---
title: Connecting an AI assistant
description: Provide the editor's DITA operations to Claude Code, Claude Desktop, or Cursor over MCP.
type: how-to
---

# Connecting an AI assistant {#connecting-an-ai-assistant}

The editor can provide its operations to an AI assistant over the Model Context Protocol. The assistant then works on your project through the same commands the editor and the command line use, rather than by reading and rewriting files as text.

This setup differs from using an agent inside the editor. The assistant runs in a terminal or desktop application, and the editor provides the tools.

## Turn on the server {#turn-on-the-server}

The integration server is off by default.

:::steps
1. **Open the settings** Select **File > Settings**.
2. **Enable the server** Select **Server**, and then enable the server.
3. **Confirm it is listening**

   ```bash
   dogsbay-xml status
   ```
:::

The server binds to localhost and requires a token, which is written to a discovery file in your home directory so local clients can find it.

## Connect a client {#connect-a-client}

The editor prints the configuration for you:

```bash
dogsbay-xml status --mcp-config
```

For Claude Code, it can print the command that registers it:

```bash
dogsbay-xml status --mcp-install
```

Paste the configuration into the client's MCP settings, or run the command.

## What the assistant can do {#what-the-assistant-can-do}

The tools support the same operations as the command line:

- **Read and validate** documents, including Schematron and project-wide validation
- **Inspect the project** to find where a file is used, what a key resolves to, which references are broken, and the project's overall health
- **Map the project** in one call: every map, topic, key, and DITAVAL file, how they connect, and what each deliverable ships
- **Write reports** as standalone HTML pages, such as a relationship map or a health report
- **Refactor** by renaming files, keys, and IDs; converting between direct references and keys; extracting and inlining reuse; and splitting topics
- **Edit** the structure of maps and relationship tables
- **Control the editor** by opening documents, moving the cursor, selecting elements, and reading the outline
- **Review** proposals, add comments, and read the audit log

When a client connects, the server tells the assistant where to start: the project health check for any validation or audit question, the project graph for structure, and the report tool for a page. An assistant that follows it finds the checks the editor already has instead of writing its own.

Every call is attributed to a session, so the audit log records which assistant did what.

## If the token changes {#if-the-token-changes}

Regenerating the token invalidates any client configured with the old one:

```bash
dogsbay-xml status --reset-token
```

Restart the editor, and give clients the new configuration.

## Related {#related}

:::cards
- **[The agent, and what it may touch](/dogsbay-xml-docs/agent/overview){icon="shield"}**
  Tiers, the write gate, and the audit log, which also apply here.

- **[The command line](/dogsbay-xml-docs/reference/cli){icon="terminal"}**
  The same operations, without a client.
:::