Step 1: Generate a User API Key

Discourse MCP

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) stdio server that exposes Discourse forum capabilities as tools and resources for AI agents.

• Entry point: src/index.ts → compiled to dist/index.js (binary name: discourse-mcp)
• SDK: @modelcontextprotocol/sdk
• Node: >= 24
• Version: 0.2.4 (0.2.x has breaking changes from 0.1.x - JSON-only output, resources replace list tools)

Quick start (release)

• Run (read‑only, recommended to start)

npx -y @discourse/mcp@latest

Then, in your MCP client, either:

• Call the discourse_select_site tool with { "site": "https://try.discourse.org" } to choose a site, or

• Start the server tethered to a site using --site https://try.discourse.org (in which case discourse_select_site is hidden).

• Enable writes (opt‑in, safe‑guarded)

npx -y @discourse/mcp@latest --allow_writes --read_only=false --auth_pairs '[{"site":"https://try.discourse.org","api_key":"'$DISCOURSE_API_KEY'","api_username":"system"}]'

• Use in an MCP client (example: Claude Desktop) — via npx

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "discourse": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@discourse/mcp@latest"],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

Alternative: if you prefer a global binary after install, the package exposes discourse-mcp.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "discourse": { "command": "discourse-mcp", "args": [] }
  }
}

Configuration

The server registers tools under the MCP server name @discourse/mcp. Choose a target Discourse site either by:

• Using the discourse_select_site tool at runtime (validates via /about.json), or

• Supplying --site to tether the server to a single site at startup (validates via /about.json and hides discourse_select_site).

• Auth

  • None by default.
  • Admin API Keys (require admin permissions): --auth_pairs '[{"site":"https://example.com","api_key":"...","api_username":"system"}]'
  • User API Keys (any user can generate): --auth_pairs '[{"site":"https://example.com","user_api_key":"...","user_api_client_id":"..."}]'
  • HTTP Basic Auth (for sites behind a reverse proxy): Add http_basic_user and http_basic_pass to any auth_pairs entry. This is useful for Discourse sites protected by HTTP Basic Authentication at the reverse proxy level.
  • You can include multiple entries in auth_pairs; the matching entry is used for the selected site. If both user_api_key and api_key are provided for the same site, user_api_key takes precedence.

• Write safety

  • Writes are disabled by default.
  • Write tools (discourse_create_post, discourse_create_topic, discourse_create_category, discourse_update_topic, discourse_create_user, discourse_update_user, discourse_upload_file, discourse_save_draft, discourse_delete_draft) are only registered when --allow_writes AND not --read_only.
  • Write tools require a matching auth_pairs entry for the selected site; otherwise they return an error.
  • A ~1 req/sec rate limit is enforced for write actions.

• Flags & defaults

  • --read_only (default: true)
  • --allow_writes (default: false)
  • --timeout_ms (default: 15000)
  • --concurrency (default: 4)
  • --log_level (default: info)
    • debug: Shows all HTTP requests, responses, and detailed error information
    • info: Shows retry attempts and general operational messages
    • error: Shows only errors
    • silent: No logging output
  • --show_emails (default: false). includes emails in user tools. Requires admin access
  • --tools_mode (default: auto)
  • --site : Tether MCP to a single site and hide discourse_select_site.
  • --default-search : Unconditionally prefix every search query (e.g., tag:ai order:latest).
  • --max-read-length : Maximum characters returned for post content (default 50000). Applies to discourse_read_post and per-post content in discourse_read_topic. The tools prefer raw content by requesting include_raw=true.
  • --allowed_upload_paths : Comma-separated list or JSON array of directories allowed for local file uploads. Required to enable local file uploads in discourse_upload_file. Example: --allowed_upload_paths "/home/user/images,/tmp/uploads" or --allowed_upload_paths '["/home/user/images"]'
  • --transport (default: stdio): Transport type. Use stdio for standard input/output (default), or http for Streamable HTTP transport (stateless mode with JSON responses).
  • --port (default: 3000): Port to listen on when using HTTP transport.
  • --cache_dir (reserved)
  • --profile (see below)

• Profile file (keep secrets off the command line)

