Counsel MCP Server

An open-source Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that connects AI agents to the Counsel API for strategic reasoning and multi-perspective analysis.

Features

• Hosted & Self-Hosted - Use the hosted server instantly or run your own instance
• Strategic Reasoning - Access Counsel's debate and multi-perspective reasoning engines
• Advisor Sessions - Run interactive intake and profile tuning sessions
• Native OAuth 2.0 - Standard MCP authentication handled automatically by clients
• Dual Transport - STDIO for local clients, HTTP for web clients and shared servers

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Table of Contents

• Quick Start (Hosted)
• Installation (Self-Hosted)
  • Claude Desktop
  • Claude Code (CLI)
  • Cursor
  • Windsurf
  • VS Code with Copilot
  • Other MCP Clients
• Authentication
• Available Tools
• Usage Examples
• Configuration
• Troubleshooting
• Development
• Contributing
• License

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Quick Start (Hosted)

Connect instantly to the hosted Counsel MCP server - no installation required:

http://counsel-mcp.getmason.dev/mcp

For MCP clients that support HTTP transport, simply add:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "counsel": {
      "url": "http://counsel-mcp.getmason.dev/mcp",
      "transport": "http"
    }
  }
}

OAuth authentication is handled automatically by your MCP client.

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Installation (Self-Hosted)

Run your own instance of the Counsel MCP server locally.

Prerequisites

1. Node.js 18+ installed on your system
2. A Counsel account at counsel.getmason.dev

Claude Desktop

Add to your claude_desktop_config.json:

<details> <summary><b>macOS</b>: <code>~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json</code></summary>

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "counsel": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "counsel-mcp-server", "start"]
    }
  }
}

</details>

<details> <summary><b>Windows</b>: <code>%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json</code></summary>

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "counsel": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "counsel-mcp-server", "start"]
    }
  }
}

</details>

Claude Code (CLI)

claude mcp add counsel -- npx -y counsel-mcp-server start

Or manually add to your MCP settings:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "counsel": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "counsel-mcp-server", "start"]
    }
  }
}

Cursor

Add to your Cursor MCP configuration (.cursor/mcp.json in your project or global settings):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "counsel": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "counsel-mcp-server", "start"]
    }
  }
}

Windsurf

Add to your Windsurf MCP configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "counsel": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "counsel-mcp-server", "start"]
    }
  }
}

VS Code with Copilot

Add to your VS Code settings (settings.json):

{
  "mcp.servers": {
    "counsel": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "counsel-mcp-server", "start"]
    }
  }
}

Other MCP Clients

The server supports two transport modes. Choose based on your client's capabilities:

STDIO Mode (Default)

Most MCP clients use STDIO transport. Configure with:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "counsel": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "counsel-mcp-server", "start"],
      "env": {
        "COUNSEL_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

HTTP Mode with OAuth

For clients that support HTTP transport with OAuth 2.0, run the server separately:

# Start the HTTP server
npx -y counsel-mcp-server http --port 3000

This starts an HTTP server with:

• MCP endpoint: http://localhost:3000/mcp
• OAuth discovery: http://localhost:3000/.well-known/oauth-authorization-server

Then configure your client to connect:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "counsel": {
      "url": "http://localhost:3000/mcp",
      "transport": "http"
    }
  }
}

HTTP mode uses OAuth 2.0 with automatic token management - no API key required.

Transport Comparison

Feature	STDIO Mode	HTTP Mode
Command	npx -y counsel-mcp-server start	npx -y counsel-mcp-server http
Auth	API key via env var	OAuth 2.0 (automatic)
Setup	Single config	Run server + configure client
Best for	Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code	Web clients, shared servers

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Authentication

The server supports two authentication modes:

STDIO Mode (Default)

Set the COUNSEL_API_KEY environment variable with your API key from counsel.getmason.dev:

export COUNSEL_API_KEY=your_api_key_here

Or add it to your MCP client configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "counsel": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "counsel-mcp-server", "start"],
      "env": {
        "COUNSEL_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

HTTP Mode (OAuth 2.0)

When running in HTTP mode (npx -y counsel-mcp-server http), authentication is handled automatically through OAuth 2.0:

1. When you first use a Counsel tool, your MCP client will prompt for authentication
2. You'll be redirected to sign in with your Counsel account
3. After authorization, tokens are managed automatically

No manual API key required in HTTP mode - your MCP client handles the entire OAuth flow.

