> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.neuralcleave.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# MCP API

> Spawn and manage the Model Context Protocol stdio server — exposes NeuralCleave tools to Claude Desktop, Cursor, and other MCP clients.

The NeuralCleave MCP server implements [Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io) over stdio (JSON-RPC 2.0). Once spawned, external MCP clients (Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code extensions) can call NeuralCleave's registered tools directly.

## POST /mcp/spawn

Start the MCP stdio server subprocess.

```bash theme={null}
curl -X POST http://localhost:7432/api/v1/mcp/spawn
```

```json theme={null}
{
  "pid": 12345,
  "running": true,
  "already_running": false
}
```

Calling this endpoint when the server is already running returns `"already_running": true` without starting a second process.

## GET /mcp/status

Check whether the MCP server is running.

```bash theme={null}
curl http://localhost:7432/api/v1/mcp/status
```

```json theme={null}
{
  "running": true,
  "pid": 12345
}
```

## DELETE /mcp/server

Stop the MCP stdio server.

```bash theme={null}
curl -X DELETE http://localhost:7432/api/v1/mcp/server
```

```json theme={null}
{ "killed": true }
```

## MCP protocol

The stdio server implements MCP protocol version `2024-11-05`:

| Method       | Description                                                    |
| ------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `initialize` | Handshake; returns capabilities and server info                |
| `tools/list` | List all registered NeuralCleave tools as MCP tool descriptors |
| `tools/call` | Call a tool by name with arguments                             |
| `ping`       | Liveness check                                                 |

Notifications (requests without an `id`) are silently ignored per the MCP spec.

## Claude Desktop integration

Add to `~/.config/claude/config.json`:

```json theme={null}
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "neuralcleave": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["-m", "neuralcleave.mcp.server"]
    }
  }
}
```

Restart Claude Desktop. NeuralCleave tools appear in the tool panel.

## Cursor integration

Add to `.cursor/mcp.json` in your project root:

```json theme={null}
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "neuralcleave": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["-m", "neuralcleave.mcp.server"]
    }
  }
}
```