MCP servers for the X API and X developer docs

Two MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers are available for working with X from AI tools:

Server	What it does	URL
X MCP	Call X API endpoints (search posts, look up users, bookmarks, trends, news, Articles, and more)	`https://api.x.com/mcp` (hosted; connect via `xurl mcp`)
Docs MCP	Search and read X API documentation	`https://docs.x.com/mcp` (hosted)

X MCP — X API

Connect any MCP-compatible AI tool (Grok Build, Cursor, Claude, VS Code, and others) directly to the X API. The model can then search the full archive, look up users, manage bookmarks, fetch trends and news, and draft Articles — all with your own X account’s permissions. The X API exposes a hosted Streamable HTTP MCP server at https://api.x.com/mcp (protocol 2025-06-18, serverInfo: xmcp). You reach it through the open-source xurl mcp bridge, which handles OAuth for you and injects a fresh Bearer token on every call.

Capabilities at a glance

Category	What the model can do
Posts	Fetch posts, see likers / reposters / quoters, recent counts
Search	Full-archive post search, user search, news search
Users	Resolve the current user, look up by id / handle, read a user’s posts, timeline, and mentions
Bookmarks	List / add / remove bookmarks and manage bookmark folders
News & Trends	Get news stories, get trends for a location (WOEID)
Articles	Create draft Articles and publish them

How it works

X’s OAuth requires your own developer app. There is no dynamic client registration, and api.x.com/mcp does not advertise native MCP OAuth discovery. Instead of pointing your client at the URL directly, you run a tiny local bridge. The bridge owns the app identity, performs the one-time login, and keeps the token fresh.

The bridge runs via the npm launcher (npx), so there is no separate install step.
On first run with no cached token, it opens your browser for a one-time OAuth2 login, then caches and auto-refreshes the token forever after.
All diagnostics go to stderr; stdout stays a clean JSON-RPC channel.

Getting started

Pick one of two routes:

Simple — App-only Bearer. Paste your app’s Bearer token into an Authorization header on the MCP client. No bridge, no browser login. Read-only endpoints; no user context (can’t act as you). Works with clients that support remote MCP with custom headers.
Full — xurl mcp bridge (OAuth 2.0 user context). A local bridge handles the OAuth 2.0 PKCE login and auto-refreshes tokens, so the model acts with your account’s scopes. Required for writes (bookmarks, Articles) and any user-context tool.

Simple route (app-only Bearer)

Create an X app in the X Developer Portal.
Copy your App-only Bearer token from the app’s “Keys and tokens” page.
Point your client at https://api.x.com/mcp with the token as an Authorization header — see App-only (direct URL, no bridge) below for the snippet.

Full route (xurl bridge)

Create an X app with OAuth 2.0 enabled.
Register the redirect URI http://localhost:8080/callback on the app (required for the first-run browser login). To use a different one, set REDIRECT_URI and register that instead.
Copy your CLIENT_ID and CLIENT_SECRET — you’ll put them in the client config. If you ever run xurl auth oauth2 manually (e.g., the headless flow below), export them as environment variables in that shell first — the login fails in the browser without them.
Have Node.js installed (for npx).

We recommend you install xurl:

brew install --cask xdevplatform/tap/xurl      # Homebrew
npm install -g @xdevplatform/xurl              # npm (global)
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/xdevplatform/xurl/main/install.sh | bash

First login needs a browser. On a headless/remote box, authenticate out-of-band first with xurl auth oauth2 --headless (paste-a-code flow), then the bridge just reuses the cached token. See Headless.

