NodeBB Model Context Protocol (MCP) Plugin

An official Model Context Protocol (MCP) server plugin for NodeBB forums. Allows AI assistants (Claude Desktop, Cursor IDE, Antigravity, custom autonomous agents) to interact with NodeBB forums directly via standard Server-Sent Events (SSE) and HTTP message transports.

🌟 Key Features

• Standard MCP Protocol: Built on the official @modelcontextprotocol/sdk with SSE transport (/api/v3/plugins/mcp/sse).

• Granular Privilege Mapping: Every Bearer token maps to a specific NodeBB User ID (UID), strictly enforcing category read/write permissions and moderation rights.

• ACP Management Dashboard:

  • Generate, label, and revoke scoped API keys.

  • Toggle tool categories (Read-Only, Write, Moderation).

  • Inspect active SSE agent connections in real-time.

• Rich AI Toolset:

  • search_forum: Deep search topics and posts.

  • list_categories & get_category_topics: Explore forum structure.

  • get_topic & get_recent_topics: Stream discussions and posts.

  • create_topic & create_reply & edit_post: Post and reply autonomously.

  • get_user_profile & get_forum_stats: Inspect community metadata.

  • moderate_topic & flag_post: Administrative actions (lock, pin, move, delete).

• Dynamic Resources & Prompts:

  • Resources: nodebb://categories, nodebb://topic/{tid}.

  • Prompts: summarize_thread, draft_announcement.

Related MCP server: Discourse MCP

📦 Installation

In your NodeBB installation directory:

npm install nodebb-plugin-mcp
./nodebb build
./nodebb restart

Then navigate to NodeBB ACP > Plugins > MCP (AI Agent Protocol) to configure settings and generate your first API token.

🔌 Connecting AI Clients

1. Antigravity IDE (mcp_config.json)

Add the following to your workspace's .agents/mcp_config.json or global ~/.gemini/config/mcp_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "nodebb-talk": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "http://localhost:4567/api/v3/plugins/mcp/sse?token=YOUR_MCP_API_TOKEN"
      ],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

2. Claude Desktop (claude_desktop_config.json)

Add the following to your Claude Desktop configuration file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "nodebb-talk": {
      "url": "http://localhost:4567/api/v3/plugins/mcp/sse",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_MCP_API_TOKEN"
      }
    }
  }
}

3. Cursor IDE

1. Open Settings > Features > MCP Servers.

2. Click Add New MCP Server.

3. Select SSE transport.

4. Set Server URL: http://localhost:4567/api/v3/plugins/mcp/sse (or https://talk.pthub.me/api/v3/plugins/mcp/sse).

5. Set Header: Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_MCP_API_TOKEN>.

🛠️ MCP Tools Reference

🧪 Local Testing & Development

Run with Docker Compose:

docker compose -f docker-compose.dev.yml up --build

Test SSE and tools with MCP Inspector:

npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector

Connect to: http://localhost:4567/api/v3/plugins/mcp/sse?token=YOUR_DEV_TOKEN.

📄 License

BSD-2-Clause License © 2026 talk.pthub.me