Outline MCP Server

A C# Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that integrates with Outline API to help Cursor consume documentation from Outline wikis. This server is read-only and designed specifically for documentation consumption.

Features

• Outline Integration: Connects to Outline via REST API
• MCP Protocol Support: Implements the Model Context Protocol for seamless integration with Cursor
• Read-Only Operations: Only supports reading and searching documents (no write operations)
• Web-Based Server: Runs as an HTTP server on localhost:3001
• Documentation Access: Retrieves and converts Outline documents to markdown format
• Search Capabilities: Search through Outline documents using the Outline search API
• Documentation Focus: Specialized tools for searching and accessing documentation

Prerequisites

• .NET 8.0 SDK or later
• Outline instance with API access
• API token for authentication
• Cursor IDE (for MCP integration)

Setup

1. Clone and Build

git clone <repository-url>
cd OutlineMCP
dotnet build

2. Environment Configuration

Set the following environment variables:

# Windows
set OUTLINE_BASE_URL=https://your-outline-instance.com
set OUTLINE_API_TOKEN=your-api-token

# Linux/Mac
export OUTLINE_BASE_URL=https://your-outline-instance.com
export OUTLINE_API_TOKEN=your-api-token

Note: For local development, you can copy appsettings.json.template to appsettings.json and modify the settings as needed. The appsettings.json file is ignored by git for security reasons.

3. Get Outline API Token

1. Go to your Outline instance
2. Log in with your account
3. Navigate to Settings → API Tokens
4. Click "Create API token"
5. Give it a name (e.g., "MCP Server")
6. Copy the generated token

Running the MCP Server

Note: This MCP server runs as an HTTP server on localhost:3001. Cursor connects to it via HTTP, not by executing the server directly.

Option 1: Development Mode

# Start the server in development mode
dotnet run

The server will start and listen for MCP requests on http://localhost:3001/mcp.

Option 2: Production Mode

# Build for production
dotnet publish -c Release

# Run the published application
cd bin/Release/net8.0/publish
./OutlineMCP

Option 3: As a Windows Service

# Install as a Windows service (requires admin privileges)
sc create "OutlineMCP" binPath="C:\path\to\OutlineMCP.exe"
sc start "OutlineMCP"

Configuring Cursor with the MCP Server

1. Install Cursor IDE

Download and install Cursor from https://cursor.sh

2. Setup Environment Variables

Set your environment variables before starting the MCP server:

# Windows
set OUTLINE_BASE_URL=https://your-outline-instance.com
set OUTLINE_API_TOKEN=your-api-token

# Linux/Mac
export OUTLINE_BASE_URL=https://your-outline-instance.com
export OUTLINE_API_TOKEN=your-api-token

Note: These environment variables must be set when starting the MCP server, not in the Cursor configuration.

3. Configure MCP Server in Cursor

Important: This MCP server uses HTTP transport and runs as a web server on localhost:3001. Cursor connects to it via HTTP.

1. Create MCP Configuration File:

   • Project-specific: Create .cursor/mcp.json in your project directory
   • Global: Create ~/.cursor/mcp.json in your home directory

2. Add MCP Server Configuration:

{
 "mcpServers": {
    "OutlineWiki": {
      "url": "http://localhost:3001"
    }
  }
}

Note: Make sure the MCP server is running on localhost:3001 before configuring Cursor.

4. Starting the HTTP Server

The MCP server runs as an HTTP server. You need to start it before configuring Cursor:

1. Start the HTTP server:

   dotnet run
   

The server will start and listen for MCP requests on http://localhost:3001.

5. Restart Cursor

After configuring the MCP server, restart Cursor for the changes to take effect.

6. Verify Connection

1. Ensure the MCP server is running on localhost:3001
2. Open Cursor and check that the MCP server appears in the available tools
3. You can test the connection by asking questions about documentation

Using the MCP Server in Cursor

1. Verify Connection

Once configured, you should see the MCP server available in Cursor. You can verify this by:

1. Opening the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P)
2. Typing "MCP" to see available MCP commands
3. The server should appear as "outline-mcp"

2. Query Examples

You can now ask Cursor questions about documentation:

"Search for installation guides"
"Find configuration documentation"
"Look up troubleshooting steps"
"Search the wiki for best practices"

3. Available Tools in Cursor

The following tools are available through the MCP server:

Tool	Description	Usage
search_documents	General search across all documentation	"Search for installation guides"
searchWiki	Search the knowledge base for specific terms	"Search wiki for troubleshooting"
search_specific_app	Application specific search (optionally accepts collectionId)	"Search application documentation"
get_document	Get specific document by ID	"Get document with ID abc123"
list_collections	List available collections	"Show all documentation collections"
list_documents	List documents in a collection	"List documents in collection"

