CSG Portal MCP Server

# Deploying CSG Portal MCP to Netlify This guide explains how to deploy the CSG Portal MCP server to Netlify for use with Claude.ai's custom connector feature. ## Prerequisites - A Netlify account (free tier works) - A MongoDB database (MongoDB Atlas free tier recommended) - Access to Columbus School for Girls Veracross portal ## Deployment Steps ### 1. Fork or Clone Repository Fork this repository to your GitHub account or clone it locally. ### 2. Create MongoDB Database 1. Sign up for [MongoDB Atlas](https://www.mongodb.com/cloud/atlas) (free tier available) 2. Create a new cluster 3. Create a database called `csg_portal` 4. Get your connection string (looks like: `mongodb+srv://username:password@cluster.mongodb.net`) ### 3. Deploy to Netlify #### Option A: Deploy with Netlify Button [](https://app.netlify.com/start/deploy?repository=https://github.com/bradgriffith/csg-portal-mcp) #### Option B: Manual Deploy 1. Log in to [Netlify](https://app.netlify.com) 2. Click "Add new site" > "Import an existing project" 3. Connect your GitHub account and select the forked repository 4. Configure build settings: - Build command: `npm run build:netlify` - Publish directory: `public` - Functions directory: `netlify/functions` ### 4. Configure Environment Variables In Netlify dashboard, go to Site Settings > Environment Variables and add: ```bash # Required MONGODB_URI=mongodb+srv://username:password@cluster.mongodb.net MONGODB_DATABASE=csg_portal ENCRYPTION_MASTER_KEY=your-secure-32-character-key-here # Optional (defaults to CSG) VERACROSS_BASE_URL=https://portals.veracross.com/csg LS_LUNCH_SIGNUP_URL=https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084BADAA2BA2FFC43-57722061-lslunch#/ ``` **Important:** Generate a secure `ENCRYPTION_MASTER_KEY`: ```bash # Generate a secure key (run in terminal) openssl rand -hex 32 ``` ### 5. Deploy Site 1. Click "Deploy site" in Netlify 2. Wait for the build to complete (usually 1-2 minutes) 3. Your site will be available at: `https://your-site-name.netlify.app` ### 6. Add to Claude.ai 1. Open [Claude.ai](https://claude.ai) 2. Go to Settings > Custom Connectors (or MCP Settings) 3. Click "Add Custom Connector" 4. Enter your Netlify URL: `https://your-site-name.netlify.app/.netlify/functions/mcp-api` 5. Save and enable the connector ## Using the Connector Once connected to Claude.ai: ### First Time Setup ``` 1. "Set me as the default user with email: your-email@example.com" 2. "Please log me in to the CSG portal" 3. Complete browser authentication ``` ### Available Commands - "Search for families with last name Smith" - "What school events are coming up?" - "Check lunch volunteer slots for this week" - "Find all Form VI students" - "Show me events in the next month" ## Security Considerations - **Credentials**: Never stored in plain text, only encrypted session tokens - **User Isolation**: Each user's data is isolated by email hash - **MongoDB Security**: Use MongoDB Atlas with IP whitelist and strong passwords - **HTTPS Only**: Netlify provides automatic SSL/TLS - **Environment Variables**: Never commit sensitive keys to Git ## Troubleshooting ### "No user email provided" - Set a default user first: "Set me as default user with email: your@email.com" ### "Authentication required" - Log in first: "Please log me in to the CSG portal" ### MongoDB Connection Issues - Check your `MONGODB_URI` is correct - Ensure your IP is whitelisted in MongoDB Atlas - Verify database name matches `MONGODB_DATABASE` ### Function Timeouts - Netlify Functions have a 10-second timeout by default - For production, consider upgrading to Netlify Pro for longer timeouts ## Updating To update your deployment: 1. Pull latest changes from GitHub 2. Netlify will automatically rebuild and deploy 3. No action needed in Claude.ai ## Support For issues or questions: - GitHub Issues: [github.com/bradgriffith/csg-portal-mcp/issues](https://github.com/bradgriffith/csg-portal-mcp/issues) - Email: brad@bradgriffith.com **Note**: This is an unofficial project not supported by CSG IT.