# Enable the MCP endpoint

The /mcp endpoint is built into the n9e process and on by default; list its tools with curl to confirm it is up, and restrict which toolsets it exposes in config.

Last reviewed 2026-10-10

Where this page ends: a `/mcp` endpoint you have verified with curl and that lists its tools, plus a config that says explicitly which toolsets it exposes.

## It is on by default[​](#it-is-on-by-default "Direct link to It is on by default")

The `n9e` process is itself the MCP server — there is no second component to deploy. Both switches under `[HTTP.A2A]` default to `false`:

```
[HTTP.A2A]

# Disable = false     # true closes /a2a and /mcp entirely, agent card included

# DisableMCP = false  # true closes only /mcp and keeps /a2a
```

The whole section is commented out in `etc/config.toml`, which is to say **you change nothing**.

The prerequisite is `[HTTP.TokenAuth]` being enabled (it is by default). With it off, `/mcp` rejects every request and the startup log carries an `[A2A] HTTP.TokenAuth.Enable=false` warning.

## Which transport it speaks[​](#which-transport-it-speaks "Direct link to Which transport it speaks")

**MCP Streamable HTTP, in stateless mode.** Not the older two-endpoint SSE transport, and not stdio.

| Fact             | Value                                                                                    |
| ---------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Endpoint         | `POST /mcp` — root path, **not** under the `/api/n9e` prefix                             |
| Required headers | `Content-Type: application/json` and `Accept: application/json, text/event-stream`       |
| Auth             | `X-User-Token`, or OAuth `Authorization: Bearer`                                         |
| `GET /mcp`       | 405 with `Allow: POST` — stateless mode offers no standalone SSE stream                  |
| `Mcp-Session-Id` | Returned on the initialize response, but **never validated**; later requests may omit it |
| serverInfo       | `Nightingale MCP Server` / `1.0.0`                                                       |

Stateless means every POST is self-contained, so several instances behind a load balancer need **no sticky sessions**.

## Check that it is up[​](#check-that-it-is-up "Direct link to Check that it is up")

Generate a token first under **Profile → Token management** (see [Personal token authentication](https://n9e.github.io/docs/ai/token-auth.md)), then:

```
curl -s -X POST http://127.0.0.1:17000/mcp \

  -H 'X-User-Token: YOUR_TOKEN' \

  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \

  -H 'Accept: application/json, text/event-stream' \

  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"initialize","params":{

        "protocolVersion":"2025-06-18","capabilities":{},

        "clientInfo":{"name":"curl","version":"1"}}}'
```

Expected result: an `event: message` line followed by a `data:` line whose `serverInfo.name` is `Nightingale MCP Server`, and an `Mcp-Session-Id` response header.

Without a token you get **401 and the plain-text body `unauthorized`** — not JSON, so do not parse it for an `err` field.

Once you have the session id, send `notifications/initialized` (answered with 202), then `{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":2,"method":"tools/list"}`. Under the default config that returns **42 read-only tools**.

## Expose only some toolsets[​](#expose-only-some-toolsets "Direct link to Expose only some toolsets")

Empty means all default toolsets. To narrow it, list them explicitly:

```
[HTTP.A2A]

MCPToolsets = ["alerts", "dashboards"]
```

There are 13 valid names: `alerts`, `targets`, `datasource`, `mutes`, `busi_groups`, `notify_rules`, `alert_subscribes`, `event_pipelines`, `users`, `metrics`, `logs`, `dashboards`, `roles`.

A misspelled name is dropped with an `[MCP] ignoring unknown toolset` warning; it does **not** fall back to "everything". A whitelist made entirely of typos yields zero tools, not 74. What each toolset covers is in [Read and write toolsets](https://n9e.github.io/docs/ai/toolsets.md).

## Behind a reverse proxy[​](#behind-a-reverse-proxy "Direct link to Behind a reverse proxy")

`/mcp` sits at the root path, so an nginx that only forwards `/api/n9e/*` cannot reach it:

```
location /mcp {

    proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:17000;

    proxy_http_version 1.1;

    proxy_set_header Host $host;



    proxy_buffering off;        # without this, streaming answers never emit anything

    proxy_read_timeout 3600s;   # a single question running for minutes is normal

    proxy_send_timeout 3600s;

}
```

Do not skip `proxy_set_header Host`: the SDK ships DNS-rebinding protection and answers 403 when the connection is local but the `Host` header is not.

Set `BaseURL` explicitly as well, otherwise the address advertised in the agent card is guessed from request headers and a third party may end up with an internal one:

```
[HTTP.A2A]

BaseURL = "https://n9e.example.com"
```

## Turning it off[​](#turning-it-off "Direct link to Turning it off")

```
[HTTP.A2A]

DisableMCP = true   # MCP only

# Disable = true    # /a2a and the agent card too
```

Restart center for either to take effect.

## Next[​](#next "Direct link to Next")

* Create a token and understand whom it speaks for: [Personal token authentication](https://n9e.github.io/docs/ai/token-auth.md)
* Connect a client: [Connect Claude Code / Cursor / other clients](https://n9e.github.io/docs/ai/mcp-clients.md)
* Turn write tools on: [Enable write tools safely](https://n9e.github.io/docs/ai/write-tools.md)