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docs(mcp): update to reflect the new configuration spec (#1851)
New spec: https://www.notion.so/apify/MCP-Server-240f39950a22800d9019f92ed7e8da93?source=copy_link#255f39950a2280b09f7bca2bdd400071 Refactored the page to be more consistent with the https://github.com/apify/apify-mcp-server. **Merge after new mcp.apify.com release**
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sources/platform/integrations/ai/mcp.md

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@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ You can use the Apify MCP Server in two ways:
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:::tip Quick setup options
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_MCP server configuration for other clients_: Use https://mcp.apify.com to select Actors and tools, then copy the configuration to your client.
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_Claude Desktop_: Download and run the [Apify MCP Server DXT file](https://github.com/apify/actors-mcp-server/releases/latest/download/actors-mcp-server.dxt) for one-click installation.
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_Claude Desktop_: Download and run the [Apify MCP Server DXT file](https://github.com/apify/actors-mcp-server/releases/latest/download/apify-mcp-server.dxt) for one-click installation.
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:::
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}
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```
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You can also use your Apify token directly, instead of OAuth, by setting the `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_TOKEN>` header in the MCP server configuration:
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```json
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{
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"mcpServers": {
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"apify": {
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"url": "https://mcp.apify.com",
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"headers": {
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"Authorization": "Bearer your-apify-token"
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}
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}
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}
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}
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```
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## Example usage (local stdio with Claude for Desktop)
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Let’s walk through an example of using Claude for Desktop with the Apify MCP Server:
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![Apify Tester MCP Client](../../images/chat-ui.webp)
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## Interact with the MCP server over SSE
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## Interact with the MCP server over legacy SSE transport
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You can interact with the server through Server-Sent Events (SSE) to send messages and receive responses.
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:::caution Legacy SSE transport is discouraged
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We strongly recommend using the latest [streamable HTTP transport](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/specification/2025-06-18/basic/transports#streamable-http) for new integrations at `https://mcp.apify.com`. The legacy SSE transport at `https://mcp.apify.com/sse` is deprecated and will be removed in the future.
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:::
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You can interact with the server through legacy Server-Sent Events (SSE) to send messages and receive responses.
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In the client settings, you need to provide server configuration:
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}
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```
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## Adding Multiple Actors
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## Tools, resources, and prompts
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The MCP server provides a set of tools for interacting with Apify Actors.
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Since the Apify Store is large and growing rapidly, the MCP server provides a way to dynamically discover and use new Actors.
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By default, the main Actors MCP Server starts with a single default [RAG Web Browser Actor](https://apify.com/apify/rag-web-browser). However, you can fully customize which Actors are available:
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### Actors
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- _Dynamic adding during a session:_ If your client supports it, the agent itself can add Actors dynamically by name (using the `add-actor` operation) at runtime. For example, after using `search-actors` to find an Actor’s name, calling `add-actor` with that name will load it.
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_Tools for adding and removing Actors are enabled by default._
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You can disable these tools by setting the parameter `?enableAddingActors=false` in the MCP Server URL, or with the CLI flag `--enable-adding-actors=false` (can also be set in Claude for Desktop config args as `--enable-adding-actors=false`).
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Not all MCP client frameworks allow dynamic tool addition at runtime, but Apify’s own tester client does, if adding Actors is enabled.
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- _Via url:_ If you are using Streamable HTTP or SSE protocol, you could add `actors` query parameter with Actor names separated by comma:
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Any [Apify Actor](https://apify.com/store) can be used as a tool.
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By default, the server is pre-configured with one Actor, `apify/rag-web-browser`, and several helper tools.
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The MCP server loads an Actor's input schema and creates a corresponding MCP tool.
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This allows the AI agent to know exactly what arguments to pass to the Actor and what to expect in return.
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For example, for the `apify/rag-web-browser` Actor, the input parameters are:
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```json
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{
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"mcpServers": {
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"Apify": {
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"url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?actors=lukaskrivka/google-maps-with-contact-details,apify/instagram-scraper"
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}
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}
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"query": "restaurants in San Francisco",
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"maxResults": 3
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}
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```
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- _Via config file:_ For local stdio connection, you can specify which Actors should be immediately available by configuring your json configuration. Add the Actors as a comma-separated list in the `--actors` parameter, as shown in the example below. This pre-loads your selected tools without requiring discovery during conversations, ideal for workflows with predictable tool needs.
