# DocsAgent MCP server

> Lets AI agents search, read, and write a private local knowledge base of Zotero, Obsidian, and Apple Notes via a fast C++ engine.

- Repository: https://github.com/docsagent/docsagent
- Page: https://hostedmcp.org/servers/docsagent/docsagent
- Transport: stdio
- Stars: 580
- Latest version: 5.0.1

## Install

### Claude Code

```sh
claude mcp add docsagent -- npx -y @docsagent/docsagent
```

### Cursor (`~/.cursor/mcp.json`)

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "docsagent": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@docsagent/docsagent"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

### VS Code (`.vscode/mcp.json`)

```json
{
  "servers": {
    "docsagent": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@docsagent/docsagent"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

### VS Code CLI

```sh
code --add-mcp '{"name":"docsagent","type":"stdio","command":"npx","args":["-y","@docsagent/docsagent"]}'
```

### Claude Desktop (`claude_desktop_config.json`)

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "docsagent": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@docsagent/docsagent"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

### Codex

```sh
codex mcp add docsagent -- npx -y @docsagent/docsagent
```

### Codex config.toml (`~/.codex/config.toml`)

```toml
[mcp_servers.docsagent]
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "@docsagent/docsagent"]
```

### Gemini CLI

```sh
gemini mcp add -s user docsagent npx -- -y @docsagent/docsagent
```

### Gemini settings.json (`~/.gemini/settings.json`)

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "docsagent": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@docsagent/docsagent"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

## Environment variables

| Name | Required | Secret | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `DOCSAGENT_CONFIG` | no | no | Path to the shared docsagent config file (default: ~/.docsagent/config.json) |
| `DOCSAGENT_CONFIG` | no | no | Path to the shared docsagent config file (default: ~/.docsagent/config.json) |

## Tools (9)

- `query`
- `mode`
- `pattern`
- `target`
- `depth`
- `filters`
- `import_item`
- `add_note`
- `batch_modify`

## FAQ

### Does DocsAgent send my notes or PDFs to the cloud?

No. The search engine runs locally and reads your Zotero library, Obsidian vault, and Apple Notes directly on your machine, so nothing leaves it.

### Which note sources can DocsAgent search?

It covers Zotero items, annotations, and notes, Obsidian vaults, and Apple Notes on macOS. A mixed query fuses results from all three by reciprocal rank.

### How fast is search with DocsAgent?

Retrieval takes about 15 ms on average, even for libraries of over 1,000 PDFs, because the native C++ core uses BM25 with passage ranking.

### Can an AI agent modify my Zotero library through DocsAgent?

Yes, but only if writes are enabled in config; three write tools import items, add notes, and batch-modify collections or tags, guarded by a confirmation and rate-limit gate.

### How do I connect DocsAgent to Claude Desktop or Cursor?

Add a docsagent entry to mcpServers using npx @docsagent/docsagent as the command, after starting the core with npx @docsagent/docsagent start.