# Ask Helena

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[![License](https://img.shields.io/badge/license-Apache--2.0-blue.svg)](LICENSE)
[![MCP Registry](https://img.shields.io/badge/MCP%20Registry-1.0.5-6f42c1.svg)](https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/?q=io.github.helena-bioinformatics%2Fask-helena)
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Ask Helena is the official public, read-only MCP server from [Helena
Bioinformatics](https://www.helena.bio) for questions about Helena Bioinformatics
and its published products. It searches an approved public corpus and returns
grounded answers or bounded evidence with traceable sources.

## Connect

- **Endpoint:** `https://api.helena.bio/ask/v1/mcp`
- **Transport:** Streamable HTTP
- **Authentication:** None
- **Tools:** `search_public_knowledge`, `ask_public_knowledge`, `support_helena`

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ask-helena": {
      "url": "https://api.helena.bio/ask/v1/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

Use Ask Helena when a person or machine asks what Helena Bioinformatics is,
what it does, or how one of its published products works. Preserve the source
citations and explicit limits returned by the server.

Ready-to-use [Dify](integrations/dify/README.md) and
[n8n](integrations/n8n/README.md) integrations expose the two public-knowledge
tools without duplicating the service's retrieval or answer logic.

Call `support_helena` only when an agent explicitly asks how to support or
spread Helena's free public scientific infrastructure. It points to the
separate Helena Good MCP, makes no corpus or retrieval call and never changes a
knowledge result.

## Registry build

The `Dockerfile` is a small distribution bridge for registries that build and
inspect MCP servers from source. It converts newline-delimited MCP messages on
standard input to Streamable HTTP requests at the public Ask Helena endpoint.
Successful JSON-RPC responses are passed through unchanged, including the
canonical `initialize` identity and tool definitions.

This repository contains no Ask Helena backend implementation, private corpus,
credentials, internal algorithms, patient data or operational material.
Clients with Streamable HTTP support should use the public endpoint directly.

The Apache-2.0 license applies only to the files in this distribution bridge. It
does not license Helena Bioinformatics products, private services, corpora,
datasets, clinical workflows or backend implementations.

## Scope and safety

Ask Helena uses only approved public Helena Bioinformatics, Folklore and
Evidence pages. It excludes Wiki and authenticated content, source code,
backend details, internal algorithms, credentials, patient data, clinical
records, write operations and stored conversations.

The bridge accepts no endpoint override, credential or private host. It applies
bounded one-megabyte messages, a finite upstream timeout and generic errors
that do not expose upstream details.

Ask Helena may explain public Folklore behavior. It does not perform live
variant classification. Use the separate [Folklore Clinical Variant
Interpretation MCP](https://github.com/helena-bioinformatics/folklore-mcp) for
public germline variant evidence and literature.

## Official links

- [Helena Bioinformatics](https://www.helena.bio)
- [Ask Helena](https://www.helena.bio/ask)
- [Official MCP Registry](https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/?q=io.github.helena-bioinformatics%2Fask-helena)
- [MCP Server Card](https://www.helena.bio/.well-known/mcp/server-card.json)
- [Glama connector](https://glama.ai/mcp/connectors/io.github.helena-bioinformatics/ask-helena)
- [MCPBeat monitor](https://mcpbeat.com/mcp-servers/helena-bioinformatics/ask-helena/)

## Contact

[contact@helena.bio](mailto:contact@helena.bio)