OAuth Endpoints (HTTP Mode)

The server exposes standard OAuth 2.0 endpoints:

Endpoint	Description
/.well-known/oauth-authorization-server	OAuth metadata discovery
/authorize	Authorization endpoint
/token	Token exchange endpoint
/register	Dynamic client registration

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Available Tools

start_consultation

Start a new strategic consultation (debate) to analyze a complex question with multiple perspectives.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
question	string	Yes	The core question to analyze
context	string	No	Additional context about the situation
mode	enum	No	Depth of analysis: quick, standard (default), deep
stakeholders	string[]	No	Key stakeholders to consider

Example:

Start a consultation about "Should we migrate our monolith to microservices?"
with context about our 50-person engineering team and mode set to deep

get_consultation_status

Check the status of an ongoing consultation.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
debate_id	string	Yes	The ID of the consultation

get_consultation_report

Retrieve the final synthesis report from a completed consultation.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
debate_id	string	Yes	The ID of the consultation

list_consultations

List your past consultations.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
limit	number	No	Number of results (default: 10)

sharpen_question

Refine and improve a strategic question before starting a consultation.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
question	string	Yes	The question to refine
context	string	No	Additional context

Example:

Sharpen this question: "Is AI good for our company?"

consult_advisor

Start an interactive advisor session for brainstorming or scoping problems.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
question	string	Yes	The initial topic or question

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Usage Examples

Strategic Decision Making

Use Counsel to analyze: "Should we expand into the European market in 2025?"

Consider these stakeholders: CEO, CFO, Head of Sales, Legal
Use deep analysis mode

Question Refinement

Use the sharpen_question tool to improve this question:
"How do we fix our culture?"

Context: We're a 200-person startup experiencing rapid growth

Checking Consultation Progress

Check the status of consultation abc-123-def

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Configuration

Environment Variables

Variable	Default	Description
COUNSEL_API_URL	https://counsel.getmason.dev	Counsel API base URL
PORT	3000	Server port (HTTP mode)

CLI Commands

# STDIO mode (default) - for most MCP clients
npx -y counsel-mcp-server start

# HTTP mode - for clients supporting OAuth
npx -y counsel-mcp-server http [options]

HTTP Options:
  -p, --port <port>  Port to listen on (default: 3000)
  --host <host>      Host to bind to (default: localhost)

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Troubleshooting

"Tool not found" Error

Ensure the MCP server is properly configured in your client. Restart your client after adding the configuration.

Authentication Issues

1. Check that you have a valid Counsel account
2. Try removing and re-adding the MCP server configuration
3. Clear your client's MCP cache if available

Connection Refused

If running in HTTP mode, ensure:

• The server is running (npx counsel-mcp-server start)
• The port isn't blocked by a firewall
• No other process is using the same port

Server Not Starting

# Check Node.js version (requires 18+)
node --version

# Try running directly to see errors
npx counsel-mcp-server start

Debug Mode

For verbose logging, check your MCP client's logs or run the server directly in a terminal to see output.

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Development

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+
• npm 9+

Setup

git clone https://github.com/mercurialsolo/counsel-mcp.git
cd counsel-mcp-server
npm install
npm run build

Commands

npm run build            # Compile TypeScript
npm run dev              # Watch mode
npm run start            # Run server
npm test                 # Run tests
npm run lint             # Type check
npm run security:check   # Scan staged files for secrets
npm run security:check:all  # Scan all files for secrets

Security

This project includes automated secret detection:

• Pre-commit hook: Automatically scans staged files before each commit
• CI integration: Security checks run on all pull requests
• Pattern detection: AWS keys, GitHub tokens, API keys, private keys, etc.

See CONTRIBUTING.md for details.

Project Structure

src/
├── index.ts        # HTTP server, OAuth proxy, MCP transport
├── client.ts       # API client with request-scoped auth
├── config.ts       # Environment configuration
└── tools/
    ├── debates.ts  # Consultation tools
    └── advisor.ts  # Advisor session tools

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Contributing

We welcome contributions! See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

Quick Start

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch: git checkout -b feature/your-feature
3. Make your changes and add tests
4. Run npm test to ensure tests pass
5. Submit a pull request

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License

MIT License - see LICENSE for details.

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Links

• Counsel Platform - Strategic reasoning platform
• MCP Specification - Model Context Protocol documentation
• GitHub Issues - Report bugs or request features
• GitHub Discussions - Ask questions