MCP setup

Use Ounie in Cline

Connect your Ounie brain to Cline (the VS Code AI coding agent).

What you get#

Once connected, Cline can use these Ounie tools directly in your conversations:

ounie_list_brains — list your brains by name.
ounie_get_context — retrieve the matching wiki pages so Cline writes the answer (faster, no extra model call).
ounie_ask_brain — ask a grounded question; Ounie's own model writes the answer with citations.
ounie_add_to_brain — save a chat result or text into a brain (synthesized into the wiki+graph).
ounie_add_note — save a verbatim note as a new source.
ounie_add_link — save a web link; Ounie fetches and ingests it.
ounie_search — retrieve and summarize relevant saved sources.

See the full tool reference for all available tools and their arguments.

1. Configure the MCP server#

Choose the remote HTTP option (API key sent as a header) or the local stdio option (key set as an environment variable). Both work the same way — pick whichever fits your workflow.

Generate an API key (ounie_live_…) at Settings → API keys. You'll see the full key exactly once.

Remote HTTP (API key in Authorization header)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ounie": {
      "url": "https://ounie.com/api/mcp",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer ounie_live_…" },
      "disabled": false,
      "autoApprove": []
    }
  }
}

Stdio (API key in env var)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ounie": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@ounie/mcp"],
      "env": { "OUNIE_API_KEY": "ounie_live_…" },
      "disabled": false,
      "autoApprove": []
    }
  }
}

Config file: ~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/globalStorage/saoudrizwan.claude-dev/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json

Notes#

—The easiest way to add a server is through the MCP Servers panel in the Cline sidebar: click the plug icon, then "Add Server", and paste the config.
—On macOS the settings file is at ~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/globalStorage/saoudrizwan.claude-dev/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json. On Windows it is %APPDATA%\Code\User\globalStorage\saoudrizwan.claude-dev\settings\cline_mcp_settings.json.
—Cline does not drive OAuth automatically for remote servers. Use the HTTP option with your API key in the Authorization header, or use the stdio option with the key in OUNIE_API_KEY.
—Set "disabled": false to enable the server on load.
—The "autoApprove" array can list tool names that Cline should run without asking each time (e.g. ["ounie_list_brains", "ounie_get_context"]).

Verify it works#

In the Cline sidebar, open the MCP Servers panel. The Ounie server should show as connected with a green indicator. Ask Cline to "list my Ounie brains" to confirm.

You can also check the REST API directly from your terminal:

curl -s https://ounie.com/api/brains \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ounie_live_…"

Troubleshooting#

401 Unauthorized: The key is wrong or revoked. Generate a fresh one in Settings → API keys.
Tools labeled read-only: tools such as ounie_list_brains, ounie_get_context, and ounie_search carry a read-only hint in the MCP tool descriptor. Some hosts display this as a lock icon or a "read-only" badge — this is expected and correct. Write tools (ounie_add_to_brain, ounie_add_note, ounie_add_link) do not carry that hint.
No tools appear: confirm the server URL is exactly https://ounie.com/api/mcp with no trailing slash, and that the config has been saved and the client reloaded.
npx not found: the stdio option requires Node.js 18 or later on your PATH. Install it from nodejs.org.
Self-hosting or local dev: set OUNIE_BASE_URL in the env block to point at your local server (defaults to https://ounie.com).

Back to MCP overview · Manage connected apps in Settings → API keys.