MCP

The BCMS Model Context Protocol (MCP) integration enables AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and other MCP-compatible tools to interact directly with your BCMS content. This allows you to create, read, and update content entries, manage media files, and explore your content structure—all through natural language conversations with AI.

What is MCP?

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard developed by Anthropic that allows AI applications to securely connect to external data sources and tools. With BCMS MCP support, you can leverage AI assistants to:

Query and explore your content structure
Create new content entries with AI-generated content
Update existing entries
Manage your media library
Get intelligent suggestions based on your content model

Getting Started

Prerequisites

A BCMS account with an active instance
An MCP key with appropriate permissions
An MCP-compatible client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, or any MCP client)

Step 1: Create an MCP Key

Navigate to your BCMS dashboard
Go to Settings → MCP
Click Create MCP Key
Configure the permissions for templates you want the AI to access:
- GET: Read entries
- POST: Create entries
- PUT: Update entries
- DELETE: Delete entries

Note: Right now, MCP only supports creating, reading and updating content.

Step 2: Configure Your MCP Client

You can find full instructions for integrating BCMS with your AI tools right inside BCMS, on the MCP page. But in general, installing BCMS MCP works in a standard way:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "bcms": {
      "url": "https://app.thebcms.com/api/v3/mcp?apiKey=YOUR_MCP_KEY"
    }
  }
}

Available Tools

Once connected, your AI assistant will have access to the following tools based on your MCP key permissions:

Content Discovery

`list_templates_and_entries`

Lists all templates and their entries that you have access to. This is typically the first tool to call when exploring your BCMS content.

Returns:

Template IDs, names, and slugs
Entry IDs with titles and slugs for each language

Example prompt:

"Show me all the templates and entries in my BCMS"

Entry Management

`list_entries_for_{templateId}`

Retrieves all entries for a specific template with full content data. A separate tool is generated for each template you have access to.

Returns:

Complete entry data including all meta fields
Content in all configured languages
Entry statuses

Example prompt:

"List all blog posts from my Blog template"

`create_entry_for_{templateId}`

Creates a new entry for a specific template. The input schema is dynamically generated based on your template's field structure.

Input:

statuses: Array of status assignments per language
meta: Array of metadata for each language (title, slug, custom fields)
content: Array of content nodes for each language

Example prompt:

"Create a new blog post titled 'Getting Started with BCMS' with a brief introduction paragraph"

`update_entry_for_{templateId}`

Updates an existing entry for a specific language.

Input:

entryId: The ID of the entry to update
lng: Language code (e.g., "en")
status: Optional status ID
meta: Updated metadata
content: Updated content nodes

Example prompt:

"Update the introduction paragraph of my 'Getting Started' blog post"

Media Management

`list_all_media`

Lists all media files in your media library.

Returns:

Media IDs, names, and types
File metadata (size, dimensions for images)
Parent directory information

Example prompt:

"Show me all images in my media library"

`list_media_dirs`

Lists the directory structure of your media library.

Returns:

Hierarchical directory structure
Directory IDs and names

Example prompt:

"Show me the folder structure of my media library"

`create-media-directory`

Creates a new directory in your media library.

Input:

name: Name of the directory
parentId: Optional parent directory ID (root if not specified)

Example prompt:

"Create a new folder called 'Blog Images' in my media library"

`upload-media-file`

Uploads a media file to your library.

Input:

fileName: Name of the file with extension
fileData: Base64-encoded file data (with data URI prefix)
parentId: Optional parent directory ID

Example prompt:

"Upload this image to my Blog Images folder"

Linking Tools

`get_entry_pointer_link`

Generates an internal BCMS link to an entry for use in content.

Input:

entryId: The ID of the entry to link to

Returns:

Internal link format: entry:{entryId}@*_{templateId}:entry

Example prompt:

"Get me the internal link for the 'About Us' page entry"

`get_media_pointer_link`

Generates an internal BCMS link to a media item for use in content.

Input:

mediaId: The ID of the media item

Returns:

Internal link format: media:{mediaId}@*_@*_:entry

Example prompt:

"Get the link for the hero image so I can use it in my blog post"

Content Structure

Entry Content Nodes

When creating or updating entries, content is structured as an array of nodes. Supported node types include:

Type

Description

paragraph

Standard text paragraph

heading

Heading (h1-h6)

bulletList

Unordered list

orderedList

Numbered list

listItem

List item

codeBlock

Code block with syntax highlighting

blockquote

Quote block

image

Image node

widget

Custom widget with props

Example Content Structure

{
  "content": [
    {
      "lng": "en",
      "nodes": [
        {
          "type": "heading",
          "attrs": { "level": 1 },
          "content": [
            { "type": "text", "text": "Welcome to BCMS" }
          ]
        },
        {
          "type": "paragraph",
          "content": [
            { "type": "text", "text": "This is your first paragraph." }
          ]
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Security & Permissions

MCP Key Scopes

Your MCP key controls what the AI can access:

Template Access: Only templates explicitly granted in the MCP key are visible
Operation Permissions: Each template can have independent GET/POST/PUT/DELETE permissions
Media Access: Media operations are controlled separately

Best Practices

Principle of Least Privilege: Only grant the permissions needed for your use case
Separate Keys: Create different MCP keys for different purposes or team members
Regular Rotation: Periodically rotate your MCP keys

Use Cases

Content Creation Workflows

Blog Post Creation

"Create a new blog post about the benefits of headless CMS. Include an introduction, three main benefits with explanations, and a conclusion. Use the Blog template."

Product Updates

"Update the price field for all products in the Electronics category to apply a 10% discount"

Content Exploration

Content Audit

"List all blog posts that don't have a featured image set"

Translation Status

"Show me which entries are missing German translations"

Media Organization

Library Cleanup

"Show me all unused images in the media library"

Folder Setup

"Create folder structure for: Products > Categories > Electronics, Clothing, Home"

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"MCP key not found"

Verify your MCP key format: keyId.keySecret.instanceId
Ensure the MCP key hasn't been deleted or deactivated
Check that you're using the correct instance

"MCP key does not have access to template"

Review your MCP key permissions in the dashboard
Ensure the required operation (GET/POST/PUT/DELETE) is enabled for the template

Session Expired

MCP sessions may timeout after periods of inactivity
Simply start a new conversation to establish a fresh session

Getting Help

Documentation: thebcms.com/docs
Support: [email protected]
Community: Join BCMS Discord for community support

Technical Reference

Endpoint

POST https://app.thebcms.com/api/v3/mcp?apiKey={API_KEY}

Transport

BCMS MCP uses the Streamable HTTP transport with session management. Sessions are maintained via the mcp-session-id header.

Response Format

All tools return structured JSON responses conforming to the MCP specification with:

content: Array of content blocks
structuredContent: Typed response data

Rate Limits

MCP requests are subject to the same rate limits as API requests:

Requests are tracked per MCP key
Contact support if you need higher limits for production workloads

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