Needle MCP Server

What does “Needle” MCP Server do?

The Needle MCP (Model Context Protocol) Server integrates Needle’s document management and search capabilities into the MCP ecosystem. It acts as a bridge between AI assistants and external data sources, enabling seamless connections to document repositories and enhancing development workflows. With the Needle MCP Server, AI clients can perform tasks such as document ingestion, semantic search, and retrieval, allowing large language models to interact directly with knowledge bases or file systems. By exposing these functions through the MCP standard, developers can automate information retrieval, standardize prompt workflows, and augment AI-driven tasks with real-time access to up-to-date documentation and content.

List of Prompts

No explicit prompt templates are mentioned in the available documentation or README. This section is empty due to lack of information.

List of Resources

No explicit MCP resources are listed or described in the available documentation or repository files. This section is empty due to lack of information.

List of Tools

No explicit list of tools (such as those defined in a server.py or equivalent) are provided in the available files on the repository. This section is empty due to lack of information.

Use Cases of this MCP Server

• Document Management for Agents: AI assistants can ingest and manage documents within the Needle platform via the MCP server, enabling centralized access and retrieval for knowledge-based tasks.
• Semantic Search Integration: Developers can leverage Needle’s semantic search functionality through the MCP interface, enabling agents to answer questions or summarize content from large document sets.
• Knowledge Base Augmentation: AI-driven workflows can be enhanced by integrating real-time document retrieval, allowing assistants to supplement their responses with the most recent information.
• Automated Documentation Queries: The server facilitates AI-powered querying and extraction of information from technical documentation or internal wikis, streamlining developer support and onboarding.

How to set it up

Windsurf

1. Ensure Node.js and MCP client prerequisites are installed.
2. Locate your Windsurf configuration file.
3. Add the Needle MCP server to your mcpServers configuration. Example:

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "needle-mcp": {
         "command": "npx",
         "args": ["@needle/mcp-server@latest"]
       }
     }
   }
   

4. Save the configuration and restart Windsurf.
5. Verify that Windsurf recognizes the Needle MCP server.

Securing API Keys:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "needle-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@needle/mcp-server@latest"],
      "env": {
        "NEEDLE_API_KEY": "${{ secrets.NEEDLE_API_KEY }}"
      },
      "inputs": {
        "apiKey": "${{ secrets.NEEDLE_API_KEY }}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude

1. Install any required MCP client dependencies.
2. Open your Claude configuration file.
3. Add the Needle MCP server under the mcpServers section:

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "needle-mcp": {
         "command": "npx",
         "args": ["@needle/mcp-server@latest"]
       }
     }
   }
   

4. Save changes and restart Claude.
5. Confirm server availability in Claude’s interface.

Cursor

1. Make sure Node.js is installed and Cursor supports MCP servers.
2. Edit the Cursor configuration to include:

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "needle-mcp": {
         "command": "npx",
         "args": ["@needle/mcp-server@latest"]
       }
     }
   }
   

3. Save the configuration and restart Cursor.
4. Validate the connection to the Needle MCP server.

Cline

1. Check that all Cline and MCP prerequisites are met.
2. Update your Cline configuration file:

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "needle-mcp": {
         "command": "npx",
         "args": ["@needle/mcp-server@latest"]
       }
     }
   }
   

3. Save and restart the Cline platform.
4. Ensure the Needle MCP server is active and accessible.

Note: Always secure API keys using environment variables as shown above to keep credentials safe.

How to use this MCP inside flows

Using MCP in FlowHunt

To integrate MCP servers into your FlowHunt workflow, start by adding the MCP component to your flow and connecting it to your AI agent:

Click on the MCP component to open the configuration panel. In the system MCP configuration section, insert your MCP server details using this JSON format:

{
  "needle-mcp": {
    "transport": "streamable_http",
    "url": "https://yourmcpserver.example/pathtothemcp/url"
  }
}

Once configured, the AI agent is now able to use this MCP as a tool with access to all its functions and capabilities. Remember to change “needle-mcp” to whatever the actual name of your MCP server is and replace the URL with your own MCP server URL.

Overview

Our opinion

The Needle MCP repository provides a clear overview and setup guidance, but lacks detail on prompts, resources, and tool definitions in its public files. This limits its immediate usability for advanced or highly customized MCP deployments. Still, the integration instructions and clear use case articulation make it a reasonable choice for basic document management and search needs.

MCP Score

Rating: 4/10

While the Needle MCP Server is licensed and has a moderate community presence, the lack of explicit tool, prompt, and resource definitions in the repository limits its immediate depth and usability for MCP scenarios compared to more fully documented servers.