SAP Note Search MCP Server

MCP server for searching SAP Notes/KB articles using SAP Passport authentication and Playwright automation

This Model Context Protocol (MCP) server provides direct access to SAP Notes and Knowledge Base articles through Cursor AI. It uses SAP Passport certificate authentication and Playwright browser automation to retrieve actual note content from SAP's systems.

✨ Features

• 🔍 Direct SAP Note access - Retrieve full note content and metadata
• 🎫 SAP Passport authentication - Secure certificate-based authentication
• 🤖 Playwright automation - Handles complex SAP authentication flows
• 💾 Smart caching - Authentication tokens cached locally
• 🔧 Debug-friendly - Comprehensive logging and troubleshooting options
• 📋 MCP compliant - Works seamlessly with Cursor AI

Live Preview in Cursor

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+ - Download here
• SAP Passport Certificate - Your personal .pfx certificate file
• Cursor AI - Download here

Installation

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/marianfoo/mcp-sap-notes
   cd mcp-sap-notes
   

2. Install dependencies

   npm install
   

3. Build the project

   npm run build
   

Setup

1. Get your SAP Passport certificate - Only possible for S-User

   • Go to SAP Passport
   • Create your certificate
   • Download the .pfx certificate file

2. Create certificate directory

   mkdir certs
   

3. Copy your SAP Passport certificate

   • Place your .pfx certificate file in the certs/ directory
   • Name it sap.pfx (or update the path in configuration)

4. Configure environment

   cp .env.example .env
   

   Edit .env and add your certificate passphrase:

   PFX_PATH=./certs/sap.pfx
   PFX_PASSPHRASE=your_actual_passphrase
   

Connect to Cursor

1. Open Cursor settings (Cmd/Ctrl + ,)

2. Add MCP server configuration to your settings.json:

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "sap-note-search": {
         "command": "node",
         "args": ["/full/path/to/sap-note-search-mcp/dist/mcp-server.js"]
       }
     }
   }
   

   ⚠️ Important: Replace /full/path/to/sap-note-search-mcp with the actual full path to your project directory.

3. Restart Cursor - The SAP Note tools will appear in your AI assistant

🎯 Usage Examples

Search for a specific SAP Note

Find SAP Note 2744792

Search by keywords

Search for SAP Notes about "OData gateway metadata error"

Get complete note details

Get the full content of SAP Note 2744792

🛠️ Testing & Development

Test Authentication

npm run test:auth

This tests the SAP Passport authentication flow and verifies your certificate setup.

Test API Access

npm run test:api

This tests the SAP Notes API integration and content extraction.

Test Complete MCP Server

npm run test:mcp

This simulates the complete MCP server workflow.

Run All Tests

npm run test

🐛 Troubleshooting

Certificate Issues

Error: "Certificate file not found"

• Ensure the certificate path in your configuration is correct
• Use full absolute paths in Cursor's settings.json
• Verify the certificate file exists and is readable

Error: "Authentication failed"

• Check your certificate passphrase is correct
• Ensure your SAP Passport certificate is valid and not expired
• Try running with HEADFUL=true to see browser authentication

Browser Issues

Error: "Browser launch failed"

# Install Playwright browsers
npx playwright install

Authentication hangs or times out

• Run with debug mode: HEADFUL=true npm run test:auth
• Check your network connection to SAP systems
• Verify your certificate has proper SAP system access

MCP Integration Issues

Tools not appearing in Cursor

• Restart Cursor completely
• Check the MCP server path in settings.json is absolute
• Verify the cwd setting points to your project directory

Error: "MCP server failed to start"

• Check the console output in Cursor's developer tools
• Ensure all dependencies are installed: npm install
• Verify the build completed successfully: npm run build

Debug Mode

Enable debug mode for detailed troubleshooting:

# Set environment variables for debugging
export HEADFUL=true
export LOG_LEVEL=debug

# Run tests with visible browser
npm run test:auth

📁 Project Structure

sap-note-search-mcp/
├── src/
│   ├── mcp-server.ts        # Main MCP server
│   ├── auth.ts              # SAP authentication
│   ├── sap-notes-api.ts     # SAP Notes API client
│   ├── types.ts             # TypeScript definitions
│   └── logger.ts            # Logging configuration
├── test/
│   ├── test-auth.js         # Authentication tests
│   ├── test-sap-api.js      # API tests
│   └── test-mcp-server.js   # Complete server tests
├── dist/                    # Compiled JavaScript
├── certs/                   # Certificate directory
├── .env.example             # Environment template
└── README.md               # This file

⚙️ Configuration

Environment Variables

Variable	Required	Default	Description
PFX_PATH	✅	-	Path to SAP Passport certificate (.pfx)
PFX_PASSPHRASE	✅	-	Certificate passphrase
MAX_JWT_AGE_H	❌	12	Token cache lifetime (hours)
HEADFUL	❌	false	Browser visibility (for debugging)
LOG_LEVEL	❌	info	Logging level (debug, info, warn, error)

Playwright Configuration

The server automatically installs required Playwright dependencies. For manual installation:

npx playwright install chromium

🔒 Security

• Certificate Security: Your SAP Passport certificate never leaves your machine
• Token Caching: Authentication tokens are cached locally and expire automatically
• No Data Storage: SAP Note content is retrieved on-demand, not stored
• Secure Communication: All SAP API calls use HTTPS with certificate authentication

📋 Available Tools

sap_note_search

Search SAP Notes and KB articles by note ID or keywords.

Parameters:

• q (string, required): Query string or Note ID
• lang (string, optional): Language code ("EN" or "DE"), defaults to "EN"

sap_note_get

Retrieve full content and metadata for a specific SAP Note.

Parameters:

• id (string, required): SAP Note ID (6-8 digits)
• lang (string, optional): Language code ("EN" or "DE"), defaults to "EN"

🤝 Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch: git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature
3. Commit your changes: git commit -m 'Add amazing feature'
4. Push to the branch: git push origin feature/amazing-feature
5. Open a Pull Request