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Strapi MCP

Strapi ships a built-in Model Context Protocol server (Strapi 5.47+) that lets an MCP-capable agent read content types and read/write content over a single endpoint.

In this starter it is enabled by default in development and disabled by default elsewhere. mcp.enabled lives in apps/strapi/config/server.ts, can be toggled with STRAPI_MCP_ENABLED, and exposes http://localhost:1337/mcp authenticated with a Strapi API token.

Connect an agent (Claude Code)​

  1. Make sure Strapi is running locally: pnpm dev:strapi.

  2. Create an API token in admin → Settings → API Tokens — full access for local development, or scoped to limit which MCP tools are exposed. Treat it as a secret; never commit it.

  3. Register the server with the Claude Code CLI:

    claude mcp add strapi-local --transport http http://localhost:1337/mcp \
      -H "Authorization: Bearer <token>"

  4. Restart the session so the tools load, then approve the mcp__strapi-local__* tools (or pre-allow them in .claude/settings.local.json).

Other MCP clients (Cursor, Windsurf, Claude Desktop) use the same URL and Bearer header — see the official docs for client-specific config.

Troubleshooting​

  • /mcp returns 404 — MCP is disabled; check mcp.enabled / STRAPI_MCP_ENABLED and restart Strapi. Outside development, set STRAPI_MCP_ENABLED=true to opt in.
  • 401 Unauthorized — the API token is invalid, expired, or under-scoped.
  • Tools missing after config — restart the agent session.
  • Connection refused — Strapi isn't running on :1337.

Seeding content over MCP​

Once connected, the seed-content skill can create pages, navbar, and footer content through the MCP tools.