# 8. phpMyFAQ MCP Server

This document describes the Model Context Protocol (MCP) server implementation for phpMyFAQ.

## 8.1 Overview

The phpMyFAQ MCP Server allows Large Language Models (LLMs) to query the phpMyFAQ installation through the Model 
Context Protocol. This enables AI assistants to provide contextually relevant answers based on your FAQ.

## 8.2 Usage

### 8.2.1 Starting the Server

```bash
# Show server information
php bin/console phpmyfaq:mcp:server --info

# Start the MCP server
php bin/console phpmyfaq:mcp:server
```

### 8.2.2 Available Tools

#### faq_search

Search through the phpMyFAQ knowledge base to find relevant FAQ entries.

**Parameters:**
- `query` (required): The search query or question
- `category_id` (optional): Limit search to a specific category
- `limit` (optional): Maximum results to return (default: 10, max: 50)
- `all_languages` (optional): Search in all languages (default: false)

**Example Usage:**
```json
{
  "tool": "faq_search",
  "arguments": {
    "query": "How to reset password?",
    "limit": 5,
    "category_id": 1
  }
}
```

**Response Format:**
The tool returns formatted text with FAQ entries including:
- Question and answer content
- FAQ ID and language
- Relevance score
- Direct URL to the FAQ entry

## 8.3 Integration with LLM Clients

Once the MCP server is running, LLM clients can connect to it and use the `faq_search` tool to query your phpMyFAQ 
database. The server follows the MCP specification and provides:

- Tool discovery via `tools/list`
- Tool execution via `tools/call`

### 8.3.1 Example with MCP Inspector

To test the server, you can use the MCP Inspector tool:

```bash
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector php bin/console phpmyfaq:mcp:server
```

You should see something like the following output:

```bash
Starting MCP inspector...
⚙️ Proxy server listening on localhost:6277
🔑 Session token: 428d7f0d505ea087fda1ef9005fbec76ade6cbdfd6f98a93c315b6207d4ac82a
   Use this token to authenticate requests or set DANGEROUSLY_OMIT_AUTH=true to disable auth

🚀 MCP Inspector is up and running at:
   http://localhost:6274/?MCP_PROXY_AUTH_TOKEN=428d7f0d505ea087fda1ef9005fbec76ade6cbdfd6f98a93c315b6207d4ac82a

🌐 Opening browser...
```

You can then access the MCP Inspector at the provided URL to interact with the server and test the `faq_search` tool.

## 8.4 Configuration

No additional configuration is required beyond having a working phpMyFAQ installation.

## 8.5 Error Handling

The server includes comprehensive error handling:
- Invalid search queries return descriptive error messages
- Database connection issues are logged and reported
- Malformed requests are handled gracefully

## 8.6 Security Considerations

- The MCP server only provides read access to publicly available FAQ content
- No authentication bypass or privileged access is provided
- Search results respect phpMyFAQ's existing visibility rules

## 8.7 Troubleshooting

### 8.7.1 Debugging

Enable debug logging by checking the Monolog output when running the server. The logger outputs to stdout by default.