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AI/MLCrestApps

orchardcore-ai-mcp

Skill for configuring Model Context Protocol (MCP) in Orchard Core using the CrestApps MCP module. Covers MCP client connections over SSE and local client transports, MCP server setup to expose Orchard Core as an MCP endpoint, MCP resources, authentication, and custom resource types. Use this skill when requests mention Orchard Core MCP (Model Context Protocol), Configure MCP Integration, MCP Features Overview, MCP Client Connecting to External MCP Servers, Enabling MCP Client Features, Adding a Remote MCP Connection (SSE Transport) via Admin, or closely related Orchard Core implementation, setup, extension, or troubleshooting work. Strong matches include work with CrestApps.OrchardCore.AI.Mcp. It also helps with ai mcp examples, Enabling MCP Client Features, Adding a Remote MCP Connection (SSE Transport) via Admin, Adding a Remote MCP Connection via Recipe (SSE), plus the code patterns, admin flows, recipe steps, and referenced examples captured in this skill.

Stars
13
Source
CrestApps/CrestApps.AgentSkills
Updated
2026-05-29
Slug
CrestApps--CrestApps.AgentSkills--orchardcore-ai-mcp
View on GitHubRaw SKILL.md

// install — copy + paste into any project

mkdir -p .claude/skills && curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/CrestApps/CrestApps.AgentSkills/HEAD/plugins/crestapps-orchardcore/skills/orchardcore-ai-mcp/SKILL.md -o .claude/skills/orchardcore-ai-mcp.md

Drops the SKILL.md into .claude/skills/orchardcore-ai-mcp.md. Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and any agent that loads SKILL.md files from .claude/skills/.

Orchard Core MCP (Model Context Protocol) - Prompt Templates

Configure MCP Integration

You are an Orchard Core expert. Generate code, configuration, and recipes for integrating Model Context Protocol (MCP) client and server capabilities into Orchard Core using CrestApps modules.

Guidelines

  • The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard for seamless integration between LLM applications and external tools or data sources.
  • The CrestApps MCP module provides both client and server features.
  • MCP Client: Connect Orchard Core to external MCP servers using SSE or local client transports, extending AI chat capabilities with external tools.
  • MCP Server: Expose Orchard Core AI tools and resources to external MCP-compatible clients (AI agents, IDEs, copilots).
  • MCP connections can be configured via the admin UI or recipes.
  • MCP server authentication supports OpenId, ApiKey, or None (development only).
  • Never use AuthenticationType: "None" in production environments.
  • Install CrestApps packages in the web/startup project.
  • Always secure API keys using user secrets or environment variables.

MCP Features Overview

Feature Feature ID Description
MCP Client (SSE) CrestApps.OrchardCore.AI.Mcp Connect to remote MCP servers via Server-Sent Events
MCP Client (Stdio) CrestApps.OrchardCore.AI.Mcp.Stdio Connect to local MCP servers via Standard Input/Output
MCP Server CrestApps.OrchardCore.AI.Mcp.Server Expose Orchard Core as an MCP server endpoint

MCP Client: Connecting to External MCP Servers

Enabling MCP Client Features

{
  "steps": [
    {
      "name": "Feature",
      "enable": [
        "CrestApps.OrchardCore.AI",
        "CrestApps.OrchardCore.AI.Chat",
        "CrestApps.OrchardCore.AI.Mcp",
        "CrestApps.OrchardCore.OpenAI"
      ],
      "disable": []
    }
  ]
}

Adding a Remote MCP Connection (SSE Transport) via Admin UI

  1. Navigate to Artificial Intelligence → MCP Connections.
  2. Click Add Connection.
  3. Under Server Sent Events (SSE), click Add.
  4. Enter connection details:
    • Display Text: A friendly name for the connection.
    • Endpoint: The remote MCP server URL (e.g., https://mcp-server.example.com/).
    • Additional Headers: Supply any required authentication headers.
  5. Save the connection.
  6. Create or edit an AI profile and select this MCP connection under available tools.

Adding a Remote MCP Connection via Recipe (SSE)

{
  "steps": [
    {
      "name": "McpConnection",
      "connections": [
        {
          "DisplayText": "Remote AI Tools Server",
          "Properties": {
            "SseMcpConnectionMetadata": {
              "Endpoint": "https://mcp-server.example.com/",
              "AdditionalHeaders": {}
            }
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Adding a Local MCP Connection (Stdio Transport)

The Local MCP Client feature enables connections to MCP servers running locally (e.g., in Docker containers) using Standard Input/Output.

Step-by-Step: Connect to a Docker-based MCP Server

  1. Install Docker Desktop.
  2. Pull the desired MCP Docker image (e.g., mcp/time).
  3. Navigate to Artificial Intelligence → MCP Connections.
  4. Click Add Connection, then under Standard Input/Output (Stdio), click Add.
  5. Enter:
    • Display Text: Global Time Capabilities
    • Command: docker
    • Command Arguments: ["run", "-i", "--rm", "mcp/time"]
  6. Save the connection.

