# MCP Outline Server [![PyPI](https://img.shields.io/pypi/v/mcp-outline)](https://pypi.org/project/mcp-outline/) [![Python 3.10+](https://img.shields.io/badge/python-3.10+-blue.svg)](https://www.python.org/downloads/) [![License: MIT](https://img.shields.io/badge/License-MIT-yellow.svg)](LICENSE) [![CI](https://github.com/Vortiago/mcp-outline/actions/workflows/ci.yml/badge.svg)](https://github.com/Vortiago/mcp-outline/actions/workflows/ci.yml) [![Docker](https://img.shields.io/badge/docker-ghcr.io-blue)](https://github.com/Vortiago/mcp-outline/pkgs/container/mcp-outline) A Model Context Protocol server for interacting with Outline document management. ## Features - **Document operations**: Search, read, create, edit, archive documents - **Collections**: List, create, manage document hierarchies - **Comments**: Add and view threaded comments - **Backlinks**: Find documents referencing a specific document - **MCP Resources**: Direct content access via URIs (outline://document/{id}, outline://collection/{id}, etc.) - **Automatic rate limiting**: Transparent handling of API limits with retry logic ## Prerequisites Before using this MCP server, you need: - An [Outline](https://www.getoutline.com/) account (cloud hosted or self-hosted) - API key from Outline web UI: **Settings → API Keys → Create New** - Python 3.10+ (for non-Docker installations) > **Getting your API key**: Log into Outline → Click your profile → Settings → API Keys → "New API Key". Copy the generated token. ## Quick Start ### One-Click Install Click a button to install with interactive API key prompt: [![Install in VS Code](https://img.shields.io/badge/Install_in-VS_Code-0098FF?style=flat-square&logo=visualstudiocode&logoColor=white)](https://vscode.dev/redirect/mcp/install?name=mcp-outline&inputs=%5B%7B%22id%22%3A%22outline_api_key%22%2C%22type%22%3A%22promptString%22%2C%22description%22%3A%22Enter%20OUTLINE_API_KEY%22%2C%22password%22%3Atrue%7D%2C%7B%22id%22%3A%22outline_api_url%22%2C%22type%22%3A%22promptString%22%2C%22description%22%3A%22Outline%20API%20URL%20(optional%2C%20for%20self-hosted)%22%2C%22password%22%3Afalse%7D%5D&config=%7B%22command%22%3A%22uvx%22%2C%22args%22%3A%5B%22mcp-outline%22%5D%2C%22env%22%3A%7B%22OUTLINE_API_KEY%22%3A%22%24%7Binput%3Aoutline_api_key%7D%22%2C%22OUTLINE_API_URL%22%3A%22%24%7Binput%3Aoutline_api_url%7D%22%7D%7D) [![Install in VS Code Insiders](https://img.shields.io/badge/Install_in-VS_Code_Insiders-24bfa5?style=flat-square&logo=visualstudiocode&logoColor=white)](https://insiders.vscode.dev/redirect/mcp/install?name=mcp-outline&inputs=%5B%7B%22id%22%3A%22outline_api_key%22%2C%22type%22%3A%22promptString%22%2C%22description%22%3A%22Enter%20OUTLINE_API_KEY%22%2C%22password%22%3Atrue%7D%2C%7B%22id%22%3A%22outline_api_url%22%2C%22type%22%3A%22promptString%22%2C%22description%22%3A%22Outline%20API%20URL%20(optional%2C%20for%20self-hosted)%22%2C%22password%22%3Afalse%7D%5D&config=%7B%22command%22%3A%22uvx%22%2C%22args%22%3A%5B%22mcp-outline%22%5D%2C%22env%22%3A%7B%22OUTLINE_API_KEY%22%3A%22%24%7Binput%3Aoutline_api_key%7D%22%2C%22OUTLINE_API_URL%22%3A%22%24%7Binput%3Aoutline_api_url%7D%22%7D%7D&quality=insiders) [![Install in Cursor](https://img.shields.io/badge/Install_in-Cursor-000000?style=flat-square&logoColor=white)](https://cursor.com/en/install-mcp?name=mcp-outline&config=eyJjb21tYW5kIjoidXZ4IiwiYXJncyI6WyJtY3Atb3V0bGluZSJdLCJlbnYiOnsiT1VUTElORV9BUElfS0VZIjoiJHtpbnB1dDpvdXRsaW5lX2FwaV9rZXl9IiwiT1VUTElORV9BUElfVVJMIjoiJHtpbnB1dDpvdXRsaW5lX2FwaV91cmx9In0sImlucHV0cyI6W3siaWQiOiJvdXRsaW5lX2FwaV9rZXkiLCJ0eXBlIjoicHJvbXB0U3RyaW5nIiwiZGVzY3JpcHRpb24iOiJFbnRlciBPVVRMSU5FX0FQSV9LRVkiLCJwYXNzd29yZCI6dHJ1ZX0seyJpZCI6Im91dGxpbmVfYXBpX3VybCIsInR5cGUiOiJwcm9tcHRTdHJpbmciLCJkZXNjcmlwdGlvbiI6Ik91dGxpbmUgQVBJIFVSTCAob3B0aW9uYWwsIGZvciBzZWxmLWhvc3RlZCkiLCJwYXNzd29yZCI6ZmFsc2V9XX0=) ### Manual Install Install with uv (recommended), pip, or