by vortiago
Outline: Connect AI to search, read, edit, and manage documents in a secure knowledge management platform via cloud or s
Integrates AI systems with Outline knowledge management platform to search, read, create, and edit documents through direct API access. Works with both cloud and self-hosted Outline instances.
Outline is a community-built MCP server published by vortiago that provides AI assistants with tools and capabilities via the Model Context Protocol. Outline: Connect AI to search, read, edit, and manage documents in a secure knowledge management platform via cloud or s It is categorized under productivity.
You can install Outline in your AI client of choice. Use the install panel on this page to get one-click setup for Cursor, Claude Desktop, VS Code, and other MCP-compatible clients. This server runs locally on your machine via the stdio transport.
MIT
Outline is released under the MIT license. This is a permissive open-source license, meaning you can freely use, modify, and distribute the software.
Add new capabilities to Claude beyond text generation
Example
Access external data sources, execute code, interact with tools and services
Transform Claude from chatbot to action-taking agent
Provide Claude with access to relevant context and data
Example
Load project documentation, access knowledge bases, query databases
Get more accurate, context-aware responses
Automate multi-step workflows combining AI and external tools
Example
Research → Summarize → Create document → Send notification
Complete complex tasks end-to-end without manual steps
Share your MCP server with the developer community
We evaluated Outline against two servers with overlapping tools; this profile had the clearer scope statement.
Outline is among the better-indexed MCP projects we tried; the explainx.ai summary tracks the official description.
Outline is among the better-indexed MCP projects we tried; the explainx.ai summary tracks the official description.
Outline is among the better-indexed MCP projects we tried; the explainx.ai summary tracks the official description.
We evaluated Outline against two servers with overlapping tools; this profile had the clearer scope statement.
We evaluated Outline against two servers with overlapping tools; this profile had the clearer scope statement.
Useful MCP listing: Outline is the kind of server we cite when onboarding engineers to host + tool permissions.
Outline is a well-scoped MCP server in the explainx.ai directory — install snippets and categories matched our Claude Code setup.
Useful MCP listing: Outline is the kind of server we cite when onboarding engineers to host + tool permissions.
According to our notes, Outline benefits from clear Model Context Protocol framing — fewer ambiguous “AI plugin” claims.
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A Model Context Protocol server for interacting with Outline document management.
Before using this MCP server, you need:
Getting your API key: Log into Outline → Click your profile → Settings → API Keys → "New API Key". Copy the generated token.
Click a button to install with interactive API key prompt:
Install with uv (recommended), pip, or Docker:
uvx mcp-outline # using uv
pip install mcp-outline # using pip
# using Docker
docker run -e OUTLINE_API_KEY=<your-key> ghcr.io/vortiago/mcp-outline:latest
Then add to your MCP client config (works with VS Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, and others):
{
"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 mcp add mcp-outline uvx mcp-outline
Add to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp-outline": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": ["mcp-outline"],
"env": {
"OUTLINE_API_KEY": "<YOUR_API_KEY>",
"OUTLINE_API_URL": "<YOUR_OUTLINE_URL>"
}
}
}
}
Setup guides for more clients: Docker (HTTP), Cline, Codex, Windsurf, and others
| 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) |
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) |
OUTLINE_DISABLE_DELETE | No | false | true = disable only delete operations (details) |
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) |
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) |
| 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 for details.
Note: Tool availability depends on your access control settings.
search_documents(query, collection_id?, limit?, offset?) - Search documents by keywords with paginationlist_collections() - List all collectionsget_collection_structure(collection_id) - Get document hierarchy within a collectionget_document_id_from_title(query, collection_id?) - Find document ID by title searchread_document(document_id) - Get document contentexport_document(document_id) - Export document as markdowncreate_document(title, collection_id, text?, parent_document_id?, publish?) - Create new documentupdate_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 parentarchive_document(document_id) - Archive documentunarchive_document(document_id) - Restore document from archivedelete_document(document_id, permanent?) - Delete document (or move to trash)restore_document(document_id) - Restore document from trashlist_archived_documents() - List all archived documentslist_trash() - List all documents in trashadd_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 paginationget_comment(comment_id, include_anchor_text?) - Get specific comment detailsget_document_backlinks(document_id) - Find documents that link to this documentcreate_collection(name, description?, color?) - Create new collectionupdate_collection(collection_id, name?, description?, color?) - Update collection propertiesdelete_collection(collection_id) - Delete collectionexport_collection(collection_id, format?) - Export collection (default: outline-markdown)export_all_collections(format?) - Export all collectionsPrerequisites
Time Estimate
15-60 minutes depending on server complexity
Steps
Troubleshooting
✓ Do
✗ Don't
💡 Pro Tips
Architecture
Model Context Protocol standardizes how AI hosts (Claude, Cursor) communicate with external tools and data sources through server implementations.
Protocols
Compatibility
✓ Use when
Use when you need Claude to access external data, execute actions, or integrate with tools. Best for extending AI capabilities beyond conversation.
✗ Avoid when
Avoid when native integrations exist (use official APIs directly), for real-time critical systems, or when security/compliance requires zero external dependencies.