Connect your client

1. Grok Build

[mcp_servers.xapi]
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "@xdevplatform/xurl", "mcp", "https://api.x.com/mcp"]
enabled = true
startup_timeout_sec = 300          # give the first-run browser login time

[mcp_servers.xapi.env]
CLIENT_ID = "YOUR_X_APP_CLIENT_ID"
CLIENT_SECRET = "YOUR_X_APP_CLIENT_SECRET"

[mcp_servers.xapi]
url = "https://api.x.com/mcp"
enabled = true

[mcp_servers.xapi.headers]
Authorization = "Bearer YOUR_APP_ONLY_BEARER_TOKEN"

Or add the xurl bridge with one command (the -e flags become the server’s environment, args after -- go to npx):

grok mcp add xapi npx \
  -e CLIENT_ID=YOUR_X_APP_CLIENT_ID \
  -e CLIENT_SECRET=YOUR_X_APP_CLIENT_SECRET \
  -- -y @xdevplatform/xurl mcp https://api.x.com/mcp

Verify and list:

grok mcp doctor xapi      # ✓ server started, ✓ handshake OK, ✓ tools discovered
grok mcp list

The first time a tool is invoked (or on doctor), your browser opens for the X login — complete it once and you’re set.

2. Cursor

Create ~/.cursor/mcp.json (global, all projects) or .cursor/mcp.json (this project only):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "xapi": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@xdevplatform/xurl", "mcp", "https://api.x.com/mcp"],
      "env": {
        "CLIENT_ID": "YOUR_X_APP_CLIENT_ID",
        "CLIENT_SECRET": "YOUR_X_APP_CLIENT_SECRET"
      }
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "xapi": {
      "url": "https://api.x.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_APP_ONLY_BEARER_TOKEN"
      }
    }
  }
}

Then open Cursor → Settings → MCP, confirm xapi shows a green dot and its tools. On first use Cursor spawns the bridge and your browser opens for login; the tool list populates once the handshake completes.

3. Claude Desktop

Edit claude_desktop_config.json (macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/, Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "xapi": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@xdevplatform/xurl", "mcp", "https://api.x.com/mcp"],
      "env": { "CLIENT_ID": "YOUR_X_APP_CLIENT_ID", "CLIENT_SECRET": "YOUR_X_APP_CLIENT_SECRET" }
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "xapi": {
      "url": "https://api.x.com/mcp",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_APP_ONLY_BEARER_TOKEN" }
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop; the X tools appear in the tools (🔌) menu.

4. VS Code (GitHub Copilot / Agent mode)

Add to .vscode/mcp.json:

{
  "servers": {
    "xapi": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@xdevplatform/xurl", "mcp", "https://api.x.com/mcp"],
      "env": { "CLIENT_ID": "YOUR_X_APP_CLIENT_ID", "CLIENT_SECRET": "YOUR_X_APP_CLIENT_SECRET" }
    }
  }
}

{
  "servers": {
    "xapi": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://api.x.com/mcp",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_APP_ONLY_BEARER_TOKEN" }
    }
  }
}

5. Any MCP client

xurl bridge (stdio):

Field	Value
`command`	`npx`
`args`	`["-y", "@xdevplatform/xurl", "mcp", "https://api.x.com/mcp"]`
`env`	`CLIENT_ID`, `CLIENT_SECRET`
startup timeout	≥ 300s (so the first-run login can finish)

If you installed xurl natively, replace command/args with "command": "xurl", "args": ["mcp", "https://api.x.com/mcp"]. App-only Bearer (remote HTTP):

Field	Value
`url`	`https://api.x.com/mcp`
`headers.Authorization`	`Bearer YOUR_APP_ONLY_BEARER_TOKEN`

Authentication

OAuth 2.0 user context (default)

The bridge authenticates as you (PKCE flow), so tools act with your account’s scopes. Resolution order for credentials: CLIENT_ID/CLIENT_SECRET env vars → the active app in ~/.xurl. The bridge caches tokens in ~/.xurl and refreshes them automatically (including a forced refresh after a 401). With no cached token, the bridge prints to stderr and opens your browser:

[xurl mcp] no valid OAuth2 token; opening the browser to sign in -- complete the login to start the bridge...
[xurl mcp] authentication complete; starting bridge

The MCP handshake is held until you finish — that’s why clients need a generous startup_timeout_sec.

