Connect AI agents with MCP

Snaggy 1.3 · Updated 7 November 2026

Snaggy has a built in MCP server, so AI apps like Claude, Codex, Cursor and Gemini can search your saved links, file new ones and keep your library tidy while they work.

How it works

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is the standard way AI apps talk to other tools. Snaggy's MCP server runs inside the app itself, so anything an assistant does goes through the same library you see in Snaggy.

• It stays on your Mac. The server only listens on 127.0.0.1. Other computers on your network can't reach it, and nothing is sent to us.
• It needs your access key. Every request must carry the private key shown in Snaggy's settings.
• It's off until you turn it on, and it only runs while Snaggy is open.
• It can't delete anything. The most an assistant can do is move a link to the Archive, where you can restore it.

Turn it on

1. Open Snaggy and go to Settings › AI & MCP.
2. Turn on Let AI assistants use Snaggy. The status changes to Running and shows the server address.
3. Under Connect an assistant, pick your app and click Copy. The snippet in the app already has your access key filled in.
4. Paste it where your app expects it (see below), then start a new session in that app.

You can also do this during setup, on the AI agents step.

Connect your agent

These are the same snippets Snaggy shows in Settings. Copying from the app is easiest, because it fills in your key. If you copy from here, replace YOUR_ACCESS_KEY with the key from Settings › AI & MCP › Access key.

claude mcp add --transport http snaggy http://127.0.0.1:52770/mcp --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_KEY"

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "snaggy": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "http://127.0.0.1:52770/mcp", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_KEY"]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "snaggy": {
      "url": "http://127.0.0.1:52770/mcp",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_KEY" }
    }
  }
}

[mcp_servers.snaggy]
url = "http://127.0.0.1:52770/mcp"
http_headers = { "Authorization" = "Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_KEY" }

gemini mcp add --transport http snaggy http://127.0.0.1:52770/mcp --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_KEY"

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "snaggy": {
      "serverUrl": "http://127.0.0.1:52770/mcp",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_KEY" }
    }
  }
}

Other MCP apps

Any app that supports MCP over HTTP (often called Streamable HTTP) and lets you add a header can connect with these two settings:

Apps that only run local command tools can use the mcp-remote bridge, as in the Claude Desktop example.

What your agent can do

Snaggy offers seven tools. Three only read your library and four change it. Your agent decides when to use them based on what you ask.

What a link looks like

Tools that return links describe each one with these fields:

Things to ask

• Find that agents article I saved last week and summarise it.
• What did I save about SwiftUI animations? List the five newest.
• Save https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines to my Design folder.
• Which folders have the most unread links?
• Move everything from github.com in Reading to Dev.
• Add a note to the Linear article: "use for the onboarding plan".
• Archive the links in Inbox that are older than a month.

Security and privacy

• Local only. The server accepts connections from this Mac only, never from your network or the internet.
• Access key. Requests without the right key are refused. Treat the key like a password and only paste it into apps you trust.
• New key. Click the arrows next to the key in Settings › AI & MCP to make a new one. Apps using the old key stop working until you give them the new one.
• Websites can't use it. Requests that come from a web page in your browser are refused, even with the key.
• What the AI app sees. Links your agent finds are sent to that AI app, and from there to its provider, like anything else you share in a chat. Their privacy policy covers what happens next.
• Turning it off stops the server straight away.
• License. If Snaggy is locked because there's no active license, every tool answers with a message asking you to add your key.

Troubleshooting

The agent says Snaggy isn't connected

Check that Snaggy is open (its icon is in the menu bar) and that Settings › AI & MCP says Running. Then start a new session in your agent, because most apps only load MCP servers when a session starts.

"Missing or wrong access key"

The key in your agent's config doesn't match Snaggy's. This happens after making a new key. Copy the snippet from Settings again and replace the old one.

"Couldn't start on port 52770"

Another app is already using that port. Quit the other app, then turn the setting off and on again in Snaggy.

"Snaggy is locked"

Snaggy needs an active license. Open Snaggy and add your license key. Your links are all still there.

Claude Desktop doesn't show Snaggy

Claude Desktop needs Node.js for the mcp-remote bridge. Install it from nodejs.org, then quit and reopen Claude.

A link I know I saved isn't found

It may be in the Archive, so ask your agent to include archived links. Folder names also have to match exactly, so ask it to list your folders first.

Technical reference

Test it from Terminal

This lists Snaggy's tools. If it prints JSON, the server is running and your key works.

curl -s http://127.0.0.1:52770/mcp \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/list"}'