RightAnswers MCP Server

A lightweight, zero-dependency MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that connects Claude, GitHub Copilot, ChatGPT, and any other MCP-compatible AI client to your RightAnswers enterprise knowledge base.

Features

• AI-generated answers — surfaces RightAnswers' GenAI summarized responses
• Full article search — returns ranked KB articles with metadata
• Per-user configuration — credentials and company URL set via environment variables
• Zero infrastructure — runs locally on each device, spawned automatically by the AI client
• Zero dependencies — uses only Node.js built-ins; no npm install required at runtime
• Multi-client compatible — works with Claude Desktop, GitHub Copilot (VS Code), ChatGPT desktop

Prerequisites

• Node.js 16 or higher
• Access to a RightAnswers portal (URL, username, password, company code)

Check your version:

node --version   # must be v16.x.x or higher

Upgrade if needed (pick one):

# Option A — nvm (recommended)
nvm install 20 && nvm alias default 20

# Option B — Homebrew (macOS)
brew install node

# Option C — direct download
# https://nodejs.org/en/download  →  Node 20 LTS

Installation

Option A — Run directly with npx (recommended, no install required)

npx @rightanswers/mcp

Option B — Install globally

npm install -g @rightanswers/mcp

Option C — Clone and run locally

git clone https://github.com/RightAnswers/rta-mcp.git
cd rta-mcp
node rightanswers-server.js

Configuration

The server is configured entirely via environment variables — no credentials are hardcoded.

| Variable | Required | Description | |-------------------|----------|----------------------------------------------------------| | RA_BASE_URL | ✅ | Your RightAnswers portal URL (e.g. https://acme.rightanswers.com) | | RA_USERNAME | ✅ | Your RightAnswers username | | RA_PASSWORD | ✅ | Your RightAnswers password | | RA_COMPANY_CODE | ✅ | Company code (e.g. NA, EMEA) | | RA_AP_INTERFACE | ❌ | Interface type: sa (Support Agent) or ss (Self-Service). Default: sa | | RA_IGNORE_SSL | ❌ | Set true only in dev/test with self-signed certs. Default: false |

Connecting to AI Clients

Claude Desktop

Add to your claude_desktop_config.json (found in ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/ on macOS or %APPDATA%\Claude\ on Windows):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rightanswers": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@rightanswers/mcp@latest"],
      "env": {
        "RA_BASE_URL":      "https://yourcompany.rightanswers.com",
        "RA_USERNAME":      "[email protected]",
        "RA_PASSWORD":      "your_password",
        "RA_COMPANY_CODE":  "NA",
        "RA_AP_INTERFACE":  "sa"
      }
    }
  }
}

macOS note: Claude Desktop launches MCP servers without a shell, so npx may not be on $PATH. If the server fails to start, replace "command": "npx" with the full path to your npx binary. Find it by running which npx in Terminal, e.g.:

"command": "/usr/local/bin/npx"

GitHub Copilot (VS Code)

Add to your VS Code settings.json:

{
  "mcp": {
    "servers": {
      "rightanswers": {
        "type": "stdio",
        "command": "npx",
        "args": ["-y", "@rightanswers/mcp@latest"],
        "env": {
          "RA_BASE_URL":      "https://yourcompany.rightanswers.com",
          "RA_USERNAME":      "[email protected]",
          "RA_PASSWORD":      "your_password",
          "RA_COMPANY_CODE":  "NA",
          "RA_AP_INTERFACE":  "sa"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

ChatGPT Desktop

In ChatGPT Desktop, go to Settings → Connectors → Add MCP Server and provide the same command, args, and env values shown above.

Available Tool

searchKnowledgeBase

Searches the RightAnswers knowledge base and returns an AI-generated answer plus ranked articles.

| Parameter | Type | Required | Description | |--------------------|---------|----------|-------------| | query | string | ✅ | The question or search phrase | | generateAiAnswer | boolean | ❌ | Request an AI-summarized answer (default: true) |

Example prompt to your AI client:

"Search the knowledge base: how do I reset my VPN credentials?"

Enterprise Deployment (MDM / Intune / Jamf)

IT teams can pre-configure the MCP server for all employees by pushing the config file with environment variables set to per-user credentials. The npx command will download and run the server on first use — no manual setup required from end users.

Testing the Server Manually

You can verify the server works by piping JSON-RPC requests directly:

echo '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/list","params":{}}' | \
  RA_BASE_URL=https://yourserver RA_USERNAME=user RA_PASSWORD=pass RA_COMPANY_CODE=NA \
  npx @rightanswers/mcp

License

MIT