What is MCP?

Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open protocol that standardizes how applications provide context to Large Language Models (LLMs). It enables AI assistants like Claude to securely access and interact with your content management system through a defined set of tools.

Why MCP for Content Management?

MCP transforms how you work with your CMS by allowing natural language interactions. Instead of navigating through admin interfaces, you can ask Claude to:

Create and update content entries
Manage collections and blueprints
Configure routing and templates
Upload and organize assets
Set up forms and navigation
Validate and preview your site

All through conversational requests like "Add a blog post about X" or "Update the homepage hero section".

Airogel CMS MCP Server

Airogel CMS provides a comprehensive MCP server that exposes the full CMS API as LLM-accessible tools. The server is available at:

https://api.airogelcms.com/v1/mcp

Authentication

The MCP server uses API key authentication. Your API key should be included in the Authorization header:

Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY

To get your API key, visit your account settings in the Airogel CMS dashboard.

Available MCP Tools

The MCP server provides tools organized by resource type:

Content Management

entries_list - List entries in a collection
entries_get - Get a specific entry
entries_save - Create or update an entry
entries_delete - Delete an entry
entries_query - Advanced filtering and sorting

Structure Management

collections_list / collections_get / collections_save
blueprints_list / blueprints_get / blueprints_save
templates_list / templates_get / templates_save / templates_delete

Asset Management

assets_list - Browse uploaded files
assets_get - Get asset details
assets_upload - Upload new files
assets_upload_from_url - Import from URL
assets_delete - Remove assets

Site Configuration

globals_list / globals_get / globals_save - Site-wide settings
navigations_list / navigations_get / navigations_save - Menu management
domains_list / domains_get / domains_save - Custom domains
forms_list / forms_get / forms_save - Form configuration

Utilities

search_query - Full-text search across content
preview_render_path - Preview URLs with draft content
theme_validate - Check for configuration issues

Using MCP with Claude

In Claude Desktop

Add the Airogel CMS MCP server to your Claude Desktop configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "airogel-cms": {
      "url": "https://api.airogelcms.com/v1/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

In Claude.ai

Connect to Airogel CMS from Claude.ai by adding it as a connector in your settings. Once connected, you can reference your CMS in any conversation.

Example Workflows

Creating a Blog Post

Natural language request to Claude:

"Create a blog post titled 'Getting Started with MCP' in the blog collection. Set the category to 'Tutorials' and make it published."

Claude will:

Look up the blog collection structure
Create the entry with appropriate fields
Set it as published
Confirm the URL where it's accessible

Updating Site Navigation

"Add a link to the documentation in the main navigation"

Claude will query existing navigations, add the new item, and update the menu structure.

Bulk Content Migration

"Import these 10 articles [provides data] into the news collection, extracting titles, dates, and content"

Claude can process structured data and create multiple entries efficiently.

Best Practices

Idempotency

Most MCP tools use handles as idempotency keys, meaning you can safely call them multiple times with the same handle without creating duplicates. This makes it safe to retry operations.

Naming Conventions

Handles must use snake_case (underscores, not hyphens):

✅ blog_posts, site_settings
❌ blog-posts, site-settings

This is because handles become Liquid template variable names.

Validation with Dry Run

Many save operations support a dry_run parameter that validates your request without making changes. Use this to test complex operations.

Optimistic Concurrency

Use ETag values with if_match parameters to prevent overwriting concurrent changes when multiple editors are working on the same content.

Rate Limits

The MCP API is rate-limited to ensure service quality:

100 requests per minute per API key
1000 requests per hour per API key

Rate limit information is included in response headers.

Error Handling

MCP tools return structured error responses:

{
  "ok": false,
  "error": {
    "type": "validation_error",
    "message": "Handle must use snake_case",
    "details": {
      "field": "handle",
      "value": "blog-posts"
    }
  }
}

Common error types:

authentication_error - Invalid or missing API key
not_found - Resource doesn't exist
validation_error - Invalid input data
rate_limit_error - Too many requests

Security Considerations

API Key Storage

Store your API keys securely and never commit them to version control. Use environment variables or secure configuration management.

Permissions

API keys have full access to your account. Only share them with trusted AI assistants and services.

Audit Trail

All MCP operations are logged with timestamps and the API key used, providing an audit trail of AI-initiated changes.

Advanced Use Cases

Content Generation Pipelines

Combine MCP with AI to automate content workflows:

Generate content with Claude
Create draft entries via MCP
Review and publish through the CMS interface

Dynamic Site Updates

Use MCP to keep content fresh:

Scheduled content updates
Data synchronization from external sources
Automated changelog generation

Collaborative Editing

Mix human and AI collaboration:

Humans define structure and strategy
AI fills in content and details
Humans review and refine

Troubleshooting

Connection Issues

If Claude can't connect to your MCP server:

Verify your API key is correct
Check that the server URL is exactly https://api.airogelcms.com/v1/mcp
Ensure no firewall is blocking the connection

Tool Not Found

If a specific tool isn't available, check that you're using the latest version of the MCP server. Some tools may require account upgrades.

Validation Errors

Most validation errors include detailed information about what went wrong. Read the error message carefully - it will usually tell you exactly what needs to be fixed.

Future Roadmap

Planned MCP enhancements:

Webhooks for real-time notifications
Advanced analytics queries
Multi-site management
Custom tool extensions
Workflow automation triggers

Getting Help

For MCP-specific questions:

Check the API Reference for detailed tool documentation
Visit the Model Context Protocol website
Contact support through the dashboard