Connect an MCP client

Hosted MCP

Connect with browser authentication

codex mcp add seren --url https://mcp.serendb.com/mcp
claude mcp add --scope user --transport http seren https://mcp.serendb.com/mcp

When the client first uses the server, it opens Seren authorization in your browser. Sign in, approve the connection, and return to the client. Do not place a Seren API key in a hosted OAuth configuration.

Cursor and compatible clients

Add a remote MCP server

Cursor reads project configuration from .cursor/mcp.json and global configuration from ~/.cursor/mcp.json. Other clients that accept the standard mcpServers shape can use the same remote URL.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "seren": {
      "url": "https://mcp.serendb.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Gemini CLI

Use the Streamable HTTP field

Add Seren to ~/.gemini/settings.json or a project-specific .gemini/settings.json. Gemini CLI uses httpUrl for Streamable HTTP servers.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "seren": {
      "httpUrl": "https://mcp.serendb.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Use /mcp list to inspect connection status and /mcp reload after changing configuration.

Other clients

Choose a remote Streamable HTTP server

In OpenCode, add a remote server to opencode.json under the mcp key, then check it with opencode mcp list. In Windsurf and similar IDE clients, open the MCP configuration panel, add a custom remote server, and use https://mcp.serendb.com/mcp. Field names vary by client, but the transport is Streamable HTTP and authentication is OAuth.

{
  "mcp": {
    "seren": {
      "type": "remote",
      "url": "https://mcp.serendb.com/mcp",
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}

Local MCP

Run stdio from the unified Seren binary

The local MCP server is built into the seren binary. Stdio mode requires API_KEY. Keep the key in an environment variable or the client's protected environment configuration rather than command arguments.

export API_KEY=your_seren_api_key
seren mcp start

claude mcp add --scope user --env API_KEY=your_seren_api_key --transport stdio seren-local -- seren mcp start

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "seren-local": {
      "command": "seren",
      "args": ["mcp", "start"],
      "env": {
        "API_KEY": "your_seren_api_key"
      }
    }
  }
}