Embed & Developer

MCP Server AI Integration

Query your docs from Cursor, Windsurf, and Claude Desktop

What is it?

About MCP Server

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that allows AI tools like Cursor, Windsurf, and Claude Desktop to connect to external data sources and call them as structured tools during a conversation. BeforeQuery exposes a per-knowledge-base MCP server that makes your documentation queryable from any MCP-aware environment.

Integration capabilities

How BeforeQuery works with MCP Server

Everything you can do once the MCP Server integration is connected.

Per-knowledge-base MCP endpoint

BeforeQuery serves MCP at POST https://api.beforequery.com/mcp, authenticated with a client key (X-Client-Key header) that names the knowledge base.

search_docs, ask_question, list_sources tools

The MCP server exposes three tools: search_docs for hybrid semantic search, ask_question for a full RAG-grounded answer, and list_sources for metadata about indexed content.

Works with Cursor, Windsurf, and Claude Desktop

Add your BeforeQuery MCP server to any MCP-aware IDE or AI assistant. Developers can query your docs inline without leaving their editor.

Client key authentication

Secure the MCP endpoint with a scoped client key. Restrict which collections and content the MCP tool can access via per-key permissions.

Setup

How to connect MCP Server

Step 01
In BeforeQuery, create a client key under Knowledge Base > Client Keys. Copy the key and your knowledge base ID.
Step 02
In your MCP client (e.g., Cursor settings, Claude Desktop config), add the BeforeQuery MCP server with the endpoint URL and X-Client-Key header.
Step 03
Test by asking a question in your IDE — the AI will call search_docs or ask_question and return a grounded answer from your docs.

Explore

Related integrations

Web Widget

The BeforeQuery web widget embeds in any HTML page. One script tag, full style customization, mobile-ready, WCAG AA accessible.

React Component

Install @beforequery/react for a <BeforeQueryChat /> drop-in or the useBeforeQueryChat headless hook for a fully custom UI.

JavaScript SDK

@beforequery/sdk works in Vue, Svelte, React Native, vanilla JS, and Node.js — a single API for search and chat.

MCP Server — Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about connecting BeforeQuery to MCP Server.

BeforeQuery's MCP server works with any tool that implements the Model Context Protocol — including Cursor, Windsurf, and Claude Desktop. If your IDE or AI assistant supports MCP server configuration, you can connect it to BeforeQuery by adding the endpoint URL and X-Client-Key header.

In Cursor's settings, navigate to the MCP server configuration section and add a new server entry with the BeforeQuery endpoint URL (https://api.beforequery.com/mcp) and set the X-Client-Key header to your knowledge base's client key — the key is what selects the knowledge base. Cursor will then be able to call search_docs and ask_question as tools during conversations.

The MCP server exposes three tools: search_docs (hybrid vector + full-text semantic search returning ranked chunks), ask_question (full RAG-grounded answer with the source shown from your knowledge base), and list_sources (metadata about all indexed content in the knowledge base).

The MCP endpoint is authenticated via the X-Client-Key header. Create a scoped client key in the BeforeQuery dashboard under Knowledge Base > Client Keys. You can restrict the key to specific collections so the MCP tool only has access to the knowledge you choose to expose.

Yes. The MCP endpoint follows the Model Context Protocol specification, which uses JSON-RPC 2.0 over HTTP POST. Any MCP client that sends properly formatted JSON-RPC requests with the correct authentication header will receive structured tool results from your BeforeQuery knowledge base.

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