MCP Client Configuration

Configure MCP (Model Context Protocol) client connections to external MCP servers

MCP Client Configuration

SmartRAG supports connecting to external MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers to extend query capabilities with external tools and data sources.

Overview

The MCP Client feature allows SmartRAG to:

  • Connect to external MCP servers
  • Discover and use tools provided by MCP servers
  • Integrate MCP tool results with RAG responses
  • Query multiple MCP servers simultaneously

Configuration

Enable MCP Client

Add the following to your appsettings.json:

{
  "SmartRAG": {
    "Features": {
      "EnableMcpSearch": true
    },
    "McpServers": [
      {
        "ServerId": "example-server",
        "Endpoint": "https://mcp.example.com/api",
        "AutoConnect": true,
        "TimeoutSeconds": 30,
        "Headers": {
          "Authorization": "Bearer your-token-here"
        }
      }
    ]
  }
}

Configuration Properties

Features.EnableMcpSearch

  • Type: bool
  • Default: false
  • Description: Enables or disables MCP Client functionality. When enabled, SmartRAG will query connected MCP servers during search operations.

McpServers

  • Type: List<McpServerConfig>
  • Default: Empty list
  • Description: List of MCP server configurations

McpServerConfig Properties

Property Type Required Description
ServerId string Yes Unique identifier for the server
Endpoint string Yes Server endpoint URL (HTTP/HTTPS)
AutoConnect bool No Whether to automatically connect on startup (default: true)
TimeoutSeconds int No Connection timeout in seconds (default: 30)
Headers Dictionary<string, string> No Optional HTTP headers for authentication or custom configuration

Programmatic Configuration

You can also configure MCP servers programmatically:

services.AddSmartRag(configuration, options =>
{
    options.Features.EnableMcpSearch = true;
    options.McpServers.Add(new McpServerConfig
    {
        ServerId = "example-server",
        Endpoint = "https://mcp.example.com/api",
        AutoConnect = true,
        TimeoutSeconds = 30,
        Headers = new Dictionary<string, string>
        {
            { "Authorization", "Bearer your-token" }
        }
    });
});

Initialization

After building the service provider, initialize MCP connections:

var serviceProvider = services.BuildServiceProvider();
await serviceProvider.InitializeSmartRagAsync();

This will automatically connect to all servers with AutoConnect: true.

Usage

Once configured, MCP tools are automatically integrated into query responses. When you query SmartRAG, it will:

  1. Query connected MCP servers for relevant tools
  2. Execute tools that match the query
  3. Merge MCP results with document and database results
  4. Include MCP sources in the response

Example Response

{
  "Query": "What is the weather today?",
  "Answer": "The weather today is sunny with a temperature of 22°C...",
  "Sources": [
    {
      "SourceType": "MCP",
      "FileName": "weather-server:get_weather",
      "RelevantContent": "Temperature: 22°C, Condition: Sunny",
      "RelevanceScore": 1.0
    }
  ]
}

Troubleshooting

Connection Failures

If MCP servers fail to connect:

  • Check the endpoint URL is correct
  • Verify network connectivity
  • Ensure authentication headers are valid
  • Check server logs for errors

Tool Discovery Issues

If tools are not discovered:

  • Verify the server implements the MCP protocol correctly
  • Check that the tools/list method is available
  • Review server documentation for tool naming conventions