Adding a Local MCP Connection via Recipe (Stdio)

{
  "steps": [
    {
      "name": "McpConnection",
      "connections": [
        {
          "DisplayText": "Global Time Capabilities",
          "Properties": {
            "StdioMcpConnectionMetadata": {
              "Command": "docker",
              "Arguments": [
                "run",
                "-i",
                "--rm",
                "mcp/time"
              ]
            }
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Enabling MCP Client with Local Stdio Support

{
  "steps": [
    {
      "name": "Feature",
      "enable": [
        "CrestApps.OrchardCore.AI",
        "CrestApps.OrchardCore.AI.Chat",
        "CrestApps.OrchardCore.AI.Mcp",
        "CrestApps.OrchardCore.AI.Mcp.Stdio",
        "CrestApps.OrchardCore.OpenAI"
      ],
      "disable": []
    }
  ]
}

MCP Server: Exposing Orchard Core as an MCP Endpoint

Enabling MCP Server

{
  "steps": [
    {
      "name": "Feature",
      "enable": [
        "CrestApps.OrchardCore.AI",
        "CrestApps.OrchardCore.AI.Mcp.Server"
      ],
      "disable": []
    }
  ]
}

MCP Server Authentication

The MCP server supports three authentication modes:

Mode Description Use Case
OpenId OpenID Connect via the "Api" scheme (default) Production environments
ApiKey Predefined API key authentication Simple integrations, testing
None No authentication Local development only

Configuring MCP Server Authentication

OpenId (Recommended for production):

{
  "OrchardCore": {
    "CrestApps": {
      "AI": {
        "McpServer": {
          "AuthenticationType": "OpenId",
          "RequireAccessPermission": true
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

When RequireAccessPermission is true, users must have the AccessMcpServer permission.

ApiKey (For simple integrations):

{
  "OrchardCore": {
    "CrestApps": {
      "AI": {
        "McpServer": {
          "AuthenticationType": "ApiKey",
          "ApiKey": "your-secure-api-key-here"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

The API key can be provided in the Authorization header as: Bearer <key>, ApiKey <key>, or the raw key.

None (Local development only — never use in production):

{
  "OrchardCore": {
    "CrestApps": {
      "AI": {
        "McpServer": {
          "AuthenticationType": "None"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

MCP Server Endpoint

Endpoints are registered in Startup.Configure via routes.MapMcp("mcp") using the Streamable HTTP transport (WithHttpTransport()), protected by the MCP authorization policy. Paths are relative to the tenant prefix.

Endpoint Method Description
/mcp POST (and GET/DELETE) Streamable HTTP transport endpoint (current MCP standard)

Connecting External Clients to Orchard Core MCP Server

Use the Streamable HTTP transport pointing at the /mcp base endpoint. The pinned MCP ASP.NET Core transport maps only that endpoint because legacy SSE is disabled by default.

With OpenId (Streamable HTTP, recommended):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "orchard-core": {
      "transport": {
        "type": "http",
        "url": "https://your-orchard-site.com/mcp",
        "headers": {
          "Authorization": "Bearer <your-oauth-token>"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Exposed Tools via MCP Server

The MCP server automatically exposes all AI tools registered in Orchard Core, including:

  • Content Management: Search, create, update, delete, publish/unpublish content (when OrchardCore.Contents is enabled)
  • Feature Management: List, enable, disable features (when OrchardCore.Features is enabled)
  • User Management: Search users, get user information (when OrchardCore.Users is enabled)
  • AI Agent Tools: All tools from the AI Agent module (when CrestApps.OrchardCore.AI.Agent is enabled)

MCP Resources

MCP Resources expose data sources through the MCP protocol. Built-in resource types:

Type URI Pattern Description
File file://{itemId}/{path} Local file system access
Content item content-item://{itemId}/... A specific Orchard Core content item or version
Content type content-type://{itemId}/... Published items for an Orchard Core content type
Recipe Schema recipe-schema://{itemId}/... JSON schema definitions
FTP/FTPS ftp://{itemId}/{path} Remote files via FTP (separate module)
SFTP sftp://{itemId}/{path} Remote files via SSH (separate module)

Creating MCP Resources via Recipe

{
  "steps": [
    {
      "name": "McpResource",
      "Resources": [
        {
          "Source": "file",
          "DisplayText": "Application Config",
          "Resource": {
            "Uri": "file://abc123/etc/config.json",
            "Name": "app-config",
            "Description": "Application configuration file",
            "MimeType": "application/json"
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Registering a Custom MCP Resource Type

services.AddCoreAIMcpResourceType<DatabaseResourceTypeHandler>("database", entry =>
{
    entry.DisplayName = S["Database"];
    entry.Description = S["Query data from databases."];
    entry.SupportedVariables =
    [
        new McpResourceVariable("table") { Description = S["The database table name."] },
        new McpResourceVariable("id") { Description = S["The row ID to fetch."] },
    ];
});

Implement the handler:

public sealed class DatabaseResourceTypeHandler : McpResourceTypeHandlerBase
{
    public DatabaseResourceTypeHandler() : base("database") { }

    protected override Task<ReadResourceResult> GetResultAsync(
        McpResource resource,
        IReadOnlyDictionary<string, string> variables,
        CancellationToken cancellationToken)
    {
        variables.TryGetValue("table", out var table);
        variables.TryGetValue("id", out var id);
        // Query the selected row and return a ReadResourceResult.
        return Task.FromResult(new ReadResourceResult());
    }
}

Security Best Practices

  • Always use OpenId authentication for MCP server in production.
  • Store API keys in user secrets or environment variables, never in source control.
  • Grant the AccessMcpServer permission only to trusted users and roles.
  • Individual tool invocations respect Orchard Core's permission system.
  • MCP server operates within a single tenant context for tenant isolation.
  • Rotate API keys periodically when using ApiKey authentication.

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