langbot-mcp-ops

name

langbot-mcp-ops

description

Operate a LangBot instance through its built-in MCP (Model Context Protocol) server. Use when an AI agent needs to manage LangBot — list/create/update/delete bots, pipelines, models, knowledge bases, MCP servers, and skills — over MCP instead of raw HTTP. Covers the /mcp endpoint, API-key auth (web-UI lbk_ keys and the config.yaml global key), the tool surface, and client configuration. Triggers on "langbot mcp", "manage langbot via mcp", "langbot /mcp", "langbot mcp server".

LangBot MCP Operations

LangBot exposes an MCP server so AI agents can manage an instance programmatically. It mirrors a curated subset of the HTTP service API.

Endpoint

http://<langbot-host>:5300/mcp

Transport: streamable HTTP (stateless, JSON responses). Same host/port as the web UI and HTTP API.

Authentication

Reuses the same API keys as the HTTP API. Send either header:

X-API-Key: <api-key>
# or
Authorization: Bearer <api-key>

Two kinds of key are accepted:

1. Web-UI key — created in the web UI (sidebar → API Keys), prefixed lbk_, stored in the database.
2. Global API key — set in data/config.yaml under api.global_api_key. Requires no login session and no DB record; does not need the lbk_ prefix. Leave empty to disable. See the langbot-deploy skill for config details.

Requests without a valid key get 401 Unauthorized.

Client configuration

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "langbot": {
      "url": "http://<langbot-host>:5300/mcp",
      "headers": { "X-API-Key": "<api-key>" }
    }
  }
}

Tool surface

The tools wrap the LangBot service layer. Current tools (v1):

Tool	Purpose
get_system_info	Version, edition, instance id
list_bots / get_bot / create_bot / update_bot / delete_bot	Manage messaging-platform bots (secrets redacted on read)
list_pipelines / get_pipeline / create_pipeline / update_pipeline / delete_pipeline	Manage pipelines
list_llm_models / get_llm_model / list_embedding_models / list_model_providers	Inspect models & providers
list_knowledge_bases / get_knowledge_base / retrieve_knowledge_base	RAG knowledge bases (incl. semantic search)
list_mcp_servers	External MCP servers LangBot connects to (as a client)
list_skills / get_skill	Installed skills

Mutating tools (create_*, update_*) take a JSON object matching the same shape as the corresponding HTTP API request body. Discover resources with the list_* / get_* tools before mutating; identifiers are UUIDs.

How to use

1. Get an API key (web UI key, or set api.global_api_key in config.yaml).
2. Point your MCP client at http://<host>:5300/mcp with the key header.
3. Call get_system_info to confirm connectivity.
4. Use list_* tools to discover, then get_* / create_* / update_* / delete_* as needed.

Implementation & maintenance (for LangBot developers)

• Server: src/langbot/pkg/api/mcp/server.py (FastMCP). Tools call the service layer directly, so the MCP surface stays aligned with the API.
• Mount: src/langbot/pkg/api/mcp/mount.py — an ASGI dispatcher fronting Quart, authenticating /mcp requests, running the streamable-HTTP session manager.
• Smoke test: tests/manual/mcp_smoke.py.

When you add, remove, or change an HTTP API endpoint that should be agent-accessible, update the corresponding MCP tool and this skill. The MCP tool surface and the API must stay aligned (see AGENTS.md).

Pitfalls

• /mcp is the server LangBot exposes. The /api/v1/mcp routes are the client side (managing external MCP servers LangBot connects to). Don't confuse them.
• A 401 means the key is wrong, missing, or (for the global key) api.global_api_key is empty in config.yaml.
• The global key is plaintext in config.yaml — only enable it on trusted/internal deployments and serve over HTTPS.