How do I install Outline MCP Server?

Copy the stdio config for Cursor, Claude Desktop, Claude Code, or VS Code on this page. It uses the publisher's install, not a PlugMCP proxy.

Does Outline MCP Server need an API key?

The publisher lists these environment variables: OUTLINE_API_KEY, OUTLINE_API_URL.

What transport does Outline MCP Server use?

Outline MCP Server runs locally over stdio.

When was Outline MCP Server last checked?

Last checked 2026-11-09. Connect AI assistants to Outline for document search, reading, and management

Outline MCP server

Power your agent

Add this server

The publisher's own command. Not a PlugMCP endpoint.

Add to Cursor Add to VS Code Run on PlugMCP

Host a copy with our keys and logs.

Local command

uvx mcp-outline==1.11.0

Credentials from the publisher

OUTLINE_API_KEY — Outline API key (Settings > API). Can also be set in ~/.config/mcp-outline/.env
OUTLINE_API_URL — Outline API URL for self-hosted instances

Claude Code has no install link for a local command. Copy the command below and run it in a terminal.

shClaude Code

1OUTLINE_API_KEY=<secret> OUTLINE_API_URL=<value> claude mcp add io.github.vortiago-mcp-outline -- uvx mcp-outline==1.11.0

Run in a terminal.

jsonClaude Desktop

1{2  "mcpServers": {3    "io.github.vortiago-mcp-outline": {4      "command": "uvx",5      "args": [6        "mcp-outline==1.11.0"7      ],8      "env": {9        "OUTLINE_API_KEY": "<secret>",10        "OUTLINE_API_URL": "<value>"11      }12    }13  }14}

claude_desktop_config.json

Local · pypiPublisher installStep-by-step: add this in Claude

Remote URL or a command on your machine? How the two installs differ

Run on PlugMCP

Host a copy with our keys and logs.

A new server you create. It is not this listing's official endpoint. Use the publisher install when you want their URL and their credentials.

Launch

Server facts

Local

Transport: stdio
Version: 1.11.0
License

Tools

No tool list yet. Remote servers get one after the first health check.

FAQ

Questions

MCP Outline Server

📢 Official Outline MCP Server Available

Outline now ships an official MCP server — we recommend using it. Read the docs.

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 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:

Manual Install

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

Installing the repo as a plugin instead also bundles the outline-explorer agent (fast read-only wiki exploration) and the outline skill (Outline conventions: mermaidjs fences, document structure, editing workflows).

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

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)
`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_DISABLE_RECENT_DOCUMENTS`	No	`false`	`true` = disable the `list_recently_updated_documents` tool
`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`

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
Disable recent-changes tool	`OUTLINE_DISABLE_RECENT_DOCUMENTS=true`	Disables only the `list_recently_updated_documents` tool
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.

Tools

Note: Tool availability depends on your access control settings.

Search & Discovery

search_documents(query, collection_id?, limit?, offset?, statusFilter?) - Search documents by keywords with pagination. Defaults to published documents; pass statusFilter with draft, archived, and/or published to include other states
list_recently_updated_documents(date_filter?, collection_id?, status_filter?, limit?, offset?) - List documents by most recent change, newest first (e.g. "what changed this week"). date_filter windows by last change: day/week/month/year (default week). Defaults to published documents
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, offset?, limit?) - Get document content with optional line-range pagination
export_document(document_id) - Export document as markdown

Document Navigation

get_document_toc(document_id) - Get table of contents with heading structure and line numbers
read_document_section(document_id, heading) - Read a specific section by heading match (case-insensitive substring)

Document Management

create_document(title, collection_id, text?, parent_document_id?, publish?) - Create new document
update_document(document_id, title?, text?, append?) - Replace full document content (append mode available)

Document Editing

edit_document(document_id, edits, save?) - String-match editing with batched replacements; save=False stages changes locally, save=True on the final call pushes all changes
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

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 for self-hosted Outline setup, MCP Inspector, and more.

Troubleshooting

Server not connecting? Test your API key:

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" YOUR_OUTLINE_URL/api/auth.info

See Troubleshooting Guide for common issues with tools, rate limiting, and Docker.

Contributing

Contributions welcome! See CONTRIBUTING.md for setup instructions.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

Built with MCP Python SDK
Uses Outline API for document management

Add this server

Host a copy with our keys and logs.

Server facts

Tools

Questions

How do I install Outline MCP Server?

Does Outline MCP Server need an API key?

What transport does Outline MCP Server use?

When was Outline MCP Server last checked?

Documentation

MCP Outline Server

📢 Official Outline MCP Server Available

Features

Prerequisites

Quick Start

One-Click Install

Manual Install

Configuration

Access Control

Tools

Search & Discovery

Document Reading

Document Navigation

Document Management

Document Editing

Document Lifecycle

Comments & Collaboration

Collection Management

Batch Operations

AI-Powered

Resources

Development

Troubleshooting

Contributing

License

Acknowledgments