---
title: "Authoring MCP Server"
id: "mcp-server"
project: "ClickHelp User Manual"
url: "https://docs.clickhelp.com/articles/clickhelp-user-manual/mcp-server"
keywords:
  - "AI"
  - "MCP"
  - "MCP server"
updated: 2026-07-08T10:05:24Z
---

# Authoring MCP Server

The ClickHelp Authoring MCP Server is a service that allows AI agents and LLM-powered tools — such as Claude, Gemini, ChatGPT, and others — to interact with your documentation portal programmatically. It implements the Model Context Protocol (MCP), an open standard for connecting AI assistants to external data sources and tools.

Think of it as an [API](/articles/clickhelp-user-manual/clickhelp-api) layer designed specifically for AI agents: instead of parsing HTML or guessing your portal's structure, an agent can query the Authoring MCP Server directly to read topics, search content, and even make changes.

* [Licensing](/articles/clickhelp-user-manual/mcp-server/a/h2__1966970482)
* [How It Works](/articles/clickhelp-user-manual/mcp-server/a/h2_1189924927)
* [Security](/articles/clickhelp-user-manual/mcp-server/a/h2__1509905588)

## Licensing 

The Authoring MCP Server is a part of the [REST API & MCP](https://clickhelp.com/online-documentation-tool-pricing/#sect-addons-3) add-on.

##  How It Works

The Authoring MCP Server acts as a bridge between an AI agent and your ClickHelp portal. When an agent needs to retrieve or update content, it sends requests to the Authoring MCP Server, which communicates with the portal through the REST API and returns the result to the agent.

A typical interaction looks like this:

1. An AI agent administrator configures the AI agent to use the ClickHelp Authoring MCP Server: [Connect to the Authoring MCP Server](/articles/clickhelp-user-manual/connect-to-mcp-server).
2. A user sends a request to the AI agent in natural language — no special commands required.
3. The agent decides whether to use the Authoring MCP Server to fulfill the request and which [tools](/articles/clickhelp-user-manual/authoring-mcp-server-reference/a/h2_178656138) to invoke.
4. If this is the first time the agent uses the server, a browser tab opens with the standard ClickHelp login page. The user authenticates using their regular credentials — SSO and 2FA are fully supported.
5. After login, the agent stores an authentication token and uses it for subsequent requests. Users are asked to re-authenticate every 30 days.
6. The agent acts on behalf of the authenticated user, with that user's exact permissions. 

    | We recommend creating separate [Contributor](/articles/clickhelp-user-manual/author-accounts) or [Power Reader](/articles/clickhelp-user-manual/power-reader-accounts) accounts for your AI agent so that you can track the AI-made changes and set specific permissions. |
    | --- |

To see what you can accomplish with an AI agent and the Authoring MCP Server, refer to [Authoring MCP Server Use Cases](/articles/clickhelp-user-manual/mcp-server-use-cases).

## Security 

Access through the Authoring MCP Server is governed by the same permission system as direct portal access. An agent can only perform actions that the authenticated user is allowed to perform. This means you can create a dedicated portal account with limited permissions for automated workflows, restricting what the agent can read or modify.

Authentication between the agent and the Authoring MCP Server uses OAuth 2.1. The connection between the Authoring MCP Server and your portal is secured by ClickHelp. Note that data passes from the portal through the Authoring MCP Server to the LLM you are using — the choice of LLM and its data handling are the responsibility of your organization.

* [Authoring MCP Server Quick Start Guide](/articles/clickhelp-user-manual/authoring-mcp-server-quick-start-guide)
* [Connect to the Authoring MCP Server](/articles/clickhelp-user-manual/connect-to-mcp-server)
* [Authoring MCP Server Use Cases](/articles/clickhelp-user-manual/mcp-server-use-cases)
* [Authoring MCP Server Reference](/articles/clickhelp-user-manual/authoring-mcp-server-reference)