AI Assistant & MCP
Ask your theatre anything. Get answers, run reports and change your setup, just by asking.
Ask Claude, ChatGPT, Grok or another AI assistant about your sales, films and setup in plain English. RTS 8 connects your assistant to your theatre through MCP, a standard "plug" that lets AI assistants look things up in other software. For how-to questions, there's also an AI Support Chat built right into RTS.
Which concession items sold the most yesterday?
Your top sellers yesterday: Large Popcorn, 212 sold ($2,014). Fountain Drink, 186 ($1,209). Combo #1, 94 ($1,175).
What were our top films by admissions this week?
Your top films this week: Forgotten Island, 1,284 admissions. The Last Matinee, 967. Starlight Run, 812.
Help When You Need It. Answers About Your Business.
RTS 8 brings two AI tools. Use one, or both.
AI Support Chat
Ask how to do something in RTS and get the steps right away, from the RTS knowledge base and product documentation.
- Open it from the AI Chat button in RTS
- Step-by-step help for any screen or setting
- Explains reports, settings and terms
- Can't see your sales or customer data
- Nothing to connect or set up
Your AI assistant, connected to RTS
Connect the AI assistant you already use, like Claude, ChatGPT or Grok, to your theatre through MCP. It can then read your setup and sales reports, and make setup changes if you allow it.
- Ask about sales, films, concessions and staff
- Preview and apply setup changes in plain language
- Uses the AI tool you already pay for
- Works from anywhere you use your assistant
A Plug Between Your AI Assistant and Your Theatre
On their own, AI assistants like Claude, ChatGPT and Grok know a lot about the world, but nothing about your theatre. They can't see last night's sales or your ticket prices, so they can only guess. MCP, short for Model Context Protocol, fixes that. It's a standard plug that AI assistants use to connect to other software. RTS 8 has that plug built in, so once you connect your assistant, it can ask RTS for real answers.
Think of it like a USB port
Any assistant that supports MCP plugs into RTS the same way, just as any USB device works with any computer.
It's a connection, not an app
There's nothing new to learn. You keep using your assistant the way you do today, and RTS answers through the connection.
An industry standard, not an RTS invention
MCP was introduced by Anthropic, the maker of Claude, and is now supported by ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Gemini and other AI assistants.
What Happens When You Ask a Question
Your question goes from your AI assistant, through MCP, to RTS. The answer comes back the same way, in a few seconds.
- Step 1
You ask your assistant
In Claude, ChatGPT, Grok or another assistant, type a question like "How many tickets did we sell last night?"
- Step 2
MCP carries it to RTS
Your assistant sees RTS is connected and sends the question to your theatre's RTS server over the MCP connection.
- Step 3
RTS checks and looks it up
RTS confirms it's you and that your RTS login is allowed to see that information, then pulls the numbers.
- Step 4
The answer comes back
RTS sends the numbers back through MCP, and your assistant turns them into a plain-English answer.
- The numbers come from RTS, not from the AI's guesswork.
- Your assistant sees only what your own RTS login can see.
- Nothing is shared until you connect, and you can disconnect any time.
Just Ask, the Way You Would Ask a Manager
A few questions to try on day one.
"What were ticket and concession sales last week, by location? Compare to the week before."
"Top 10 films by admissions this month."
"Which concession items sold the most yesterday?"
"Show the ticket prices in the Evening category."
"Preview raising Large Popcorn to $9.75, then apply it if there are no warnings."
"Who is in the Managers password group?"
You Stay in Control
An assistant can only read until you deliberately let it make changes, and it can never do more than you can.
Read-only to start
Every connection starts read-only. Changes need your OK on the connection and your own permission for that area.
Your permissions, never more
The assistant acts as your RTS user, so it can only see and change what you already can.
No sales, charges or refunds
It can never sell, charge a card or issue a refund. Anything else it changes, like a tab void or a deposit edit, needs your own RTS permission for it.
Preview first
Each change is previewed and checked for warnings, then applied all at once or not at all.
Revoke any time
See every connected assistant in RTS Management and revoke any of them whenever you like.
Private support chat
Before an AI Support Chat message leaves your theatre, card numbers, phone numbers, emails and account numbers are removed.
Bring the Assistant You Already Use
Any AI assistant that supports MCP can connect. Claude, ChatGPT and Grok connect by signing in through your browser. Developer tools use a personal access token, a private key you create in RTS.
Claude
claude.ai, Desktop and Cowork
ChatGPT
Custom connector
Grok
Custom connector or access token
Microsoft 365 Copilot
Through Copilot Studio
GitHub Copilot
In VS Code
Claude Code
Command line
Gemini CLI
Command line
Codex CLI
Command line
Up and Running in Minutes
RTS gives you the exact setup for each assistant, with your theatre's address already filled in.
Sign in to RTS Management
Sign in with your RTS login from any browser.
Connect your assistant
Open Connect an MCP client. It gives you copy-and-paste setup steps for your assistant, plus a connection test.
Choose its access
Keep it read-only, or allow changes. Pick how long it stays connected.
Start asking
Try "What were our ticket sales yesterday?" and go from there.
One Question, Every Location
Connect your assistant to your corporate server and ask about one theatre or the whole circuit. With locations linked, it can check live activity and settings at a single site too.
- Compare and total sales across locations.
- Every request is checked again at the location.
- Every request is logged at both ends.
- Changes are made one location at a time.
AI Features in RTS 8
Missed our October 13 webinar? Watch an AI assistant answer questions about a real theatre and see the connection setup step by step. Request the recording and we'll email it to you.
Your System Works Together
Your assistant reads from the same RTS data as every report.
Questions Operators Ask
What is MCP, in one sentence?
MCP (Model Context Protocol) is the standard way AI assistants connect to other software. RTS 8 includes an MCP connection, so your assistant can look up your theatre's information instead of guessing.
Do I need to be technical to use it?
No. Connecting Claude, ChatGPT or Grok takes a few minutes in your browser, and RTS Support can walk you through it. After that, you just ask questions.
Does RTS provide the AI?
For the AI Support Chat, yes: it's built into RTS. For everything else, you use your own Claude, ChatGPT, Grok or other AI account, and RTS provides the MCP connection to your theatre.
Can the AI see my sales?
The built-in AI Support Chat can't. It only answers how-to questions. An assistant you connect can read your sales reports, but only what your own RTS user is allowed to see.
Can it change things in RTS?
Only if you allow changes on the connection and you have permission for that area in RTS. It can never sell, charge a card or issue a refund.
Which assistants work with RTS?
Claude, ChatGPT and Grok connect through your browser. Microsoft 365 Copilot, GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, Gemini CLI and Codex CLI connect with a personal access token, and Grok can use one too.
What does my theatre need?
RTS 8, or RTS 7.1 build 7.1.14129 or later, with your site reachable securely over the internet. RTS Support can check this for you.
Is my customer data sent to the AI?
AI Support Chat messages have card numbers, phone numbers, emails and account numbers removed before they leave your theatre. A connected assistant sees only what it asks for, under your own RTS permissions, and its answers stay in your account with that AI company.
How do I turn it off?
Revoke any connected assistant from the Authorized AI assistants list in RTS Management. Removing an employee's RTS user ends all of their connections.
See It in Action
Book a demo and see an AI assistant answer questions about a real theatre.