Skip to main content

MCP FAQ

beginner 🤖 LLM-friendly 2 min · 448 words Updated: 2026-06-27 English

Common questions about MCP integration — tools, transports, troubleshooting.

Read this article as: 📄 Plain Text ⚡ JSON 🤖 LLM Format
Language: English中文हिन्दीEspañolFrançaisالعربيةPortuguêsРусский日本語DeutschItaliano한국어NederlandsPolskiTürkçeSvenskaTiếng ViệtไทยBahasa IndonesiaУкраїнська

MCP FAQ

Common questions about the Synapse MCP server.

What is MCP?

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard by Anthropic for LLM-tool integration. Instead of pasting API docs into prompts, you register tools with an MCP server, and the LLM calls them as native functions.

See What is MCP?.

How many tools does Synapse MCP expose?

79 tools across 12 categories: memory, chat, scheduler, tasks, scripts, computers, push, user, utility, visualization, sharing, webhooks, browser.

See What is MCP? for the full list.

Which MCP clients are supported?

  • Claude Desktop (macOS, Windows)
  • Claude Code (terminal)
  • Cursor (IDE)
  • Continue.dev (VS Code, JetBrains)
  • Cline (VS Code)
  • Any MCP-compatible client

See Claude Desktop Setup for config examples.

What transports are supported?

  1. stdio (local, recommended for desktop)
  2. HTTP/SSE (remote, multi-tenant)
  3. WebSocket (mobile, high-volume)

How do I configure Claude Desktop?

Edit claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "synapse": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "synapse-mcp-api@latest"],
      "env": {
        "SYNAPSE_MIND_KEY": "mk_YOUR_KEY",
        "SYNAPSE_URL": "https://synapse.schaefer.zone"
      }
    }
  }
}

See Claude Desktop Setup.

Why don't tools appear in Claude Desktop?

  1. Restart Claude Desktop fully (Cmd+Q on macOS)
  2. Check config file is valid JSON
  3. Verify Node.js 18+ installed
  4. Check MCP logs: ~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp.log

See MCP Troubleshooting.

How do I use a different mind?

Change SYNAPSE_MIND_KEY in your MCP config and restart the client.

For multiple minds, run multiple MCP server instances with different Mind Keys.

Can I limit which tools are exposed?

Yes, use Tool Profiles:

  • minimal: 8 composite tools (~500 tokens)
  • standard: 25 tools (~2,500 tokens)
  • full: 119 tools (~8,250 tokens, default)

Set via MCP_PROFILE env var or Mcp-Tool-Profile header.

How do I debug MCP issues?

  1. Run MCP server manually: npx -y synapse-mcp-api@latest
  2. Check client logs (varies by client)
  3. Verify Mind Key works: curl -H "Authorization: Bearer mk_..." .../memory/recall
  4. Check Synapse health: curl https://synapse.schaefer.zone/health

See MCP Troubleshooting.

Is the MCP server free?

Yes. The npm package synapse-mcp-api is open source. The hosted MCP server at synapse-mcp.schaefer.zone is free for public use.

Can I self-host the MCP server?

Yes:

npm install -g synapse-mcp-api
SYNAPSE_URL=https://your-synapse-instance.com \
SYNAPSE_MIND_KEY=mk_... \
synapse-mcp-api

How does MCP differ from direct API calls?

Aspect Direct API MCP
LLM needs to know URLs, headers, auth Just tool names
Auth handling Manual Automatic (env var)
Tool discovery Read /endpoints Automatic via MCP protocol
Error handling Manual Standardized
Best for Custom integrations LLM agents

Can I build my own MCP client?

Yes. Use the official MCP SDK:

  • TypeScript: @modelcontextprotocol/sdk
  • Python: mcp

See Custom MCP Client.

How do I report MCP bugs?

Open an issue: https://gitlab.com/schaefer-services/synapse-mcp/-/issues

Include:

  • MCP server version
  • Client name and version
  • Operating system
  • Relevant logs
  • Steps to reproduce

Next Steps

← Back to FAQ