSL and domains with Claude Cowork on xCloud

Running SSL and domain checks with Claude Cowork means handing Anthropic's desktop agent a whole certificate and DNS audit across your xCloud sites, then coming back to one report and any fix it wants your approval for.

Skill: xcloud:ssl
Toolsets: ssl-certificates, sites, integrations
Free with every xCloud account

Set up Claude Cowork All Claude Cowork guides

YouAudit every site for certificates expiring within 30 days and domains that do not resolve. Change nothing.

sites_sslread-only

servers_dns_checkread-only

AgentReport ready. Two sites have a certificate expiring in under 30 days, one domain does not point at its server, and the rest are fine. Renewals need Full access and your approval, so I have made no changes.

Last updated: October 2026. Keep a human in the loop: xCloud stops and asks before anything that creates, deploys, updates, reboots, deletes or buys.

Setup

How Do You Set Up Claude Cowork to Manage SSL and domains on xCloud?

Connect Claude Cowork once; every job on this account uses the same connection. Then ask in plain words.

1
Add xCloud as a custom connector
In Cowork, open Customize, then Connectors, and choose Add custom connector. If you already added xCloud to your Claude account, look for it in that list first. Name it xcloud, use this URL and sign in when the xCloud approval page opens.
URL
```
https://app.xcloud.host/mcp
```
2
Check the connection
Start a task and ask this first. Claude Cowork calls xCloud and names your account and the teams you approved, so you know the connector works before you delegate real work.
Prompt
```
Who am I on xCloud?
```
3
Match the access level to the job
Optional. On the xCloud approval screen, Full access lets a delegated job deploy, update plugins and renew certificates; Read-only is enough for audits and reports. To change the level later, reconnect the connector and approve again. A Team or Enterprise owner adds the same URL under Organization settings, then Connectors.
URL
```
https://app.xcloud.host/mcp
```

Check it worked

Then ask Claude Cowork for the job itself, for example:

Prompt

Audit every site on my account for SSL expiry within 30 days and for domains that do not point at the server, then write a one-page summary.

In practice

How Does SSL and domains Work from Claude Cowork?

Cowork suits this job because the work is wide, not deep. A certificate problem rarely announces itself on the one site you are looking at; it surfaces as a renewal that quietly failed on a site nobody visited in a month. So the useful brief is the outcome, not the call: go through every site on my account, read its certificate and its domains, and tell me which ones expire within a month or have DNS that does not point at the server. Cowork makes the xCloud reads one after another, sites_ssl for each site, then the domain and DNS lookups where something looks off, and returns a single page you can act on instead of a stream of replies.

The report is only as complete as the access you gave it. A Read-only connection is enough for the whole audit, since every read it needs runs without a prompt and nothing can change whatever the brief says. That makes an unattended pass safe to hand off. When you are ready to act on the findings, you tell Cowork which sites to fix. It then needs Full access, and every install, renewal and deletion still stops for your explicit approval with the site and provider named, so a delegated task pauses and waits for you rather than pushing ahead.

Cowork is also good at separating the faults a report mixes together. It can sort the sites into those with an expiring xCloud certificate, those whose domain does not resolve to the server, those behind a proxied Cloudflare record where nothing is wrong, and those with a Cloudflare 526 or 522 symptom that points at different causes. Domain changes on existing sites stay in the dashboard, so for each one it lists the site and the path, Site, then Domain, rather than pretending to make the edit.

Claude Cowork specific: Access is fixed when you add the connector, so a task started on Read-only access can find the problem but cannot install or renew anything. To act on the report, reconnect the xCloud connector, approve Full access, and give Cowork the fix as a new request. A site on a team you did not tick at sign-in comes back as not found, so the audit silently skips it until you reconnect and tick that team.

What xCloud does for ssl and domains

xCloud lets the agent read a site's certificate status, domains and DNS, then install or renew a certificate from xCloud (Let's Encrypt), your own files or a connected Cloudflare account. Adding or changing a domain on an existing site stays in the dashboard, and the agent gives you the path.

Find the site and read its SSL. The agent resolves the site by name or domain, then reads its current SSL state and the list of certificates before it changes anything. That shows the provider, the status and the expiry date.
Check the domain and DNS. It reads the site's primary and additional domains and asks xCloud whether the domain's DNS record points at the server. Each check is one lookup, so the agent repeats it while a record propagates. A record behind Cloudflare's proxy is reported separately.
Choose the certificate source. You pick xCloud's free Let's Encrypt certificate, your own certificate, or the team's Cloudflare integration. If the site already uses a different provider, the agent tells you that switching needs an explicit override and asks first.
Install or renew, once you approve. The agent restates the site and the provider, then installs or renews the certificate. A renewal only runs when the certificate is within seven days of expiry unless you ask for a forced renewal. For a WordPress site turning on HTTPS for the first time, it asks whether to run the database search-and-replace.
Poll to issuance and verify. Install and renew report success before issuance completes. The agent polls the certificate status until it settles, then checks the site over HTTPS before it calls the job done.
Hand off domain changes. If you want to add, change or remove a domain on an existing site, the agent gives you the dashboard path (Site > Domain) and the site's dashboard link, because the API only reads domains after creation.

Reference

SSL and domains Settings and Limits on xCloud

The facts Claude Cowork works within when it manages SSL and domains. Where a row names the dashboard, that step stays yours to take there.