Docker: ```bash uvx mcp-outline # using uv pip install mcp-outline # using pip ``` ```bash # using Docker docker run -e OUTLINE_API_KEY= ghcr.io/vortiago/mcp-outline:latest ``` Then add to your MCP client config (works with VS Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, and others): ```json { "inputs": [ { "id": "outline_api_key", "type": "promptString", "description": "Enter OUTLINE_API_KEY", "password": true }, { "id": "outline_api_url", "type": "promptString", "description": "Outline API URL (optional, for self-hosted)", "password": false } ], "servers": { "mcp-outline": { "command": "uvx", "args": ["mcp-outline"], "env": { "OUTLINE_API_KEY": "${input:outline_api_key}", "OUTLINE_API_URL": "${input:outline_api_url}" } } } } ```

Claude Code

```bash claude mcp add mcp-outline uvx mcp-outline ```

Claude Desktop

Add to `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`: ```json { "mcpServers": { "mcp-outline": { "command": "uvx", "args": ["mcp-outline"], "env": { "OUTLINE_API_KEY": "", "OUTLINE_API_URL": "" } } } } ```

Setup guides for more clients: [Docker (HTTP), Cline, Codex, Windsurf, and others](docs/client-setup.md) ## Configuration | Variable | Required | Default | Notes | |----------|----------|---------|-------| | `OUTLINE_API_KEY` | Yes* | - | Required for tool calls to succeed. For SSE/HTTP, can alternatively be provided per-request via `x-outline-api-key` header ([details](docs/configuration.md#per-user-outline-api-keys)) | | `OUTLINE_API_URL` | No | `https://app.getoutline.com/api` | For self-hosted: `https://your-domain/api` | | `OUTLINE_VERIFY_SSL` | No | `true` | Set `false` for self-signed certificates | | `OUTLINE_READ_ONLY` | No | `false` | `true` = disable ALL write operations ([details](docs/configuration.md#read-only-mode)) | | `OUTLINE_DISABLE_DELETE` | No | `false` | `true` = disable only delete operations ([details](docs/configuration.md#disable-delete-operations)) | | `OUTLINE_DISABLE_AI_TOOLS` | No | `false` | `true` = disable AI tools (for Outline instances without OpenAI) | | `OUTLINE_DYNAMIC_TOOL_LIST` | No | `false` | `true` = enable per-user tool filtering by role/key scopes ([details](docs/configuration.md#dynamic-tool-list)) | | `OUTLINE_MAX_CONNECTIONS` | No | `100` | Max concurrent connections in pool | | `OUTLINE_MAX_KEEPALIVE` | No | `20` | Max idle connections in pool | | `OUTLINE_TIMEOUT` | No | `30.0` | Read timeout in seconds | | `OUTLINE_CONNECT_TIMEOUT` | No | `5.0` | Connection timeout in seconds | | `OUTLINE_WRITE_TIMEOUT` | No | `30.0` | Write timeout in seconds | | `MCP_TRANSPORT` | No | `stdio` | Transport mode: `stdio` (local), `sse` or `streamable-http` (remote) | | `MCP_HOST` | No | `127.0.0.1` | Server host. Use `0.0.0.0` in Docker for external connections | | `MCP_PORT` | No | `3000` | HTTP server port (only for `sse` and `streamable-http` modes) | ## Access Control | Feature | Env Var | Effect | |---------|---------|--------| | Read-only mode | `OUTLINE_READ_ONLY=true` | Disables all write operations — only search, read, and export tools available | | Disable deletes | `OUTLINE_DISABLE_DELETE=true` | Disables only delete operations, all other writes allowed | | Dynamic tool list | `OUTLINE_DYNAMIC_TOOL_LIST=true` | Filters tools per-user based on Outline role and API key scopes | | Per-user Outline API keys | `x-outline-api-key` header | Each user passes their own Outline API key in HTTP mode for multi-user setups | Read-only mode takes precedence over disable-delete. See [Configuration Guide](docs/configuration.md) for details. ## Tools > **Note**: Tool availability depends on your [access control](#access-control) settings. ### Search & Discovery - `search_documents(query, collection_id?, limit?, offset?)` - Search documents by keywords with pagination - `list_collections()` - List all collections - `get_collection_structure(collection_id)` - Get document hierarchy within a collection - `get_document_id_from_title(query, collection_id?)