MCP Setup Guide

Complete step-by-step instructions for connecting Claude Desktop to your Assay library

Prerequisites

Claude Desktop installed
Download from claude.ai/download
Node.js installed (v18 or higher)
Check with node --version
Assay account
Sign in at assay.cirrusly-clever.com
Git installed (for cloning repository)
Check with git --version

Step 1: Get Your MCP Token

Sign in to your Assay dashboard
Navigate to assay.cirrusly-clever.com/dashboard
Click "Get MCP Token" in the header
The button is located in the top navigation bar
Copy the token
The token expires after 1 hour. You'll need to get a new token if it expires.

Assay MCP setup - screenshot showing how to retrieve MCP token from dashboard settings

Token Security

MCP tokens are Firebase ID tokens that authenticate your MCP server. Keep them secure and don't share them publicly. Tokens automatically expire after 1 hour for security.

Step 2: Install the MCP Server

Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/cirruslycurious/assay-mcp-server.git

Navigate to the directory

cd assay-mcp-server

Install dependencies

npm install

Build the server

npm run build

Note: The build process compiles TypeScript to JavaScript. The compiled files will be in the dist/ directory.

Step 3: Configure Claude Desktop

Find your Claude Desktop config file

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Add Assay MCP server configuration

Add this configuration to your mcpServers object:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "assay": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "/absolute/path/to/assay-mcp-server/dist/index.js",
        "--token",
        "YOUR_FIREBASE_TOKEN_HERE"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Important: Use absolute paths

Replace /absolute/path/to/assay-mcp-server with the actual absolute path to your cloned repository. For example:

/Users/yourname/Documents/assay-mcp-server/dist/index.js

Replace the token

Replace YOUR_FIREBASE_TOKEN_HERE with the token you copied in Step 1.

Step 4: Restart Claude Desktop and Test

Restart Claude Desktop
Close and reopen Claude Desktop to load the new MCP server configuration
Check MCP connection
Look for "assay" in the MCP servers list. You should see it connected.
Test with a simple query
Try asking: "Search for documents about AI" or "What themes are in my library?"
Verify tools are available
Claude should be able to use Assay tools like search_documents, get_document_summary, etc.

Example Queries to Try

• "Search for documents about cloud architecture"
• "What documents do I have about AI safety?"
• "Generate FAQs about threat modeling from my documents"
• "Compare documents about zero trust and confidential computing"
• "What are the main themes in my library?"

Troubleshooting

MCP Server Not Connecting

Check the path: Ensure you're using an absolute path to the MCP server, not a relative path.

Verify Node.js: Make sure Node.js is installed and accessible from the command line.

Check token: Tokens expire after 1 hour. Get a new token from the Assay dashboard.

Check logs: Look at Claude Desktop logs for error messages.

Tools Not Available

Restart Claude Desktop: Sometimes a full restart is needed after configuration changes.

Check MCP status: Verify the "assay" server shows as connected in Claude Desktop.

Try explicit prompts: Sometimes Claude needs explicit instructions like "Use the assay:search_documents tool to find documents about X".

Token Expired

Get a new token: Tokens expire after 1 hour. Go to the Assay dashboard and click "Get MCP Token" again.

Update config: Replace the token in your Claude Desktop config file and restart.

Consider automation: For production use, you may want to automate token refresh or use a longer-lived authentication method.

Additional Resources

MCP Server Repository

View the source code, report issues, and contribute to the MCP server.

Assay Skill Documentation

Learn more about the Assay Skill and how it enhances MCP interactions.

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