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Document MCP server support for authenticated user groups #4135

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13 changes: 12 additions & 1 deletion ai/model-context-protocol.mdx
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Expand Up @@ -33,6 +33,17 @@

AI applications determine when to apply these filters based on the context of the user's query. For example, if a user asks about a specific API version, the AI application may automatically apply the appropriate filter to provide more relevant results.

### MCP with authenticated users

When your documentation uses [partial authentication](/deploy/authentication-setup#make-pages-public) with [user groups](/deploy/authentication-setup#control-access-with-groups), authenticated users can search content restricted to their groups through your MCP server. Unauthenticated users only see public content in search results.

When an authenticated user searches through MCP:
- The MCP server filters results based on the user's groups.
- Results include pages available to all authenticated users and pages restricted to the user's specific groups.
- Users cannot see content from groups they don't belong to.

To authenticate MCP requests, users must include a bearer token in their MCP client configuration. The token is validated against your authentication system and the user's groups are extracted from their session.

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In general, use active voice instead of passive voice ('is validated').

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In general, use active voice instead of passive voice ('are extracted').

### MCP compared to web search

AI tools can search the web, but MCP provides distinct advantages for documentation.
Expand All @@ -44,7 +55,7 @@
## Access your MCP server

<Note>
MCP servers are available for public documentation and documentation using [partial authentication](/deploy/authentication-setup#make-pages-public). Your MCP server only searches public pages. Documentation that requires authentication for all pages cannot generate an MCP server.
MCP servers are available for public documentation and documentation using [partial authentication](/deploy/authentication-setup#make-pages-public). For unauthenticated users, your MCP server only searches public pages. Documentation that requires authentication for all pages cannot generate an MCP server.
</Note>

Mintlify automatically generates an MCP server for your documentation and hosts it at your documentation URL with the `/mcp` path. For example, Mintlify's MCP server is available at `https://mintlify.com/docs/mcp`.
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2 changes: 1 addition & 1 deletion deploy/authentication-setup.mdx
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Expand Up @@ -451,7 +451,7 @@ Some features behave differently or are unavailable when you enable authenticati
| Feature | Public | Fully authenticated (all pages protected) | Partially authenticated (some public pages) |
| :------ | :---------- | :---------------------------------- | :-------------------------------- |
| [llms.txt and llms-full.txt](/ai/llmstxt) | Full support | Available behind authentication, so AI tools may not be able to access the files | Available behind authentication, so AI tools may not be able to access the files |
| [MCP server](/ai/model-context-protocol) | Full support | Not available | Available for public pages only |
| [MCP server](/ai/model-context-protocol) | Full support | Not available | Available for public pages (unauthenticated) or respects user groups (authenticated) |
| [Markdown export](/ai/markdown-export) | Full support | Full support, respects user groups | Full support, respects user groups |
| [PDF export](/optimize/pdf-exports) | Full support | Not supported | Not supported |
| [Search](/ai/assistant) | Full support | Full support, respects user groups | Full support, respects user groups |
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