Views:

North52 MCP Server - Client Installation Instructions

These instructions explain how to connect the North52 MCP server (https://mcp.north52.com) to Claude Desktop, ChatGPT, Google Gemini CLI and Copilot. You will need a valid API key before you begin. Contact support@north52.com to obtain one.

Claude Desktop

Claude Desktop supports remote MCP servers through a built-in connector UI. No configuration files or command-line tools are required.

Step 1 — Open the Add custom connector dialog

In Claude Desktop, navigate to Settings and look for the connectors or integrations section. Click Add custom connector.

Step 2 — Enter the connector details

Fill in the two fields in the dialog:

  • Name: Enter a display name, for example North52 Docs.

  • Remote MCP server URL: Enter the server URL with your API key embedded in the path. Replace YOUR-KEY-HERE with your actual key:

    https://mcp.north52.com/mcp/n52-cust-YOUR-KEY-HERE

Step 3 — Add the connector

Click Add. Claude Desktop will connect to the server and discover the available tools automatically. You can verify the connection by asking Claude a question about North52 — it will call the knowledgebase_search tool automatically.

 

ChatGPT

Connecting the North52 MCP to the ChatGPT desktop or web application and requires a paid plan (Plus, Team, Business, Enterprise, or Education).

Step 1 — Enable Developer Mode

  1. Open ChatGPT and go to Settings.
  2. Navigate to Apps → Advanced settings.
  3. Enable Developer Mode.

Step 2 — Add the connector (app)

  1. Select Create App
  2. Enter North52 Docs as the Name
  3. Enter the server URL with your API key in the path. Replace YOUR-KEY-HERE with your actual key:
https://mcp.north52.com/mcp/n52-cust-YOUR-KEY-HERE
  1. For Authentication select No Auth
  2. Select the I understand and want to continue checkbox
  3. Click Create
  4. ChatGPT will discover the available tools automatically. No further configuration is needed.

Step 3 - Add North52 Docs to your chat

  1. In the chat interface, select the ➕ button → More… → North52 Docs
  2. Ask your questions!

 

Google Gemini

MCP server connections are supported by the Gemini CLI only. The gemini.google.com web application does not support custom MCP servers. The CLI is free to use with a Google account.

Gemini CLI uses the legacy HTTP+SSE transport protocol. The North52 server exposes a compatible /sse endpoint for this purpose.

Personal note: When using Gemini CLI with an MCP server, I found that Node v24 seemed to cause some slowness and issues, when I switched it to  Node v22, it definitely seemed better. This is just a person

Step 1 — Install the Gemini CLI

Follow the installation instructions on the Gemini CLI GitHub page to install the CLI for your platform.

Step 2 — Set your API key as an environment variable

gemini mcp add north52-docs "https://mcp.north52.com/sse" --type "sse" --header "x-api-key:d026d1b4-6a1a-e511-8109-c4346bad11b0"

The configuration file supports environment variable expansion, so you do not need to hardcode your key. Set the variable in your shell before running the CLI, or add it to your shell profile (~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc, etc.) to make it persistent. Replace n52-cust-YOUR-KEY-HERE with your actual key:

export NORTH52_API_KEY="n52-cust-YOUR-KEY-HERE"

Step 3 — Option 1 — Add the server entry to your settings file

Open or create one of the following settings files:

  • User-level (applies to all projects): ~/.gemini/settings.json
  • Project-level (applies to current project only): .gemini/settings.json in your project root

Add the following configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "north52-docs": {
      "url": "https://mcp.north52.com/sse",
      "type": "sse",
      "headers": {
        "x-api-key": "${NORTH52_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Step 3 — Option 2 — Use powershell/terminal command

Open powershell or terminal and navigate to the folder you will be running gemini in and execute the below command. This will create the .gemini/settings.json for you.

gemini mcp add north52-docs "https://mcp.north52.com/sse" --type "sse" --header "x-api-key:${NORTH52_API_KEY}"

 

Step 4 — Verify the connection

Start the Gemini CLI. The north52-docs server should appear in the list of connected MCP servers. Ask a question about North52 to confirm the tools are available.

Configuration notes:

  • Use "url" (not httpUrl) together with "type": "sse". Gemini CLI uses the legacy HTTP+SSE transport, not Streamable HTTP.
  • Do not add a timeout property. This property can cause Node.js crashes on Windows and should be omitted entirely.
  • Environment variable expansion (${NORTH52_API_KEY}) is supported natively by the CLI — no extra tooling is required.

Microsoft Copilot Studio

Microsoft Copilot Studio supports MCP servers natively using the Streamable HTTP transport and API key authentication. No URL embedding workaround is required. MCP support is generally available and can be configured through the built-in onboarding wizard.

Requirement: Generative Orchestration must be enabled on your agent before MCP connections can be used.

Step 1 — Open your agent and navigate to Tools

  1. Open Microsoft Copilot Studio and select the agent you want to connect.
    • Go to the Tools page for the agent.
    • Select Add a tool → New tool → Model Context Protocol.

The MCP onboarding wizard will appear.

Step 2 — Fill in the server details

Complete the required fields in the wizard:

  • Server name: Enter a display name, for example North52 Docs.
  • Server description: Enter a brief description of what the server does, for example: Searches the North52 knowledge base for articles, formula examples, and function reference. The agent orchestrator uses this description at runtime to decide when to call the server, so keep it accurate and specific.

  • Server URL:

    https://mcp.north52.com/mcp

Step 3 — Configure authentication

  1. Select API key as the authentication type.
  2. Select Header as the type.

  3. Enter the Header name:

    x-api-key
  4. Click Create
  5. Click on Create new connection from the Connection dropdown
  6. Enter your API key when prompted. Contact North52 to obtain a key.
  7. Select Create to save the connection.

Step 4 — Add the server to your agent

Follow the remaining steps in the onboarding wizard to add the MCP server as a tool on your agent. Copilot Studio will connect to the server and import the available tools automatically, including their names, descriptions, inputs, and outputs. These are kept in sync — if tools are updated or removed on the North52 server, Copilot Studio reflects those changes without any manual reconfiguration.

Step 5 — Publish your agent

Publish the agent to make the North52 tools available to your users. You can verify the connection by testing the agent and asking a question about North52 — the agent will invoke the knowledgebase_search tool automatically.