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You don't need to manually specify which Actor to call or its input parameters; the LLM handles this automatically.
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When a tool is called, the arguments are automatically passed to the Actor by the LLM.
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You can refer to the specific Actor's documentation for a list of available arguments.
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```json
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{
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"mcpServers": {
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"actors-mcp-server": {
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"command": "npx",
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"args": [
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"-y", "@apify/actors-mcp-server",
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"--actors", "lukaskrivka/google-maps-with-contact-details,apify/instagram-scraper"
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],
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"env": {
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"APIFY_TOKEN": "YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN"
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}
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}
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}
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}
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```
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### Helper tools
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One of the most powerful features of using MCP with Apify is dynamic tool discovery.
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It gives an AI agent the ability to find new tools (Actors) as needed and incorporate them.
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Here are some special MCP operations and how the Apify MCP Server supports them:
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- **Apify Actors**: Search for Actors, view their details, and use them as tools for the AI.
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- **Apify documentation**: Search the Apify documentation and fetch specific documents to provide context to the AI.
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- **Actor runs**: Get lists of your Actor runs, inspect their details, and retrieve logs.
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- **Apify storage**: Access data from your datasets and key-value stores.
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### Overview of available tools
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In summary, you can start with a broad set (everything open and discoverable) or a narrow set (just what you need) and even expand tools on the fly, giving your agent a lot of flexibility without overwhelming it initially.
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Here is an overview list of all the tools provided by the Apify MCP Server.
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## Configure tools for the MCP server
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| Tool name | Category | Enabled by default | Description |
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| :--- | :--- | :--- | :---: |
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| `search-actors` | actors || Search for Actors in the Apify Store. |
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| `fetch-actor-details` | actors || Retrieve detailed information about a specific Actor. |
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| `call-actor` | actors || Call an Actor and get its run results. |
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| [`apify-slash-rag-web-browser`](https://apify.com/apify/rag-web-browser) | Actor (see [tool configuration](#tools-configuration)) || An Actor tool to browse the web. |
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| `search-apify-docs` | docs || Search the Apify documentation for relevant pages. |
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| `fetch-apify-docs` | docs || Fetch the full content of an Apify documentation page by its URL. |
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| `get-actor-run` | runs | | Get detailed information about a specific Actor run. |
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| `get-actor-run-list` | runs | | Get a list of an Actor's runs, filterable by status. |
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| `get-actor-log` | runs | | Retrieve the logs for a specific Actor run. |
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| `get-dataset` | storage | | Get metadata about a specific dataset. |
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| `get-dataset-items` | storage | | Retrieve items from a dataset with support for filtering and pagination. |
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| `get-dataset-schema` | storage | | Generate a JSON schema from dataset items. |
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| `get-key-value-store` | storage | | Get metadata about a specific key-value store. |
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| `get-key-value-store-keys`| storage | | List the keys within a specific key-value store. |
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| `get-key-value-store-record`| storage | | Get the value associated with a specific key in a key-value store. |
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| `get-dataset-list` | storage | | List all available datasets for the user. |
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| `get-key-value-store-list`| storage | | List all available key-value stores for the user. |
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| `add-actor` | experimental | | Add an Actor as a new tool for the user to call. |
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You can customize the MCP server’s available tools by adding query parameters to the server URL or by passing arguments to the CLI.
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This allows you to enable or disable specific tool categories and control which tools are available.
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### Tools configuration
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The following tool categories are available:
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The `tools` configuration parameter is used to specify loaded tools - either categories or specific tools directly, and Apify Actors. For example, `tools=storage,runs` loads two categories; `tools=add-actor` loads just one tool.
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- _Actor discovery and management_ (default, always enabled): Search for [Actors](https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors) (`search-actors`), view details (`get-actor-details`), and dynamically add them (`add-actor`).
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- _docs_ (default, can be disabled): Search Apify documentation (`search-apify-docs`) and fetch specific documents (`fetch-apify-docs`).
