openrag-mcp 0.2.0

MCP server for OpenRAG

OpenRAG MCP Server

An Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that exposes your OpenRAG knowledge base to AI assistants. It lets MCP-compatible apps like Cursor, Claude Desktop, and IBM Watson Orchestrate use OpenRAG’s RAG capabilities (chat, search, settings) over a standard protocol—no custom integrations per platform.

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What is OpenRAG MCP?

OpenRAG MCP is a connectivity layer between your OpenRAG instance and AI applications. The host app (e.g. Cursor or Claude Desktop) runs the MCP server as a subprocess and talks to it over stdio using JSON-RPC. The server then calls your OpenRAG API with your API key. Your knowledge base stays the single source of truth; all connected apps get the same RAG-backed chat and search.

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Quick Start

Run the server with uvx (no local install required; requires Python 3.10+ and uv):

uvx openrag-mcp

Set required environment variables first (or pass them via your MCP client config):

export OPENRAG_URL="https://your-openrag-instance.com"
export OPENRAG_API_KEY="orag_your_api_key"
uvx openrag-mcp

To pin a version:

uvx --from openrag-mcp==0.2.1 openrag-mcp

Prerequisites

• Python 3.10+
• A running OpenRAG instance
• An OpenRAG API key (create one in Settings → API Keys in OpenRAG)
• uv installed (for uvx)

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Available Tools

These tools are currently exposed by the server:

Tool	Description
openrag_chat	Send a message and get a RAG-enhanced response. Optional: chat_id, filter_id, limit, score_threshold.
openrag_search	Semantic search over the knowledge base. Optional: limit, score_threshold, filter_id, data_sources, document_types.
openrag_get_settings	Get current OpenRAG configuration (LLM, embeddings, chunk settings, system prompt, etc.).
openrag_update_settings	Update OpenRAG configuration (LLM model, embedding model, chunk size/overlap, system prompt, table structure, OCR, picture descriptions).
openrag_list_models	List available language and embedding models for a provider (openai, anthropic, ollama, watsonx).

Coming later (document tools)

Document ingestion and management tools (openrag_ingest_file, openrag_ingest_url, openrag_delete_document, openrag_get_task_status, openrag_wait_for_task) are implemented but not yet registered in this server; they will be enabled in a future release.

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Environment Variables

Variable	Description	Required	Default
OPENRAG_API_KEY	Your OpenRAG API key	Yes	—
OPENRAG_URL	Base URL of your OpenRAG instance	No	http://localhost:3000

MCP HTTP client (optional):

Variable	Description	Required	Default
OPENRAG_MCP_TIMEOUT	Request timeout in seconds	No	60.0
OPENRAG_MCP_MAX_CONNECTIONS	Maximum concurrent connections	No	100
OPENRAG_MCP_MAX_KEEPALIVE_CONNECTIONS	Maximum keepalive connections	No	20
OPENRAG_MCP_MAX_RETRIES	Maximum retry attempts for failed requests	No	3
OPENRAG_MCP_FOLLOW_REDIRECTS	Whether to follow HTTP redirects	No	true

These must be set in the environment when the MCP server runs (e.g. in the env block of your MCP client config).

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How to Use

Cursor

Config file: ~/.cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openrag": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["openrag-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "OPENRAG_URL": "https://your-openrag-instance.com",
        "OPENRAG_API_KEY": "orag_your_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart Cursor after changing the config.

Claude Desktop

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openrag": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["openrag-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "OPENRAG_URL": "https://your-openrag-instance.com",
        "OPENRAG_API_KEY": "orag_your_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop after editing the file.

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Run from source (development)

To use the latest MCP code from the repo (including settings and models tools), run from source. Do not install the package if you want local edits to apply.

Steps

Step	What	Command	Required for
1	OpenRAG backend	Run your OpenRAG app (e.g. frontend + API)	All tools
2	MCP from source	cd sdks/mcp && uv sync	All tools; no wheel needed
3	(Optional) SDK from repo	cd sdks/python && uv pip install -e .	Only if you need unreleased chat/search SDK changes

Settings and models tools (openrag_get_settings, openrag_update_settings, openrag_list_models) use direct HTTP. Chat and search use the OpenRAG SDK (PyPI version is fine unless you need unreleased SDK changes).

Run the MCP from source

cd sdks/mcp
uv sync
export OPENRAG_URL="http://localhost:3000"
export OPENRAG_API_KEY="orag_your_api_key"
uv run openrag-mcp

Cursor: use repo path so it runs your code

In ~/.cursor/mcp.json, set --directory to your actual repo path so Cursor runs the MCP from source:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openrag": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--directory",
        "/path/to/openrag/sdks/mcp",
        "openrag-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "OPENRAG_URL": "https://your-openrag-instance.com",
        "OPENRAG_API_KEY": "orag_your_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace /path/to/openrag with your real path (e.g. /Users/edwin.jose/Documents/openrag).

If you previously installed the MCP (pip install openrag-mcp or a wheel), uninstall it so Cursor uses the repo:

uv pip uninstall openrag-mcp

Then restart Cursor.

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Use cases and benefits

• One integration, many apps – Same MCP server works with Cursor, Claude Desktop, Watson Orchestrate, and any MCP client.
• RAG in the loop – Chat and search are grounded in your OpenRAG knowledge base, with optional filters and scoring.
• Agent-friendly – Agents can call OpenRAG for answers, list models, and read/update settings without custom APIs.
• Lightweight – No extra service to deploy; the host app spawns the server as a subprocess and talks over stdio.
• Secure – Only clients that have your OPENRAG_API_KEY (via env) can use the server to access OpenRAG.

Example scenarios: Query internal docs and runbooks from your IDE; power support bots with your product docs; search and summarize across ingested documents; automate workflows that need RAG (when document tools are enabled).

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Example prompts

Once the server is configured, you can ask the AI to:

• "Search my knowledge base for authentication best practices"
• "Chat with OpenRAG about the Q4 roadmap"
• "What are the current OpenRAG settings?"
• "List available models for the openai provider"
• "Update OpenRAG to use chunk size 512"

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Troubleshooting

"OPENRAG_API_KEY environment variable is required"

Set OPENRAG_API_KEY in the env section of your MCP config (Cursor or Claude Desktop). The server reads it at startup.

"Connection refused" or network errors

1. Confirm your OpenRAG instance is running and reachable.
2. Check OPENRAG_URL (no trailing slash; include https:// if applicable).
3. Ensure no firewall or proxy is blocking the client machine from reaching OpenRAG.

Tools not appearing

1. Restart the host app (Cursor or Claude Desktop) after changing the MCP config.
2. Check the app’s MCP/log output for errors (e.g. wrong command/args or missing uv/uvx).
3. If using "run from source", ensure args includes --directory and the correct path to sdks/mcp.

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License

Apache 2.0 - See LICENSE for details.