Headless / remote machines

No reachable browser? Authenticate once out-of-band, then start the client:

# Required: the env block in your client config only applies to the bridge,
# not to manual xurl runs — export the credentials in this shell first.
export CLIENT_ID="YOUR_X_APP_CLIENT_ID"
export CLIENT_SECRET="YOUR_X_APP_CLIENT_SECRET"

xurl auth oauth2 --headless                 # prints an auth URL; you paste back the redirect URL/code
xurl auth oauth2 --app my-app --headless    # for a specific app

App-only (direct URL, no bridge)

For read endpoints, you can skip the bridge and point a client straight at the URL with a static App-only Bearer token. This is useful for clients that support remote MCP with custom headers:

# ~/.grok/config.toml
[mcp_servers.xapi_direct]
url = "https://api.x.com/mcp"
enabled = true

[mcp_servers.xapi_direct.headers]
Authorization = "Bearer YOUR_APP_ONLY_BEARER_TOKEN"

Trade-off: no auto-refresh and no user context (no actions as you). The bridge is recommended for full functionality.

Multiple apps & accounts

The OAuth login authorizes whichever X account is logged in when the browser opens — not necessarily the account that owns the app. If you’re posting on behalf of a secondary/bot account, switch to that account in your browser before completing the login (or use -u to pick a previously authorized user).

xurl --app my-app mcp                  # bridge using a specific registered app
xurl mcp -u alice https://api.x.com/mcp  # act as a specific OAuth2 user

In a client config, add "--app", "my-app" or "-u", "alice" to args.

Configuration reference

Setting	Where	Notes
`CLIENT_ID` / `CLIENT_SECRET`	`env`	Your X app credentials (or rely on a registered app in `~/.xurl`)
`REDIRECT_URI`	`env`	Overrides the callback; must be registered on the app. Default `http://localhost:8080/callback`
`startup_timeout_sec`	client config	Set ≥ 300 so first-run login can complete
`[URL]` positional	`args`	Defaults to `https://api.x.com/mcp`
`--app NAME`	`args`	Use a specific registered app
`-u, --username`	`args`	Act as a specific OAuth2 user

Advanced env overrides (rarely needed): AUTH_URL, TOKEN_URL, API_BASE_URL, INFO_URL.

Verify & troubleshoot

grok mcp doctor xapi          # Grok Build: end-to-end check
# or test the bridge by hand (Ctrl-C to exit):
npx -y @xdevplatform/xurl mcp https://api.x.com/mcp

Symptom	Cause / Fix
Client times out on startup	Raise `startup_timeout_sec` to 300+; the bridge is waiting on your browser login
Browser never opens	No display (headless) → run `xurl auth oauth2 --headless` first; ensure `npx` resolves
`401` / `token refresh failed`	App credentials wrong, or refresh token revoked → re-run the login (`xurl auth oauth2 [--app NAME]`)
Browser shows “Something went wrong — You weren’t able to give access to the App”	`CLIENT_ID`/`CLIENT_SECRET` not set where `xurl` runs → put them in the client’s `env` block, or `export` them in your shell before running `xurl auth oauth2` manually
Redirect/callback error in browser	`http://localhost:8080/callback` not registered on the app (or `REDIRECT_URI` mismatch)
`client-not-enrolled` after login	App isn’t in the right X package/environment → in the portal move it to Pay-per-use + Production
`npx` pulls a stale version	A private registry mirror is default → pin `--registry=https://registry.npmjs.org/` in `args`
Empty/garbled tool output	Don’t run the client with `--verbose`; stdout must stay a clean JSON-RPC channel

Security & best practices

Treat ~/.xurl and access tokens as secrets — don’t paste them into chats, logs, or shared configs. Prefer per-project .mcp.json/.grok/config.toml that reference env vars over committing raw secrets.
Use a dedicated app for MCP with only the scopes you need.
Writes count against rate limits (bookmarks, article_publish) and are stricter than reads; expect occasional 429s and back off.
The bridge is local — your credentials never leave your machine except as a Bearer token sent over TLS to api.x.com.

