Get started with the docs.netapp.com MCP server

09/15/2026 Contributors

Connect your AI development environment to the docs.netapp.com Model Context Protocol (MCP) server. After you configure the MCP server, you can use it to return answers that derive from the technical product documentation published on docs.netapp.com.

Prerequisites

Before configuring the docs.netapp.com MCP server, verify the following:

You have reviewed the requirements and limitations in Learn about the docs.netapp.com MCP server.
You have access to a supported MCP-compliant client such as Visual Studio Code with GitHub Copilot, Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Python-based agent frameworks.
You must have a valid subscription key. If you don't provide a key, MCP requests fail and return an access error. To request a subscription key, contact ng-docs-mcp@netapp.com with a brief description of your use case.
You have network access to the docs.netapp.com MCP endpoint: https://docs.netapp.com/mcp.

Configure your development environment

Choose the setup option for your environment.

Visual Studio Code setup
Claude Desktop configuration
Cursor configuration
Python AI agent integration

Visual Studio Code setup

You can connect to the MCP server from Visual Studio Code using GitHub Copilot by configuring an mcp.json file.

Before you begin

This task requires Visual Studio Code with the GitHub Copilot extension enabled.

Steps

From your project workspace in Visual Studio Code, complete the following:
1. Create a folder named .vscode
2. Create a file within the folder called mcp.json

Configure the mcp.json file.

{
  "servers": {
    "netapp-docs-mcp": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://docs.netapp.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Ocp-Apim-Subscription-Key": "${input:Ocp-Apim-Subscription-Key}"
      }
    }
  },
  "inputs": [
    {
      "type": "promptString",
      "id": "Ocp-Apim-Subscription-Key",
      "description": "Enter your access key",
      "password": true
    }
  ]
}

Save the file.
Optionally, configure global access.

To configure the docs.netapp.com MCP server across all Visual Studio Code projects and workspaces, add the configuration to your global user settings directory.
- Windows: C:\Users\<your_username>\AppData\Roaming\Code\User\mcp.json
- macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/mcp.json
  
  Add the server definition:
  { "servers": { "netapp-docs-mcp": { "type": "http", "url": "https://docs.netapp.com/mcp", "headers": { "Ocp-Apim-Subscription-Key": "${input:Ocp-Apim-Subscription-Key}" } } }, "inputs": [ { "type": "promptString", "id": "Ocp-Apim-Subscription-Key", "description": "Enter your access key", "password": true } ] }
  After you modify the global mcp.json file, restart Visual Studio Code to apply the configuration.
Verify the configuration.
1. Open Visual Studio Code in your workspace.
2. Confirm that the .vscode/mcp.json file is present.
3. Ask a question using Copilot.
  
  Example
  
  What are the differences between ONTAP and Cloud Volumes ONTAP?

Claude Desktop configuration

To register the docs.netapp.com MCP server with Claude Desktop, update the MCP configuration file:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "netapp-docs-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://docs.netapp.com/mcp",
        "--header",
        "Ocp-Apim-Subscription-Key:${NETAPP_MCP_KEY}"
      ],
      "env": {
        "NETAPP_MCP_KEY": "paste-your-subscription-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Cursor configuration

To register the docs.netapp.com MCP server with Cursor, update the MCP configuration file.

To apply the configuration globally, use the following paths:

Mac OS: ~/.cursor/mcp.json
Windows: %USERPROFILE%\.cursor\mcp.json

To apply the configuration in a single project, use .cursor/mcp.json in the project root directory.

If the file already has other MCP servers configured, add netapp-docs-mcp inside the existing mcpServers object (make sure to add a comma after the previous entry). If there is no mcpServers key, add the key at the top level next to any other settings.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "netapp-docs-mcp": {
      "url": "https://docs.netapp.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Ocp-Apim-Subscription-Key": "paste-your-subscription-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Python AI agent integration

Use this option if you are building applications or AI agents that directly call the MCP server.

Your client connects to the MCP endpoint and invokes the tools.

client = MCPClient("https://docs.netapp.com/mcp",
  headers={
          "Ocp-Apim-Subscription-Key": "<YOUR_API_KEY>"
      }
  )
response = client.call_tool("netapp_docs_ask", {
    "question": "What are ONTAP upgrade steps?"
})

Use the docs.netapp.com MCP server

After you configure the MCP server, you can interact with NetApp technical documentation directly inside your preferred client interface.

About this task

The AI client chooses an appropriate tool to provide results based on your query.
Use clear, complete questions instead of short or vague queries.
Responses are always derived from official NetApp documentation.

Steps

Open chat on your preferred MCP-compatible client.
Invoke the configured MCP server and ask a clear question about NetApp products or procedures.
Review the response.

Related information

Developer reference