MCP Protocol

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is the communication bridge between CiteKit's local index and the AI agent's reasoning engine. It allows Claude, Cursor, or Cline to "see" inside your files.

Quick Navigation

Topic	Responsibility	link
Tools	The functions shared with the agent (list, resolve).	MCP Tools
Config	How to install CiteKit in your favorite IDE/Agent.	MCP Configuration
Lifecycle	The sequence of events from Discovery to Grounding.	Protocol Lifecycle

Philosophy

CiteKit as an MCP server acts as a Read-Only Virtual Filesystem. To the agent, it looks like a set of tools that can suddenly "unlock" a specific 30-second clip from a 2-hour video, or a single chart from a 100-page PDF.

Protocol Security

• Transport: Runs over standard stdio.
• Local-Only: No data is sent to CiteKit servers.
• Limited Scope: The server only has access to files you explicitly ingest or provide via base_dir.