{
  "auth_pairs": [
    {
      "site": "https://try.discourse.org",
      "api_key": "",
      "api_username": "system"
    },
    {
      "site": "https://example.com",
      "user_api_key": "",
      "user_api_client_id": ""
    },
    {
      "site": "https://protected.example.com",
      "api_key": "",
      "api_username": "system",
      "http_basic_user": "username",
      "http_basic_pass": "password"
    }
  ],
  "read_only": false,
  "allow_writes": true,
  "show_emails": true,
  "log_level": "info",
  "tools_mode": "auto",
  "site": "https://try.discourse.org",
  "default_search": "tag:ai order:latest",
  "max_read_length": 50000,
  "transport": "stdio",
  "port": 3000,
  "allowed_upload_paths": ["/home/user/images", "/tmp/uploads"]
}

Run with:

node dist/index.js --profile /absolute/path/to/profile.json

Flags still override values from the profile.

• Remote Tool Execution API (optional)

  • With tools_mode=auto (default) or tool_exec_api, the server discovers remote tools via GET /ai/tools after you select a site (or immediately at startup if --site is provided) and registers them dynamically. Set --tools_mode=discourse_api_only to disable remote tool discovery.

• Networking & resilience

  • Retries on 429/5xx with backoff (3 attempts).
  • Lightweight in‑memory GET cache for selected endpoints.

• Privacy

  • Secrets are redacted in logs. Errors are returned as human‑readable messages to MCP clients.

MCP Resources

Resources provide static/semi-static read-only data via URI addressing. Use these instead of tools for listing operations.

• discourse://site/categories

  • List all categories with hierarchy and permissions
  • Output: { categories: [{id, name, slug, pid, read_restricted, topic_count, post_count, perms}], meta: {total} }
  • perms is array of {gid, perm} where perm: 1=full, 2=create_post, 3=readonly
  • Note: perms is only populated with admin/moderator auth. Without admin auth, only read_restricted boolean is available.

• discourse://site/tags

  • List all tags with usage counts
  • Output: { tags: [{id, name, count}], meta: {total} }

• discourse://site/groups

  • List all groups with visibility, interaction levels, and access settings
  • Output: { groups: [{id, name, automatic, user_count, vis, members_vis, mention, msg, public_admission, public_exit, allow_membership_requests}], meta: {total} }
  • Levels (0-4): 0=public, 1=logged_on_users, 2=members, 3=staff, 4=owners
  • Use case: Resolve gid values from category permissions to group names, replicate group settings during migrations

• discourse://chat/channels

  • List all public chat channels
  • Output: { channels: [{id, title, slug, status, members_count, description}], meta: {total} }

• discourse://user/chat-channels

  • List user's chat channels (public + DMs) with unread/mention counts
  • Output: { public_channels: [...], dm_channels: [...], meta: {total} }
  • Requires authentication

• discourse://user/drafts

  • List user's drafts
  • Output: { drafts: [{draft_key, sequence, title, category_id, created_at, reply_preview}], meta: {total} }
  • Requires authentication

Tools

Built‑in tools (always present unless noted). All tools return strict JSON (no Markdown).

• discourse_search

  • Input: { query: string; max_results?: number (1–50, default 10) }
  • Output: { results: [{id, slug, title}], meta: {total, has_more} }

• discourse_read_topic

  • Input: { topic_id: number; post_limit?: number (1–50, default 5); start_post_number?: number }
  • Output: { id, title, slug, category_id, tags, posts_count, posts: [{id, post_number, username, created_at, raw}], meta }

• discourse_read_post

  • Input: { post_id: number }
  • Output: { id, topic_id, topic_slug, post_number, username, created_at, raw, truncated }

• discourse_get_user

  • Input: { username: string }
  • Output: { id, username, name, trust_level, created_at, bio, admin, moderator }

• discourse_list_user_posts

  • Input: { username: string; page?: number (0-based); limit?: number (1–50, default 30) }
  • Output: { posts: [{id, topic_id, post_number, slug, title, created_at, excerpt, category_id}], meta: {page, limit, has_more} }

• discourse_filter_topics

  • Input: { filter: string; page?: number; per_page?: number (1–50) }
  • Output: { results: [{id, slug, title}], meta: {page, limit, has_more} }
  • Query language (succinct): key:value tokens separated by spaces; category/categories (comma = OR, =category = without subcats, - prefix = exclude); tag/tags (comma = OR, + = AND) and tag_group; status:(open|closed|archived|listed|unlisted|public); personal in: (bookmarked|watching|tracking|muted|pinned); dates: created/activity/latest-post-(before|after) with YYYY-MM-DD or relative days N; numeric: likes[-op]-(min|max), posts-(min|max), posters-(min|max), views-(min|max); order: activity|created|latest-post|likes|likes-op|posters|title|views|category with optional -asc; free text terms are matched.