Docs MCP — documentation search

X hosts an MCP server for the X API documentation at https://docs.x.com/mcp. Connect it to your AI tool to search and read documentation pages without leaving your workflow.

Available tools

Tool	Description
`search_x`	Search across the X documentation for relevant information, code examples, API references, and guides
`get_page_x`	Retrieve the full content of a specific documentation page by its path

Configuration

Add the docs MCP server to your MCP client configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "x-docs": {
      "url": "https://docs.x.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}

This is useful when you’re building with the X API and want your AI assistant to look up endpoint details, authentication guides, or code examples on the fly.

Using both servers together

You can connect both MCP servers simultaneously. This gives your AI assistant the ability to both look up documentation and call the API. Grok Build (~/.grok/config.toml):

[mcp_servers.xapi]
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "@xdevplatform/xurl", "mcp", "https://api.x.com/mcp"]
enabled = true
startup_timeout_sec = 300

[mcp_servers.xapi.env]
CLIENT_ID = "YOUR_X_APP_CLIENT_ID"
CLIENT_SECRET = "YOUR_X_APP_CLIENT_SECRET"

[mcp_servers.x-docs]
url = "https://docs.x.com/mcp"
enabled = true

Cursor / Claude-style (mcp.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "xapi": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@xdevplatform/xurl", "mcp", "https://api.x.com/mcp"],
      "env": {
        "CLIENT_ID": "YOUR_X_APP_CLIENT_ID",
        "CLIENT_SECRET": "YOUR_X_APP_CLIENT_SECRET"
      }
    },
    "x-docs": {
      "url": "https://docs.x.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}

OpenAPI specification

The machine-readable API specification for all X API v2 endpoints.

Resource	URL
OpenAPI Spec (JSON)	`https://api.x.com/2/openapi.json`

curl https://api.x.com/2/openapi.json -o openapi.json

You can use it to auto-generate API clients, import into Postman, feed into custom AI agents, or validate request/response schemas.

Getting Started

Products

Fundamentals

Partners & Customers

Resources

MCP servers for the X API and X developer docs

X MCP — X API

Capabilities at a glance

How it works

Getting started

Simple route (app-only Bearer)

Full route (xurl bridge)

Connect your client

1. Grok Build

2. Cursor

3. Claude Desktop

4. VS Code (GitHub Copilot / Agent mode)

5. Any MCP client

Authentication

OAuth 2.0 user context (default)

Headless / remote machines

App-only (direct URL, no bridge)

Multiple apps & accounts

Configuration reference

Verify & troubleshoot

Security & best practices

Docs MCP — documentation search

Available tools

Configuration

Using both servers together

OpenAPI specification

​X MCP — X API

​Capabilities at a glance

​How it works

​Getting started

​Simple route (app-only Bearer)

​Full route (xurl bridge)

​Connect your client

​1. Grok Build

​2. Cursor

​3. Claude Desktop

​4. VS Code (GitHub Copilot / Agent mode)

​5. Any MCP client

​Authentication

​OAuth 2.0 user context (default)

​First-run browser login

​Headless / remote machines

​App-only (direct URL, no bridge)

​Multiple apps & accounts

​Configuration reference

​Verify & troubleshoot

​Security & best practices

​Docs MCP — documentation search

​Available tools

​Configuration

​Using both servers together

​OpenAPI specification

X MCP — X API

Capabilities at a glance

How it works

Getting started

Simple route (app-only Bearer)

Full route (xurl bridge)

Connect your client

1. Grok Build

2. Cursor

3. Claude Desktop

4. VS Code (GitHub Copilot / Agent mode)

5. Any MCP client

Authentication

OAuth 2.0 user context (default)

First-run browser login

Headless / remote machines

App-only (direct URL, no bridge)

Multiple apps & accounts

Configuration reference

Verify & troubleshoot

Security & best practices

Docs MCP — documentation search

Available tools

Configuration

Using both servers together

OpenAPI specification