MCP Server

Overview

The Trossen Docs MCP server gives AI assistants direct access to the Trossen Arm documentation and API reference. Instead of searching the web or copy-pasting docs, you can ask your assistant questions and it will look up the answers from the official documentation automatically.

It works with any assistant that supports the Model Context Protocol, including Claude Code, GitHub Copilot in VS Code, Claude.ai, and ChatGPT.

The server provides the following tools:

  • list_doc_pages: List all available documentation pages and API headers.

  • search_docs: Fuzzy search across all documentation with relevance-ranked results.

  • read_doc_page: Read a full documentation page or header file.

  • read_doc_section: Read a specific section from a documentation page by heading.

  • get_api_reference: Look up API symbols (classes, methods, enums, structs) with their documentation.

  • list_demos: List all Python and C++ demo scripts with their descriptions.

  • search_demos: Search demo scripts by keyword, returning purpose, hardware setup, and steps.

  • get_demo: Read the full source code of a demo script.

Two ways to connect

There are two ways to use the server:

  • Hosted (recommended): Trossen Robotics runs the server for you at https://mcp.docs.trossenrobotics.com/mcp. There is nothing to install, you just point your assistant at the URL. This works with any client that supports remote (streamable HTTP) MCP servers.

  • Local (Docker): Run the server yourself as a Docker container. Use this if you want it fully offline or prefer not to depend on the hosted endpoint.

Running the server locally with Docker

If you would rather run the server yourself instead of using the hosted endpoint, run it as a Docker container. The assistant launches the container on demand and talks to it over stdio.

Prerequisites

Get the image

Pull the pre-built image from GitHub Container Registry:

docker pull ghcr.io/trossenrobotics/trossen_arm/docs-mcp-server

Or build it from source:

  1. Clone the repository:

    git clone https://github.com/TrossenRobotics/trossen_arm.git
cd trossen_arm

  2. Build the Docker image:

    docker build -f docs/mcp_server/Dockerfile -t ghcr.io/trossenrobotics/trossen_arm/docs-mcp-server .

Adding the local server to Claude Code

Run the following command to register the MCP server with Claude Code:

claude mcp add trossen-docs -- docker run -i --rm ghcr.io/trossenrobotics/trossen_arm/docs-mcp-server

This configures Claude Code to launch the server automatically when needed using stdio transport.

Note

If you built the image from source without the suggested tag, replace ghcr.io/trossenrobotics/trossen_arm/docs-mcp-server with your local image name in the commands above.

To verify the server was added:

claude mcp list

You should see trossen-docs in the output.

Adding the local server to GitHub Copilot in VS Code

  • Open the command palette by pressing Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux) / Command+Shift+P (Mac).

  • Type and select MCP: Add Server....

  • Type and select Command (stdio).

  • For the command to run, enter:

    docker run -i --rm ghcr.io/trossenrobotics/trossen_arm/docs-mcp-server

  • You can choose any unique identifier for the server, such as trossen-docs.

To verify the server was added:

  • Open the command palette by pressing Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux) / Command+Shift+P (Mac).

  • Type and select MCP: List Servers.

  • You should be able to see and manage the status of trossen-docs.

The mcp.json configuration file should look like this:

{
    "servers": {
        "trossen-docs": {
            "type": "stdio",
            "command": "docker",
            "args": [
                "run",
                "-i",
                "--rm",
                "ghcr.io/trossenrobotics/trossen_arm/docs-mcp-server"
            ]
        }
    },
    "inputs": []
}

Usage

Once the server is connected, your assistant automatically uses its tools when you ask questions about the Trossen Arm. No special syntax is needed.

Example prompts:

  • “How do I set up the Trossen Arm for the first time?”

  • “What are the parameters for the configure method?”

  • “Show me the ROS 2 bringup instructions”

  • “What does the Mode enum look like?”

  • “Why is my arm jittering during data collection?”

  • “Show me how to do cartesian position control”

  • “How do I open and close the gripper?”

Behind the scenes, the assistant calls the MCP server’s tools to search the docs, read relevant pages, and look up API symbols to answer your question.

Removing the server

  • Claude Code: run claude mcp remove trossen-docs.

  • GitHub Copilot in VS Code: open the command palette, select MCP: List Servers, then remove trossen-docs.

  • Claude.ai / ChatGPT: remove the connector from the same Connectors (Apps) settings page where you added it.