• discourse_get_chat_messages

  • Input: { channel_id: number; page_size?: number (1–50, default 50); target_message_id?: number; direction?: "past" | "future"; target_date?: string (ISO 8601) }
  • Output: { channel_id, messages: [{id, username, created_at, message, edited, thread_id, in_reply_to_id}], meta }

• discourse_get_draft

  • Input: { draft_key: string; sequence?: number }
  • Output: { draft_key, sequence, found, data: {title, reply, category_id, tags, action} }

• discourse_save_draft (only when writes enabled; see Write safety)

  • Input: { draft_key: string; reply: string; title?: string; category_id?: number; tags?: string[]; sequence?: number (default 0); action?: "createTopic" | "reply" | "edit" | "privateMessage" }
  • Output: { draft_key, sequence, saved }

• discourse_delete_draft (only when writes enabled; see Write safety)

  • Input: { draft_key: string; sequence: number }
  • Output: { draft_key, deleted }

• discourse_create_post (only when writes enabled; see Write safety)

  • Input: { topic_id: number; raw: string (= 24, pnpm`.

• Install / Build / Typecheck / Test

pnpm install
pnpm typecheck
pnpm build
pnpm test

• Run locally (with source maps)

pnpm build && pnpm dev

• Project layout

  • Server & CLI: src/index.ts
  • HTTP client: src/http/client.ts
  • Tool registry: src/tools/registry.ts
  • Resource registry: src/resources/registry.ts
  • Built‑in tools: src/tools/builtin/*
  • Remote tools: src/tools/remote/tool_exec_api.ts
  • JSON helpers: src/util/json_response.ts
  • Logging/redaction: src/util/logger.ts, src/util/redact.ts

• Testing notes

  • Tests run with Node’s test runner against compiled artifacts (dist/test/**/*.js). Ensure pnpm build before pnpm test if invoking scripts individually.

• Publishing (optional)

  • The package is published as @discourse/mcp and exposes a bin named discourse-mcp. Prefer npx @discourse/mcp@latest for frictionless usage.

• Conventions

  • All outputs are JSON-only for reliable programmatic parsing by agents.
  • Be careful with write operations; keep them opt‑in and rate‑limited.

See AGENTS.md for additional guidance on using this server from agent frameworks.

Examples

Quick Start with User API Key (No Admin Required)

# Step 1: Generate a User API Key
npx @discourse/mcp@latest generate-user-api-key \
  --site https://discourse.example.com \
  --save-to profile.json

# Step 2: Visit the authorization URL shown, approve the request, and paste the payload

# Step 3: Run the MCP server with your new key
npx @discourse/mcp@latest --profile profile.json --allow_writes --read_only=false

Other Examples

• Read‑only session against try.discourse.org:

npx -y @discourse/mcp@latest --log_level debug
# In client: call discourse_select_site with {"site":"https://try.discourse.org"}

• Tether to a single site:

npx -y @discourse/mcp@latest --site https://try.discourse.org

• Create a post with Admin API Key (writes enabled):

npx -y @discourse/mcp@latest --allow_writes --read_only=false --auth_pairs '[{"site":"https://try.discourse.org","api_key":"'$DISCOURSE_API_KEY'","api_username":"system"}]'

• Create a post with User API Key (writes enabled, no admin required):

npx -y @discourse/mcp@latest --allow_writes --read_only=false --auth_pairs '[{"site":"https://try.discourse.org","user_api_key":"'$DISCOURSE_USER_API_KEY'"}]'