` - Find document ID by title search ### Document Reading - `read_document(document_id)` - Get document content - `export_document(document_id)` - Export document as markdown ### Document Management - `create_document(title, collection_id, text?, parent_document_id?, publish?)` - Create new document - `update_document(document_id, title?, text?, append?)` - Update document (append mode available) - `move_document(document_id, collection_id?, parent_document_id?)` - Move document to different collection or parent ### Document Lifecycle - `archive_document(document_id)` - Archive document - `unarchive_document(document_id)` - Restore document from archive - `delete_document(document_id, permanent?)` - Delete document (or move to trash) - `restore_document(document_id)` - Restore document from trash - `list_archived_documents()` - List all archived documents - `list_trash()` - List all documents in trash ### Comments & Collaboration - `add_comment(document_id, text, parent_comment_id?)` - Add comment to document (supports threaded replies) - `list_document_comments(document_id, include_anchor_text?, limit?, offset?)` - View document comments with pagination - `get_comment(comment_id, include_anchor_text?)` - Get specific comment details - `get_document_backlinks(document_id)` - Find documents that link to this document ### Collection Management - `create_collection(name, description?, color?)` - Create new collection - `update_collection(collection_id, name?, description?, color?)` - Update collection properties - `delete_collection(collection_id)` - Delete collection - `export_collection(collection_id, format?)` - Export collection (default: outline-markdown) - `export_all_collections(format?)` - Export all collections ### Batch Operations - `batch_create_documents(documents)` - Create multiple documents at once - `batch_update_documents(updates)` - Update multiple documents at once - `batch_move_documents(document_ids, collection_id?, parent_document_id?)` - Move multiple documents - `batch_archive_documents(document_ids)` - Archive multiple documents - `batch_delete_documents(document_ids, permanent?)` - Delete multiple documents ### AI-Powered - `ask_ai_about_documents(question, collection_id?, document_id?)` - Ask natural language questions about your documents ## Resources - `outline://collection/{id}` - Collection metadata (name, description, color, document count) - `outline://collection/{id}/tree` - Hierarchical document tree structure - `outline://collection/{id}/documents` - Flat list of documents in collection - `outline://document/{id}` - Full document content (markdown) - `outline://document/{id}/backlinks` - Documents that link to this document ## Development ```bash git clone https://github.com/Vortiago/mcp-outline.git cd mcp-outline uv sync --group dev uv run poe test-unit # unit tests uv run poe test-integration # integration tests (starts MCP server via stdio) uv run poe test-e2e # E2E tests (requires Docker) ``` See [Development Guide](docs/development.md) for self-hosted Outline setup, MCP Inspector, and more. ## Troubleshooting **Server not connecting?** Test your API key: ```bash curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" YOUR_OUTLINE_URL/api/auth.info ``` See [Troubleshooting Guide](docs/troubleshooting.md) for common issues with tools, rate limiting, and Docker. ## Contributing Contributions welcome! See [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md) for setup instructions. ## License This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the [LICENSE](LICENSE) file for details. ## Acknowledgments - Built with [MCP Python SDK](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/python-sdk) - Uses [Outline API](https://getoutline.com) for document management

Mcp Outline

Install

Mcp Outline

Install