MCP Integration

Available since Glean v0.2.5

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) integration enables Claude Desktop and other AI assistants to search and interact with your RSS subscriptions, allowing you to ask questions about your reading materials and get AI-powered insights.

Quick Setup

Step 1: Create API Token

Go to Settings in your Glean account
Navigate to API Tokens
Click Create New Token
Enter a name (e.g., “Claude Desktop”)
Optionally set an expiration date
Click Create and copy the token immediately

Example token format:

glean_abc123def456ghi789jkl012mno345

Step 2: Configure Claude Desktop

Locate your Claude Desktop configuration file:

Platform	Path
macOS	`~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`
Windows	`%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json`
Linux	`~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`

Add the Glean MCP server to your config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "glean": {
      "url": "http://your-glean-server:8000/mcp",
      "transport": {
        "type": "streamable-http",
        "headers": {
          "Authorization": "Bearer glean_abc123def456ghi789jkl012mno345"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace:

your-glean-server with your actual server address
The token with your API token from Step 1

Step 3: Restart and Test

Restart Claude Desktop

Verify the integration by asking:

Can you search my RSS feeds for articles about AI?

If configured correctly, Claude will search your Glean subscriptions and return results.

Available Capabilities

Claude can help you with:

Search Articles

Ask Claude to find articles by keywords:

“Search my feeds for Python tutorials from last month”
“Find articles about machine learning”
“What did I read about climate change?”

Browse by Date

Get articles from specific time periods:

“Show me unread articles from the past week”
“What was published in my feeds yesterday?”
“Articles from January 2025”

Get Full Content

Read complete articles through Claude:

“Show me the full content of that article about LLMs”
“Can you summarize the article about optimization?”

List Subscriptions

Understand your reading habits:

“What RSS feeds do I subscribe to?”
“Which feeds have the most unread articles?”
“Show me my tech-related subscriptions”

Use Cases

Research Assistant

"Search my RSS feeds for recent articles about quantum computing
and summarize the key developments"

Claude will search your feeds, retrieve relevant articles, and provide an AI-generated summary.

Trend Analysis

"What topics have my feeds been covering this week?"

Claude analyzes your recent articles and identifies trending themes.

Reading Recommendations

"Which unread articles in my feeds are most relevant to web development?"

Claude searches and ranks articles based on relevance.

Content Discovery

"Find articles that discuss both AI and privacy"

Claude performs advanced searches across all your subscriptions.

Managing API Tokens

View Active Tokens

Go to Settings → API Tokens to see:

Token name
First 16 characters (e.g., glean_abc123def456...)
Creation date
Last used timestamp
Expiration date (if set)

Security Best Practices

Use descriptive names to track token usage
Create separate tokens for different clients
Set expiration dates for temporary access
Revoke immediately if a token is compromised
Monitor last used timestamps regularly

Revoke a Token

Go to Settings → API Tokens
Find the token to revoke
Click Delete or Revoke
Confirm the action

Troubleshooting

”MCP Server Not Responding”

Check server status:

curl http://your-glean-server:8000/api/health

Verify MCP endpoint:

curl http://your-glean-server:8000/mcp \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer glean_your_token_here"

Solutions:

Verify Glean server is running
Check firewall rules
Ensure correct server URL in config
Restart Claude Desktop after config changes

”Unauthorized” or “Invalid Token”

Solutions:

Verify token format (should start with glean_)
Check if token has expired
Confirm token hasn’t been revoked
Create a new token if needed

No Search Results

Solutions:

Verify you have active subscriptions
Try broader search terms
Check if feeds are updating (look at last sync time)
Ensure date ranges include published articles

Slow Performance

Solutions:

Reduce result limits in queries
Narrow date ranges (max: 365 days)
Search specific feeds instead of all subscriptions
Check server resources (CPU, memory)

Advanced Configuration

Custom Server URL

For reverse proxy or custom ports:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "glean": {
      "url": "https://glean.example.com/mcp",
      "transport": {
        "type": "streamable-http",
        "headers": {
          "Authorization": "Bearer glean_your_token_here"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Token Expiration

Set expiration when creating tokens:

30 days: For testing
90 days: For regular use
365 days: For long-term access
No expiration: Only if absolutely necessary

Security

Token Security Features

Feature	Description
bcrypt Hashing	Tokens stored as secure hashes, never plaintext
Prefix Display	Only first 16 chars shown in UI
User Isolation	Tokens only access owner’s data
Revocation	Instant token invalidation
Activity Tracking	Last used timestamp for monitoring

Network Security

Use HTTPS in production (configure reverse proxy)
Keep Glean server behind firewall
Treat tokens like passwords - never share
Regularly audit active tokens

API Reference

MCP Endpoint

URL: http://your-glean-server:8000/mcp
Transport: Streamable HTTP (MCP protocol)
Authentication: Bearer token (API Token)

REST Endpoints

Endpoint	Method	Description
`/api/tokens`	GET	List all tokens
`/api/tokens`	POST	Create new token
`/api/tokens/{id}`	DELETE	Revoke token

Next Steps

Feed Management - Manage your subscriptions
Reading Articles - Learn about the reader
Smart Recommendations - Preference system