What can you do with this server?

The Counsel MCP Server connects AI agents to Counsel's strategic reasoning platform for multi-perspective analysis and decision support. Core Capabilities: * Start Strategic Consultations - Launch debate-style analyses on complex questions with configurable depth (quick/standard/deep), optional context, and stakeholder considerations * Sharpen Questions - Refine and improve strategic questions before analysis for better outcomes * Monitor Progress - Check real-time status of ongoing consultations * Retrieve Reports - Get comprehensive synthesis reports from completed consultations * Browse History - List past consultations for reference and review * Interactive Advisory Sessions - Engage in brainstorming and problem scoping with guided exploration Key Features: * Flexible deployment: Use hosted service instantly or self-host locally * Dual authentication: OAuth 2.0 (HTTP mode) or API keys (STDIO mode) * Dual transport support: STDIO for local clients, HTTP for web-based applications * Compatible with Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf, and other MCP clients

How do I use Counsel MCP Server?

1. Click on "Install Server". 2. Wait a few minutes for the server to deploy. Once ready, it will show a "Started" state. 3. In the chat, type @ followed by the MCP server name and your instructions, e.g., "@Counsel MCP Server analyze whether we should launch the new product from marketing, engineering, and finance perspectives" That's it! The server will respond to your query, and you can continue using it as needed. Here is a step-by-step guide with screenshots.

Counsel MCP Server

npm version License: MIT Node.js Version

An open-source Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that connects AI agents to the Counsel API for strategic reasoning and multi-perspective analysis.

Features

Hosted & Self-Hosted - Use the hosted server instantly or run your own instance
Strategic Reasoning - Access Counsel's debate and multi-perspective reasoning engines
Advisor Sessions - Run interactive intake and profile tuning sessions
Native OAuth 2.0 - Standard MCP authentication handled automatically by clients
Dual Transport - STDIO for local clients, HTTP for web clients and shared servers

Quick Start (Hosted)

Connect instantly to the hosted Counsel MCP server - no installation required:

http://counsel-mcp.getmason.dev/mcp

For MCP clients that support HTTP transport, simply add:

{ "mcpServers": { "counsel": { "url": "http://counsel-mcp.getmason.dev/mcp", "transport": "http" } } }

OAuth authentication is handled automatically by your MCP client.

Installation (Self-Hosted)

Run your own instance of the Counsel MCP server locally.

Prerequisites

Node.js 18+ installed on your system
A Counsel account at counsel.getmason.dev

Claude Desktop

Add to your claude_desktop_config.json:

{ "mcpServers": { "counsel": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "counsel-mcp-server", "start"] } } }

Claude Code (CLI)

claude mcp add counsel -- npx -y counsel-mcp-server start

Or manually add to your MCP settings:

{ "mcpServers": { "counsel": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "counsel-mcp-server", "start"] } } }

Cursor

Add to your Cursor MCP configuration (.cursor/mcp.json in your project or global settings):

{ "mcpServers": { "counsel": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "counsel-mcp-server", "start"] } } }

Windsurf

Add to your Windsurf MCP configuration:

{ "mcpServers": { "counsel": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "counsel-mcp-server", "start"] } } }

VS Code with Copilot

Add to your VS Code settings (settings.json):

{ "mcp.servers": { "counsel": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "counsel-mcp-server", "start"] } } }

Other MCP Clients

The server supports two transport modes. Choose based on your client's capabilities:

STDIO Mode (Default)

Most MCP clients use STDIO transport. Configure with:

{ "mcpServers": { "counsel": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "counsel-mcp-server", "start"], "env": { "COUNSEL_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here" } } } }

HTTP Mode with OAuth

For clients that support HTTP transport with OAuth 2.0, run the server separately:

# Start the HTTP server npx -y counsel-mcp-server http --port 3000

This starts an HTTP server with:

MCP endpoint: http://localhost:3000/mcp
OAuth discovery: http://localhost:3000/.well-known/oauth-authorization-server

Then configure your client to connect:

{ "mcpServers": { "counsel": { "url": "http://localhost:3000/mcp", "transport": "http" } } }

HTTP mode uses OAuth 2.0 with automatic token management - no API key required.

Transport Comparison

Feature	STDIO Mode	HTTP Mode
Command	`npx -y counsel-mcp-server start`	`npx -y counsel-mcp-server http`
Auth	API key via env var	OAuth 2.0 (automatic)
Setup	Single config	Run server + configure client
Best for	Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code	Web clients, shared servers

Authentication

The server supports two authentication modes:

STDIO Mode (Default)

Set the COUNSEL_API_KEY environment variable with your API key from counsel.getmason.dev:

export COUNSEL_API_KEY=your_api_key_here

Or add it to your MCP client configuration:

{ "mcpServers": { "counsel": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "counsel-mcp-server", "start"], "env": { "COUNSEL_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here" } } } }

HTTP Mode (OAuth 2.0)

When running in HTTP mode (npx -y counsel-mcp-server http), authentication is handled automatically through OAuth 2.0:

When you first use a Counsel tool, your MCP client will prompt for authentication
You'll be redirected to sign in with your Counsel account
After authorization, tokens are managed automatically

No manual API key required in HTTP mode - your MCP client handles the entire OAuth flow.

