Build Agents with Needle MCP Server

MCP (Model Context Protocol) server to manage documents and perform searches using Needle through Claude’s Desktop Application.

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Features
• Usage
  • Commands in Claude Desktop
  • Result in Needle
• Installation
• Video Explanation

Overview

Needle MCP Server allows you to:

• Organize and store documents for quick retrieval.
• Perform powerful searches via Claude’s large language model.
• Integrate seamlessly with the Needle ecosystem for advanced document management.

Features

• Document Management: Easily add and organize documents on the server.
• Search & Retrieval: Claude-based natural language search for quick answers.
• Easy Integration: Works with Claude Desktop and Needle collections.

Usage

Commands in Claude Desktop

Below is an example of how the commands can be used in Claude Desktop to interact with the server:

1. Open Claude Desktop and connect to the Needle MCP Server.
2. Use simple text commands to search, retrieve, or modify documents.
3. Review search results returned by Claude in a user-friendly interface.

Result in Needle

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/0235e893-af96-4920-8364-1e86f73b3e6c

Youtube Video Explanation

For a full walkthrough on using the Needle MCP Server with Claude and Claude Desktop, watch this YouTube explanation video.

Installation

Installing via Smithery

To install Needle MCP for Claude Desktop automatically via Smithery:

npx -y @smithery/cli install needle-mcp --client claude

Manual Installation

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/needle-mcp.git

2. Install UV globally using Homebrew in Terminal:

brew install uv

3. Create claude_desktop_config.json:

   • For MacOS: Open directory ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/ and create the file inside it
   • For Windows: Open directory %APPDATA%/Claude/ and create the file inside it

4. Add this configuration to claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "needle_mcp": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": [
        "--directory",
        "/path/to/needle-mcp",
        "run",
        "needle-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "NEEDLE_API_KEY": "your_needle_api_key"
      }
    }
  }
}

5. Get your Needle API key from needle.xyz

6. Update the config file:

   • Replace /path/to/needle-mcp with your actual repository path
   • Add your Needle API key

7. Quit Claude completely and reopen it

Usage Examples

• “Create a new collection called ‘Technical Docs’”
• “Add this document to the collection, which is https://needle-ai.com”
• “Search the collection for information about AI”
• “List all my collections”

Troubleshooting

If not working:

• Make sure UV is installed globally (if not, uninstall with pip uninstall uv and reinstall with brew install uv)
• Or find UV path with which uv and replace "command": "uv" with the full path
• Verify your Needle API key is correct
• Check if the needle-mcp path in config matches your actual repository location

Reset Claude Desktop Configuration

If you’re seeing old configurations or the integration isn’t working:

1. Find all Claude Desktop config files:

find / -name "claude_desktop_config.json" 2>/dev/null

2. Remove all Claude Desktop data:

• On MacOS: rm -rf ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/*
• On Windows: Delete contents of %APPDATA%/Claude/

3. Create a fresh config with only Needle:

mkdir -p ~/Library/Application Support/Claude
cat > ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
<< 'EOL'
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "needle_mcp": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": [
        "--directory",
        "/path/to/needle-mcp",
        "run",
        "needle-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "NEEDLE_API_KEY": "your_needle_api_key"
      }
    }
  }
}
EOL

4. Completely quit Claude Desktop (Command+Q on Mac) and relaunch it

5. If you still see old configurations:

• Check for additional config files in other locations
• Try clearing browser cache if using web version
• Verify the config file is being read from the correct location