Orchard Core MCP Server - Prompt Templates

Configure an MCP Server

You are an Orchard Core expert. Generate configuration and admin guidance for exposing Orchard Core AI capabilities through the CrestApps MCP Server feature.

Guidelines

• Use feature ID CrestApps.OrchardCore.AI.Mcp.Server.
• The MCP server exposes Orchard AI tools, MCP prompts, MCP resources, and templated resources.
• The server uses SSE transport.
• Prefer authenticated access in production.
• Prompts and resources can be managed from the admin UI.
• Resource URIs are auto-constructed by the system from {source}://{itemId}/{path}.

Feature Overview

Feature	Feature ID	Description
MCP Server	CrestApps.OrchardCore.AI.Mcp.Server	Expose Orchard Core as an MCP-compatible server

Enable the MCP Server Feature

{
  "steps": [
    {
      "name": "Feature",
      "enable": [
        "CrestApps.OrchardCore.AI",
        "CrestApps.OrchardCore.AI.Mcp.Server"
      ],
      "disable": []
    }
  ]
}

Supported MCP Capabilities

Capability	Description
Tools	Exposes registered Orchard AI tools as MCP tools
Prompts	Exposes MCP prompts through ListPrompts and GetPrompt
Resources	Exposes static resources through ListResources and ReadResource
Templated Resources	Exposes variable-based resource templates through ListResourceTemplates

Authentication Modes

Mode	Description	Recommended Use
OpenId	Uses OpenID Connect via the API scheme	Production
ApiKey	Uses a configured API key	Simple server-to-server integrations
None	No authentication	Local development only

OpenId Configuration

{
  "OrchardCore": {
    "CrestApps_AI": {
      "McpServer": {
        "AuthenticationType": "OpenId",
        "RequireAccessPermission": true
      }
    }
  }
}

When RequireAccessPermission is true, callers must have the AccessMcpServer permission.

ApiKey Configuration

{
  "OrchardCore": {
    "CrestApps_AI": {
      "McpServer": {
        "AuthenticationType": "ApiKey",
        "ApiKey": "{{McpServerApiKey}}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Accepted Authorization header formats include:

• Bearer <key>
• ApiKey <key>
• raw key value

Development-Only Configuration

{
  "OrchardCore": {
    "CrestApps_AI": {
      "McpServer": {
        "AuthenticationType": "None"
      }
    }
  }
}

Server Endpoint

Endpoint	Method	Purpose
/mcp/sse	POST	MCP SSE endpoint

Add MCP Prompts via Admin UI

1. Navigate to Artificial Intelligence → MCP Prompts.
2. Click Add Prompt.
3. Fill in:
   • Name: The unique MCP prompt identifier.
   • Display Text: Friendly admin name.
   • Description: Optional description for clients.
4. Add one or more Messages.
   • Each message includes a Role such as system or user.
   • Each message includes Content.
5. Save the prompt.

Clients can discover prompts with ListPrompts and fetch their messages with GetPrompt.

Add MCP Resources via Admin UI

1. Navigate to Artificial Intelligence → MCP Resources.
2. Click Add Resource.
3. Choose a Resource Type such as File, Media, Content Item, Content Type, Recipe Schema, or Recipe Step Schema.
4. Fill in:
   • Display Text
   • Path
   • Name
   • Title (optional)
   • Description (optional)
   • MIME Type
5. Save the resource.

Resource Path Rules

• You only enter the path portion in the UI.
• The full URI is generated automatically as {source}://{itemId}/{path}.
• Templated resources can use variables such as {fileName}, {contentType}, or {stepName} depending on the resource type.

Built-In Resource Types

Type	Supported Variables	Description
file	{providerName}, {fileName}	File provider access
media	{path}	Orchard media library
content-item	{contentItemId}, {contentItemVersionId}	Specific content item
content-type	{contentType}	Published items by content type
recipe-schema	none	Full JSON schema for all recipe steps
recipe-step-schema	{stepName}	JSON schema for one recipe step
recipe	{recipeName}	Recipe content by name
ftp	{path}	FTP or FTPS resource access
sftp	{path}	SFTP resource access

Recipe Example for MCP Resources

{
  "steps": [
    {
      "name": "McpResource",
      "Resources": [
        {
          "Source": "file",
          "DisplayText": "Configuration File",
          "Resource": {
            "Uri": "file://configs/{providerName}/{fileName}",
            "Name": "config-file",
            "Description": "Application configuration",
            "MimeType": "application/json"
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Register a Custom Resource Type

services.AddMcpResourceType<DatabaseResourceTypeHandler>("database", entry =>
{
    entry.DisplayName = S["Database"];
    entry.Description = S["Query data from databases."];
    entry.SupportedVariables =
    [
        new McpResourceVariable("table") { Description = S["The database table name."] },
        new McpResourceVariable("id") { Description = S["The row ID to fetch."] },
    ];
});

public sealed class DatabaseResourceTypeHandler : McpResourceTypeHandlerBase
{
    public DatabaseResourceTypeHandler() : base("database") { }

    protected override Task<ReadResourceResult> GetResultAsync(
        McpResource resource,
        IReadOnlyDictionary<string, string> variables,
        CancellationToken cancellationToken)
    {
        variables.TryGetValue("table", out var table);
        variables.TryGetValue("id", out var id);
        // Query your data source here.
    }
}

External Client Connection Example

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "orchard-core": {
      "transport": {
        "type": "sse",
        "url": "https://your-orchard-site.com/mcp/sse",
        "headers": {
          "Authorization": "Bearer <token-or-api-key>"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Security Best Practices

• Use OpenId in production whenever possible.
• Store API keys in environment variables or secrets.
• Grant AccessMcpServer only to trusted identities.
• Remember that exposed tools still respect Orchard Core permissions.
• Keep tenant isolation in mind; MCP operates in a tenant context.