Server profile

Grounded Docs MCP Server

Grounded Docs MCP Server builds a documentation index that coding assistants can query by library version. It ingests websites, repositories, packages, and local files, with CLI, Web UI, and MCP access.

Server facts

Grounded Docs MCP Server

Tech

Runtime / language
node
Transports
stdio
Remote available
No
Authentication
Not specified

Activity

GitHub stars
1,812
Last commit
Data as of

Tags

  • Documentation
  • Knowledge Index
  • Local Files
  • Semantic Search
  • Version Specific

Overview

Grounded Docs MCP Server gives coding assistants a documentation index tied to the libraries and versions used in a project. It fetches material from official documentation sites, GitHub, npm, PyPI, and local sources rather than relying only on a model's stored knowledge. Supported inputs extend beyond web pages and Markdown to PDFs, Office documents, notebooks, archives, source code, and structured data. Users can index documentation, search it through the command line, or retrieve an individual page as Markdown. A Web UI provides another way to add documentation, and a long-running MCP endpoint makes the index available to compatible assistants.

The README requires Node.js 22 or later for the npx workflow and also documents Docker deployment. Embeddings are optional: enabling an embedding provider adds semantic vector search, with OpenAI shown as one example and other providers referenced. Web crawling automatically looks for llms.txt links and prefers Markdown variants or Markdown content negotiation when supported by the source site. Hash-routed single-page documentation needs explicit hash preservation; that setting can trigger Playwright rendering because plain fetching cannot evaluate those routes. CLI output supports structured formats while keeping diagnostics separate from non-interactive stdout. The project is MIT licensed and documents deployment security and authentication topics separately from its local quick start.

Install & configure

Requirements

  • Node.js 22 or later
  • An MCP-compatible client for MCP access
Documented launch / install command
npx @arabold/docs-mcp-server@latest

The README starts this long-running server, opens its Web UI at http://localhost:6280, and connects MCP clients to the local SSE URL. OPENAI_API_KEY is optional for OpenAI embeddings. CLI and Docker HTTP alternatives are documented.

Config file · macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Use Settings → Developer → Edit Config when available. Do not assume a Linux configuration path; check the client documentation for your platform. Remote servers use the app’s connector flow when supported, not the local stdio file shown here. Merge this example with existing settings; do not overwrite unrelated servers.

A supported configuration example is not available for this client and transport. Check the client documentation for its connection flow; do not substitute an undocumented JSON format.

Read the Claude Desktop setup guide

Config file · Project: .cursor/mcp.json

User: ~/.cursor/mcp.json

The project path is relative to the workspace root. The tilde denotes your user home directory. Use Cursor’s MCP settings to confirm which configuration and scope your installed version is reading. Merge this example with existing settings; do not overwrite unrelated servers.

Cursor configuration
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "docs-mcp-server": {
      "url": "http://localhost:6280/sse"
    }
  }
}

Read the Cursor setup guide

Config file · Workspace: .vscode/mcp.json

For user scope, use the “MCP: Open User Configuration” command if available. Do not guess a user configuration path across operating systems, profiles, containers, or remote workspaces; check the client documentation. Merge this example with existing settings; do not overwrite unrelated servers.

A supported configuration example is not available for this client and transport. Check the client documentation for its connection flow; do not substitute an undocumented JSON format.

Read the VS Code setup guide

Config file · macOS/Linux: ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

Windows: %USERPROFILE%\.codeium\windsurf\mcp_config.json

Open the MCP configuration through Windsurf’s settings when possible to confirm the active file. Paths can differ in managed or future releases; check the client documentation if this location is not present. Merge this example with existing settings; do not overwrite unrelated servers.

Windsurf configuration
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "docs-mcp-server": {
      "serverUrl": "http://localhost:6280/sse"
    }
  }
}

Read the Windsurf setup guide

Config file · Project scope: .mcp.json at the repository root

The project file uses mcpServers. For user scope, use claude mcp add --scope user rather than assuming .mcp.json in your home directory is the user configuration. Check the client documentation for managed settings and storage details. Merge this example with existing settings; do not overwrite unrelated servers.

Claude Code configuration
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "docs-mcp-server": {
      "type": "sse",
      "url": "http://localhost:6280/sse"
    }
  }
}

Read the Claude Code setup guide

Examples are translated from the published configuration. Supply your own credentials and verify requirements in the upstream README. Remote connectors are shown only where a supported configuration format is known.

Tools

Source: repository README. Tool descriptions are a documented snapshot, not a live capability check.

ToolWhat it does
scrape_docsIndex documentation, with an optional setting to preserve hash-based routes.

Names, permissions, and defaults can change. Check the current upstream documentation before granting access.

Use cases

  • Ground coding advice in documentation for the project's exact library version.
  • Build a searchable index from local documents and repositories.
  • Fetch a documentation page as Markdown for an agent or script.
  • Index hash-routed documentation sites with explicit route preservation.

Strengths

  • Supports diverse document, archive, code, and data formats.
  • Offers CLI, Web UI, and MCP access to the documentation index.
  • Embeddings are optional rather than required for startup.
  • Automatically prefers available Markdown-oriented web sources.

Limitations

  • Hash-routed sites require explicit preservation settings and browser rendering.
  • Semantic vector search requires configuring an embedding model.

Frequently asked questions

No. Embeddings are optional. The README shows OPENAI_API_KEY only as an example for enabling OpenAI-based semantic search.

Yes. Local files and folders are supported alongside websites, repositories, packages, and archives.

Enable hash preservation explicitly. For fetch-mode jobs this can upgrade processing to Playwright so client-side routes can be evaluated.

Yes. The README shows indexing, searching, and single-page Markdown retrieval commands, with configurable structured output.

Independent listing, not an affiliation or security review. Grant the least access needed and verify the upstream instructions before running code.

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