Setting or limit	What applies
Certificate status	A site's SSL state, its certificate list and one certificate's detail and status are all readable
xCloud certificate	Free Let's Encrypt certificate issued and renewed by xCloud. The domain's DNS should already point at the server before you ask
Custom certificate	You supply the PEM certificate and its private key. The key is a secret and is never returned by a read
Cloudflare certificate	Uses the team's connected Cloudflare account. When the zone is connected, xCloud writes the DNS record and the certificate itself at site creation
Switching provider	Needs an explicit force when another provider is already configured, so the agent asks before it replaces a working certificate
Renewal rule	A renewal does nothing unless the certificate is within seven days of expiry; a forced renewal skips that guard. Renewing needs the site SSL permission on your team role
WordPress first HTTPS	An optional database search-and-replace moves existing http:// URLs to https:// when a WordPress site adopts HTTPS for the first time
DNS check	One lookup per call. A proxied Cloudflare record is flagged, and on a Cloudflare-managed site the proxied record is the finished state, not a fault
Domains (read)	The primary domain, additional domains and the domain update status are readable through the API
Domains (write)	Adding, changing or removing a domain on an existing site is dashboard-only: Site > Domain. A staging site goes live under Site > Domain > Go Live
Deleting a certificate	Available through the API, but it can take a site off HTTPS, so the agent restates the target and waits for your approval
Cloudflare 526 errors	A 526 or a certificate warning is an SSL problem, so the agent reads the certificate first. A 522 is different: it usually means ports 80 and 443 are blocked at the origin

Rules Claude Cowork has to follow

Installing, renewing, switching or deleting a certificate stops for your approval, and the agent names the site and the provider before it asks.
A success response means xCloud accepted the work, not that the certificate was issued: the agent polls the status and checks the live HTTPS URL.
The agent never replaces a working certificate with a different provider without telling you, and it never turns off the Cloudflare proxy on a site xCloud manages through Cloudflare.
Changing a domain on an existing site is a dashboard step; the agent gives you the path and the dashboard link xCloud returned, not a made-up workaround.
A custom certificate's private key is a secret: it is never returned by a read and should not be pasted into a shared channel.

Example prompts

What Can You Ask Claude Cowork to Do for SSL and domains?

Type these as written and swap in your own repository, site and server names. Reads and routine actions such as backups, cache purges, PageSpeed scans and vulnerability scans run straight away; creating, deploying, updating, rebooting, deleting, buying or starting a broken-link scan stops and asks first.

Prompt

Audit every site on my account for SSL expiry within 30 days and for domains that do not point at the server, then write a one-page summary.

Prompt

For each site with a certificate expiring soon, say which provider issued it and whether a renewal will do anything yet, but change nothing.

Prompt

Go through the sites on my Cloudflare-connected team and list any where the proxied DNS record is a problem rather than the expected state.

Prompt

Check the SSL certificate on shop.example.com and tell me when it expires.

Prompt

Is the DNS A record for example.com pointing at my Frankfurt server yet? Tell me if the Cloudflare proxy is on.

Prompt

Issue a free SSL certificate for example.com once DNS resolves, then confirm the site loads over HTTPS.

Prompt

Renew the certificate on the shop site and tell me the new expiry date.

Prompt

List every domain and additional domain on the shop site and say which is primary.

Prompt

Which of my sites have a certificate that expires in the next 30 days?

Prompt

Use my connected Cloudflare account for the certificate on shop.example.com, and show me what will change first.

Prompt

Visitors get a Cloudflare 526 error on shop.example.com. Check the certificate and tell me what is wrong.

Claude Cowork and SSL and domains: Frequently Asked Questions

What people ask before they let Claude Cowork manage SSL and domains through xCloud.

Can Claude Cowork audit SSL on all my xCloud sites without changing anything?

Yes. Approve Read-only access and ask for an audit. Cowork reads each site's certificate, expiry and domains, checks DNS where something looks wrong and returns one report. Nothing can change on a Read-only connection, so it is safe to hand off.

What happens when Claude Cowork finds a certificate that needs renewing?

It lists the site, the provider and the expiry date, and asks you. A renewal needs Full access and your explicit approval, and it only does anything once the certificate is within seven days of expiry unless you ask for a forced one. Cowork then polls the status until the certificate is issued.

Can an AI agent add a domain to an existing site?

No. The API reads a site's domains, additional domains and domain update status, but adding, changing or removing a domain on an existing site is a dashboard step under Site > Domain. A domain is chosen when the site is created. The agent can tell you what is currently set and give you the path.

Which certificate options can the agent install?

Three: xCloud's free Let's Encrypt certificate, a custom certificate you supply, and a certificate through your connected Cloudflare account. The agent checks the current state first and asks before it changes anything. Switching a site from one provider to another needs an explicit override.

Why did the agent say a renewal did nothing?

A normal renewal only fires when the certificate is within seven days of expiry. If you need it earlier, ask for a forced renewal and the agent will confirm before it runs. Renewing also needs the site SSL permission on your team role.

Does the agent set up my DNS records?

It reads and checks them rather than writing them. It can tell you whether a domain's record points at your server and whether the Cloudflare proxy is on. DNS and the certificate are written for you only at site creation, when the domain's zone is on a Cloudflare account you connected to xCloud.

What does the agent do about a Cloudflare 526 error?

It treats it as an SSL problem. It reads the site's certificate status and expiry, and fixes it with an installation or renewal after your approval. A 522 is a different fault, usually closed ports 80 and 443 on the origin, so it is checked against the firewall instead.

Other agents