# MCP Tool Registration Examples
This document provides examples of how to use the new MCP tool registration commands.
## Prerequisites
Before registering tools, you need to:
1. Set up your environment variables for authentication
2. Authenticate with the MCP Gateway
### Environment Variables
Add these to your `.env` file or export them:
```bash
export MCP_ADMIN_USERNAME="your_admin_username"
export MCP_ADMIN_PASSWORD="your_admin_password"
export MCP_GATEWAY_URL="http://127.0.0.1:4444" # Optional, defaults to this
```
### Authentication
First, authenticate with the MCP Gateway:
```bash
make mcp-auth
```
This creates a `cookie.txt` file that stores your authentication token.
## Registering Tools
### Interactive Mode (Recommended for first-time users)
```bash
make mcp-register-tool
```
This will prompt you for:
- Tool name (unique identifier)
- Server URL (including API key parameters)
- Description (optional)
### Command Line Mode (For automation/scripts)
```bash
make mcp-register-tool-cli NAME=my_external_server URL="https://server.smithery.ai/@upstash/context7-mcp/mcp?api_key=YOUR_API_KEY&profile=some_profile" DESC="My external MCP server"
```
### Direct Script Usage
You can also use the script directly for more advanced options:
```bash
# Interactive mode
./scripts/register_mcp_tool.sh
# Command line mode
./scripts/register_mcp_tool.sh --name my_tool --url "https://..." --description "..."
# Show help
./scripts/register_mcp_tool.sh --help
```
## Examples
### Example 1: Smithery AI Context7 MCP Server
```bash
make mcp-register-tool-cli \
NAME=context7_mcp \
URL="https://server.smithery.ai/@upstash/context7-mcp/mcp?api_key=YOUR_API_KEY&profile=production" \
DESC="Context7 MCP server for enhanced context management"
```
### Example 2: Weather API Tool
```bash
make mcp-register-tool-cli \
NAME=weather_api \
URL="https://api.weather.com/mcp/v1?apikey=YOUR_API_KEY" \
DESC="Weather data API integration"
```
### Example 3: Custom Internal Tool
```bash
make mcp-register-tool-cli \
NAME=internal_knowledge_base \
URL="https://internal.company.com/api/mcp?token=YOUR_TOKEN" \
DESC="Internal company knowledge base MCP interface"
```
## Managing Tools
### List all registered tools
```bash
make mcp-list-tools
```
### Authentication troubleshooting
If you get authentication errors:
1. Check your environment variables:
```bash
echo $MCP_ADMIN_USERNAME
echo $MCP_ADMIN_PASSWORD
```
2. Re-authenticate:
```bash
rm cookie.txt
make mcp-auth
```
3. Verify the MCP Gateway is running:
```bash
curl -I http://127.0.0.1:4444/admin/
```
## Tips
1. **Tool names must be unique** - use descriptive names that won't conflict
2. **Include API keys in the URL** - the URL should be the complete endpoint
3. **Test your URL first** - make sure the MCP server responds before registering
4. **Use quotes around URLs** - especially if they contain special characters or spaces
5. **Keep your cookie.txt secure** - it contains your admin session token
## Troubleshooting
### Common Errors
1. **"No authentication cookie found"**
- Solution: Run `make mcp-auth` first
2. **"Tool name can only contain letters, numbers, underscores, and hyphens"**
- Solution: Use only alphanumeric characters, underscores, and hyphens in tool names
3. **"Invalid URL format"**
- Solution: Ensure URL starts with `http://` or `https://`
4. **"Registration failed"**
- Check that the MCP Gateway is running
- Verify your authentication is still valid
- Ensure the tool name is unique
### Getting Help
For more detailed help with any command:
```bash
./scripts/register_mcp_tool.sh --help
```
Or check the main Makefile help:
```bash
make help
```