OAuth Endpoints (HTTP Mode)

The server exposes standard OAuth 2.0 endpoints:

Endpoint	Description
`/.well-known/oauth-authorization-server`	OAuth metadata discovery
`/authorize`	Authorization endpoint
`/token`	Token exchange endpoint
`/register`	Dynamic client registration

Available Tools

`start_consultation`

Start a new strategic consultation (debate) to analyze a complex question with multiple perspectives.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`question`	string	Yes	The core question to analyze
`context`	string	No	Additional context about the situation
`mode`	enum	No	Depth of analysis: `quick`, `standard` (default), `deep`
`stakeholders`	string[]	No	Key stakeholders to consider

Example:

Start a consultation about "Should we migrate our monolith to microservices?" with context about our 50-person engineering team and mode set to deep

`get_consultation_status`

Check the status of an ongoing consultation.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`debate_id`	string	Yes	The ID of the consultation

`get_consultation_report`

Retrieve the final synthesis report from a completed consultation.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`debate_id`	string	Yes	The ID of the consultation

`list_consultations`

List your past consultations.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`limit`	number	No	Number of results (default: 10)

`sharpen_question`

Refine and improve a strategic question before starting a consultation.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`question`	string	Yes	The question to refine
`context`	string	No	Additional context

Example:

Sharpen this question: "Is AI good for our company?"

`consult_advisor`

Start an interactive advisor session for brainstorming or scoping problems.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`question`	string	Yes	The initial topic or question

Usage Examples

Strategic Decision Making

Use Counsel to analyze: "Should we expand into the European market in 2025?" Consider these stakeholders: CEO, CFO, Head of Sales, Legal Use deep analysis mode

Question Refinement

Use the sharpen_question tool to improve this question: "How do we fix our culture?" Context: We're a 200-person startup experiencing rapid growth

Checking Consultation Progress

Check the status of consultation abc-123-def

Configuration

Environment Variables

Variable	Default	Description
`COUNSEL_API_URL`	`https://counsel.getmason.dev`	Counsel API base URL
`PORT`	`3000`	Server port (HTTP mode)

CLI Commands

# STDIO mode (default) - for most MCP clients npx -y counsel-mcp-server start # HTTP mode - for clients supporting OAuth npx -y counsel-mcp-server http [options] HTTP Options: -p, --port <port> Port to listen on (default: 3000) --host <host> Host to bind to (default: localhost)

Troubleshooting

"Tool not found" Error

Ensure the MCP server is properly configured in your client. Restart your client after adding the configuration.

Authentication Issues

Check that you have a valid Counsel account
Try removing and re-adding the MCP server configuration
Clear your client's MCP cache if available

Connection Refused

If running in HTTP mode, ensure:

The server is running (npx counsel-mcp-server start)
The port isn't blocked by a firewall
No other process is using the same port

Server Not Starting

# Check Node.js version (requires 18+) node --version # Try running directly to see errors npx counsel-mcp-server start

Debug Mode

For verbose logging, check your MCP client's logs or run the server directly in a terminal to see output.

Development

Prerequisites

Node.js 18+
npm 9+

Setup

git clone https://github.com/mercurialsolo/counsel-mcp.git cd counsel-mcp-server npm install npm run build

Commands

npm run build # Compile TypeScript npm run dev # Watch mode npm run start # Run server npm test # Run tests npm run lint # Type check npm run security:check # Scan staged files for secrets npm run security:check:all # Scan all files for secrets

Security

This project includes automated secret detection:

Pre-commit hook: Automatically scans staged files before each commit
CI integration: Security checks run on all pull requests
Pattern detection: AWS keys, GitHub tokens, API keys, private keys, etc.

See CONTRIBUTING.md for details.

Project Structure

src/ ├── index.ts # HTTP server, OAuth proxy, MCP transport ├── client.ts # API client with request-scoped auth ├── config.ts # Environment configuration └── tools/ ├── debates.ts # Consultation tools └── advisor.ts # Advisor session tools

Contributing

We welcome contributions! See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

Quick Start

Fork the repository
Create a feature branch: git checkout -b feature/your-feature
Make your changes and add tests
Run npm test to ensure tests pass
Submit a pull request

License

MIT License - see LICENSE for details.

Counsel MCP Server

Features

Table of Contents

Quick Start (Hosted)

Installation (Self-Hosted)

Prerequisites

Claude Desktop

Claude Code (CLI)

Cursor

Windsurf

VS Code with Copilot

Other MCP Clients

STDIO Mode (Default)

HTTP Mode with OAuth

Transport Comparison

Authentication

STDIO Mode (Default)

HTTP Mode (OAuth 2.0)

OAuth Endpoints (HTTP Mode)

Available Tools

start_consultation

get_consultation_status

get_consultation_report

list_consultations

sharpen_question

consult_advisor

Usage Examples

Strategic Decision Making

Question Refinement

Checking Consultation Progress

Configuration

Environment Variables

CLI Commands

Troubleshooting

"Tool not found" Error

Authentication Issues

Connection Refused

Server Not Starting

Debug Mode

Development

Prerequisites

Setup

Commands

Security

Project Structure

Contributing

Quick Start

License

Links

Resources

Tools

New MCP Servers

Latest Blog Posts

MCP directory API

`start_consultation`

`get_consultation_status`

`get_consultation_report`

`list_consultations`

`sharpen_question`

`consult_advisor`