MCP Protocol Support

This server implements the following MCP methods:

• initialize: Handles server initialization
• tools/list: Lists available tools (read-only operations)
• tools/call: Executes read-only tools
• resources/list: Lists available resources
• resources/read: Reads resource content

Available Tools

Tool	Description	Parameters
search_documents	Search for application documentation and guides in the knowledge base	query, collectionId (optional), limit (optional)
searchWiki	Search the knowledge base for specific terms across all application documentation	term, limit (optional)
search_specific_app	Search specifically for application documentation and guides	query, limit (optional)
get_document	Get a specific application document by ID	id
list_collections	List available application documentation collections	limit (optional)
list_documents	List documents in a specific application collection	collectionId, limit (optional)

Available Resources

Resource	Description
outline://collections	List of all accessible application documentation collections
outline://recent-documents	Recently updated application documentation and guides
outline://starred-documents	Important application documentation marked as starred

Configuration

The server uses environment variables for configuration:

Variable	Description	Required
OUTLINE_BASE_URL	Your Outline instance URL	Yes
OUTLINE_API_TOKEN	API token for authentication	Yes

Error Handling

The server includes comprehensive error handling:

• Authentication Errors: Invalid API token
• Network Errors: Connection issues with Outline API
• Parse Errors: Invalid JSON-RPC requests
• Resource Errors: Document not found or access denied

Development

Project Structure

OutlineMCP/
├── Services/
│   └── OutlineService.cs        # Outline API integration (read-only)
├── Models/
│   ├── McpRequest.cs            # MCP request model
│   ├── McpResponse.cs           # MCP response model
│   ├── McpError.cs              # MCP error model
│   ├── ToolCallParams.cs        # Tool call parameters model
│   └── ResourceReadParams.cs    # Resource read parameters model
├── Program.cs                   # Web application entry point
├── appsettings.json.template    # Configuration template
└── OutlineMCP.csproj           # Project file

Adding New Features

1. New Tools: Add to the switch statement in HandleToolsCall
2. New Resources: Add to the switch statement in HandleResourcesRead
3. API Endpoints: Extend OutlineService with new read-only methods

Security

This server is designed to be read-only and does not support any write operations to your Outline instance. This ensures that:

• No documents can be created, updated, or deleted
• No collections can be modified
• The server is safe to use in production environments

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Authentication Failed

   • Verify your API token is correct
   • Ensure the token has the necessary read permissions
   • Check that the Outline URL is correct

2. Server Not Starting

   • Check that port 3001 is available
   • Verify environment variables are set correctly
   • Ensure .NET 8.0 SDK is installed

3. Network Errors

   • Check your internet connection
   • Verify the Outline URL is correct
   • Ensure your firewall allows HTTPS connections

4. Cursor MCP Integration Issues

   MCP Server Not Appearing in Cursor:

   • Verify the MCP server is running on localhost:3001
   • Check that the HTTP server is accessible at http://localhost:3001/mcp
   • Verify the Cursor configuration uses the correct HTTP endpoint
   • Restart Cursor after configuration changes
   • Check Cursor's developer console for errors

   Authentication Errors in Cursor:

   • Ensure the API token is correctly set in the MCP server environment variables
   • Verify the token has not expired
   • Check that the environment variables are properly configured when starting the server

   Server Connection Timeout:

   • Verify the server is running on localhost:3001
   • Check that port 3001 is not blocked by firewall
   • Ensure the HTTP endpoint http://localhost:3001/mcp is accessible
   • Test the endpoint manually with curl or browser

5. Tool Execution Errors

   • Check server logs for detailed error messages
   • Verify the Outline API is accessible
   • Ensure the search queries are properly formatted

Debugging MCP Server

1. Enable Verbose Logging:

   {
     "Logging": {
       "LogLevel": {
         "Default": "Debug",
         "Microsoft": "Information"
       }
     }
   }
   

2. Test Server Manually:

   curl -X POST http://localhost:3001/mcp \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"initialize","params":{}}'
   

3. Check Cursor Logs:

   • Open Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P)
   • Type "Developer: Toggle Developer Tools"
   • Check the Console tab for MCP-related errors

Logging

The server uses structured logging. Set the log level in appsettings.json:

{
  "Logging": {
    "LogLevel": {
      "Default": "Information",
      "Microsoft": "Warning"
    }
  }
}

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes (read-only operations only)
4. Add tests if applicable
5. Submit a pull request

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Support

For issues and questions:

1. Check the troubleshooting section
2. Review the logs for error details
3. Open an issue on the repository