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- _runs_ (optional): Get a list of your [Actor runs](https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/runs-and-builds#runs) (`get-actor-run-list`), specific run details (`get-actor-run`), and logs from a specific Actor run (`get-actor-log`).
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- _storage_ (optional): Access [datasets](https://docs.apify.com/platform/storage/dataset) and [key-value stores](https://docs.apify.com/platform/storage/key-value-store), including their records (`get-dataset`, `get-dataset-items`, `get-dataset-list`, `get-key-value-store`, `get-key-value-store-keys`, `get-key-value-store-record`, `get-key-value-store-records`).
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- _preview_ (optional): Experimental tools in preview mode. Call any Actor using API (`call-actor`).
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When no query parameters are provided, the MCP server loads the following `tools` by default:
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The _Actor discovery and management_ tools are always present and cannot be disabled.
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The _docs_ tools are enabled by default but can be switched off using the `tools` parameter.
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- `actors`
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- `docs`
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- `apify/rag-web-browser`
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### Configure mcp.apify.com using query parameters
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If the tools parameter is specified, only the listed tools or categories will be enabled - no default tools will be included.
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Use the `tools` query parameter to enable or disable specific tool categories.
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:::tip Easy configuration
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For example, to enable only the `runs` and `storage` tools, you can use:
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Use the [UI configurator](https://mcp.apify.com/) to configure your server, then copy the configuration to your client.
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:::
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#### Configuring the hosted server
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The hosted server can be configured using query parameters in the URL. For example, to load the default tools, use:
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```text
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https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=runs,storage
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https://mcp.apify.com?tools=actors,docs,apify/rag-web-browser
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The server will expose all _Actor discovery and management tools_, as well as `runs` and `storage`.
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The list of tools you can enable/disable is as follows: `docs`, `runs`, `storage`, and `preview`.
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For minimal configuration, if you want to use only a single Actor tool - without any discovery or generic calling tools, the server can be configured as follows:
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```text
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https://mcp.apify.com?tools=apify/my-actor
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```
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This setup exposes only the specified Actor (`apify/my-actor`) as a tool. No other tools will be available.
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#### Configuring the CLI
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### Configure stdio server using CLI arguments
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The CLI can be configured using command-line flags. For example, to load the same tools as in the hosted server configuration, use:
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```bash
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npx @apify/actors-mcp-server --tools actors,docs,apify/rag-web-browser
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```
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For example, to enable only the `runs` and `storage` tools, you can run:
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The minimal configuration is similar to the hosted server configuration:
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npx @apify/actors-mcp-server --tools apify/my-actor
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```
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## Dynamic discovery of Actors
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As above, this exposes only the specified Actor (`apify/my-actor`) as a tool. No other tools will be available.
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:::caution Important recommendation
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_The default tools configuration may change in future versions._ When no `tools` parameter is specified, the server currently loads default tools, but this behavior is subject to change.
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One of the powerful features of MCP with Apify is **dynamic Actor tooling** – the ability for an AI agent to find new tools (Actors) as needed and incorporate them.
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_For production use and stable interfaces, always explicitly specify the `tools` parameter_ to ensure your configuration remains consistent across updates.
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:::
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Supported dynamic tool operations (enabled by default):
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### Prompts
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- `search-actors`: Find available Actors by keyword or category.
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- `get-actor-details`: View details and usage information for a specific Actor.
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- `add-actor`: Dynamically add an Actor as a tool for the current session, making it available for use.
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The server provides a set of predefined example prompts to help you get started interacting with Apify through MCP. For example, there is a `GetLatestNewsOnTopic` prompt that allows you to easily retrieve the latest news on a specific topic using the [RAG Web Browser](https://apify.com/apify/rag-web-browser) Actor.
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These operations allow your agent to expand its toolset on demand, without requiring a server restart or manual configuration.
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### Resources
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Dynamic tool addition can be disabled using the `?enableAddingActors=false`.
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Not all MCP clients support dynamic tool addition.
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Check your client’s documentation or settings to confirm this feature is available.
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The server does not yet provide any resources.
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## Rate limits
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