• Create a category (writes enabled):

npx -y @discourse/mcp@latest --allow_writes --read_only=false --auth_pairs '[{"site":"https://try.discourse.org","api_key":"'$DISCOURSE_API_KEY'","api_username":"system"}]'
# In your MCP client, call discourse_create_category with for example:
# { "name": "AI Research", "color": "0088CC", "text_color": "FFFFFF", "description": "Discussions about AI research" }

• Create a topic (writes enabled):

npx -y @discourse/mcp@latest --allow_writes --read_only=false --auth_pairs '[{"site":"https://try.discourse.org","api_key":"'$DISCOURSE_API_KEY'","api_username":"system"}]'
# In your MCP client, call discourse_create_topic, for example:
# { "title": "Agentic workflows", "raw": "Let's discuss agent workflows.", "category_id": 1, "tags": ["ai","agents"] }

• Run with HTTP transport (on port 3000):

npx -y @discourse/mcp@latest --transport http --port 3000 --site https://try.discourse.org
# Server will start on http://localhost:3000
# Health check: http://localhost:3000/health
# MCP endpoint: http://localhost:3000/mcp

• Connect to a site behind HTTP Basic Auth:

npx -y @discourse/mcp@latest --auth_pairs '[{"site":"https://protected.example.com","api_key":"'$DISCOURSE_API_KEY'","api_username":"system","http_basic_user":"username","http_basic_pass":"password"}]' --site https://protected.example.com

Authentication

Admin API Keys vs User API Keys

This MCP server supports two types of Discourse API authentication:

1. Admin API Keys (api_key + api_username)

   • Require admin/moderator permissions to generate
   • Created via Admin Panel → API → New API Key
   • Can perform all operations including user/category creation
   • Use headers: Api-Key and Api-Username

2. User API Keys (user_api_key + optional user_api_client_id)

   • Can be generated by any user (no admin required)
   • User-specific permissions and rate limits
   • Ideal for personal use and non-admin operations
   • Use headers: User-Api-Key and User-Api-Client-Id
   • Auto-expire after 180 days of inactivity (configurable per site)
   • Learn more: https://meta.discourse.org/t/user-api-keys-specification/48536

Obtaining a User API Key

Easy Method: Built-in Generator (Recommended)

This package includes a convenient command to generate User API Keys:

# Interactive mode - follow the prompts
npx @discourse/mcp@latest generate-user-api-key --site https://discourse.example.com

# Save directly to a profile file
npx @discourse/mcp@latest generate-user-api-key --site https://discourse.example.com --save-to profile.json

# Specify custom scopes
npx @discourse/mcp@latest generate-user-api-key --site https://discourse.example.com --scopes "read,write,notifications"

# Get help
npx @discourse/mcp@latest generate-user-api-key --help

The command will:

1. Generate an RSA key pair
2. Display an authorization URL for you to visit
3. Prompt you to paste the encrypted payload after authorization
4. Decrypt and display your User API Key
5. Optionally save it to a profile file

Manual Method

User API Keys require an OAuth-like flow documented at https://meta.discourse.org/t/user-api-keys-specification/48536. Key steps:

1. Generate a public/private key pair
2. Request authorization via /user-api-key/new with your public key, application name, client ID, and requested scopes
3. User approves the request (after login if needed)
4. Discourse returns an encrypted payload with the User API Key
5. Decrypt using your private key and use the key in your configuration

You can also manually create User API Keys via the Discourse UI (if enabled by the site):

• Visit your user preferences → Security → API
• Or use third-party tools that implement the User API Key flow

FAQ

• Why is create_post missing? You're in read‑only mode. Enable writes as described above.
• Can I disable remote tool discovery? Yes, run with --tools_mode=discourse_api_only.
• Can I avoid exposing discourse_select_site? Yes, start with --site to tether to a single site.
• Time outs or rate limits? Increase --timeout_ms, and note built‑in retry/backoff on 429/5xx.
• Should I use Admin API Keys or User API Keys? Use User API Keys for personal use (no admin required). Use Admin API Keys only when you need admin-level operations or are setting up a system-wide integration.
• Getting "fetch failed" errors? Run with --log_level debug to see detailed error information including:
  • The exact URL being requested
  • HTTP status codes and response bodies
  • Network-level errors (DNS, SSL/TLS, connectivity issues)
  • Retry attempts and timing
  • Timeout diagnostics