Tutorial: getting started with MCP in mini-me

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# Tutorial: getting started with MCP in mini-me

By the end of this tutorial, you will have started mini-me with MCP servers configured, and made the model call a tool from one of them.

No prior knowledge of MCP is required.

## Prerequisites

- The `mm` binary built, and Docker Model Runner running with the model pulled: see [your first session with mini-me](getting-started.md).
- A terminal open at the root of the repository.
- An internet connection: the servers of this tutorial are remote.

## Step 1 — Look at the provided configuration

Display the `mcp:` section of the provided configuration file:

```bash
grep -A3 "^mcp:" demos/dmr/agent.dmr.mcp.yaml
```

You should see:

```yaml
mcp:
  enabled: true
  permissions: ask             # Ask before executing MCP tools (recommended for security)
  discoveryTimeout: 10s        # Timeout for discovering tools at startup
```

Further down, the same section declares three servers: `context7`, `wikipedia` and `github`.

## Step 2 — Export your API keys (optional)

Wikipedia needs no API key, so you can skip this step and still do steps 3 and 4. To also use the two other servers, export their keys in this terminal:

```bash
export CONTEXT7_API_KEY="your-context7-key"
export GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN="your-github-token"
```

## Step 3 — Start mini-me with MCP enabled

Run mini-me with the provided configuration file:

```bash
./mm -config demos/dmr/agent.dmr.mcp.yaml
```

You should see in the startup banner:

```
tools: bash, read_skill, read_file, write_file, edit_file, plan, ask_user, unload_model, wikipedia_search_wikipedia, wikipedia_get_article, wikipedia_get_summary, ...
```

> ✅ **Expected result**: you see the MCP tools (`wikipedia_*`) in the list. Each one is named after its server.

A server without its key is skipped with a warning above the banner, and the others still work:

```
[warning: mcp server context7: discovery failed: initialize: missing token for env var CONTEXT7_API_KEY]
```

If you exported the keys, the `context7_*` and `github_*` tools are in the list too.

## Step 4 — Try Wikipedia (no authentication)

At the `>` prompt, type:

```
Explain what the Model Context Protocol is
```

Because the file says `permissions: ask`, mini-me asks before each MCP tool call:

```
🔐 wikipedia: search_wikipedia
   [a] allow once · [s] allow wikipedia_search_wikipedia for this session · [r] reject · [n] never wikipedia_search_wikipedia
   ?
```

Type `a` and press Enter, each time it asks. The model usually searches first, then reads an article.

> ✅ **Expected result**: the model answers from what `wikipedia_search_wikipedia` and `wikipedia_get_article` returned.

## Step 5 — Try Context7 (with authentication)

If you exported `CONTEXT7_API_KEY`, ask the model:

```
How do I use useEffect in React?
```

> ✅ **Expected result**: the model uses `context7_resolve_library_id`, then `context7_query_docs`, to find the documentation.

## Step 6 — Try GitHub (with authentication)

If you exported `GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN`, ask the model:

```
What are my repositories on GitHub?
```

> ✅ **Expected result**: the model uses the `github_*` tools to reach your repositories.

## Step 7 — Leave

At the `>` prompt, type:

```
/quit
```

## What now?

You have successfully set up MCP in mini-me. To go further:

- To carry out specific tasks → see the [how-to guides](../how-to/)
- To understand how it works → see the [explanation](../explanation/)
- For the technical reference → see the [reference](../reference/)