Needle Document Management MCP Server

Knowledge & MemoryPython

Manage and search documents using Needle's document management system

Available Tools

create_collection

Create a new document collection in Needle

list_collections

List all available document collections

add_document

Add a document to a collection by URL or text content

search_collection

Search within a collection using natural language queries

delete_collection

Delete an existing collection

Needle Document Management provides a powerful interface for organizing, storing, and retrieving documents through Claude's Desktop Application. It seamlessly integrates with the Needle ecosystem, allowing users to create collections, add documents, and perform natural language searches powered by Claude's large language model capabilities. This MCP server bridges the gap between Claude's conversational interface and Needle's document management system, enabling users to interact with their document collections through simple text commands. The integration provides an intuitive way to manage knowledge bases and quickly retrieve relevant information from your documents.

Getting Started with Needle Document Management

Needle Document Management allows you to organize documents in collections and perform powerful searches using Claude's natural language capabilities. This integration connects Claude Desktop with Needle's document management system.

Installation Options

Option 1: Install via Smithery (Recommended)

The easiest way to install Needle Document Management is through Smithery:

npx -y @smithery/cli install needle-mcp --client claude

This command automatically configures everything for you.

Option 2: Manual Installation

Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/needle-ai/needle-mcp.git

Install UV globally using Homebrew (macOS):

brew install uv

Create a configuration file:
- For macOS: Create claude_desktop_config.json in ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/
- For Windows: Create claude_desktop_config.json in %APPDATA%/Claude/
Add the following configuration (replace paths and API key with your own):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "needle_mcp": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": [
        "--directory",
        "/path/to/needle-mcp",
        "run",
        "needle-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "NEEDLE_API_KEY": "your_needle_api_key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Get your Needle API key from needle.xyz
Restart Claude Desktop completely

Using Needle Document Management

Once installed, you can use natural language commands in Claude Desktop to manage your documents:

Collection Management

Create a new collection: Create a new collection called "Technical Docs"
List all collections: List all my collections
Delete a collection: Delete the collection "Old Reports"

Document Management

Add documents: Add this document to the collection: https://needle-ai.com
Add text: Add this text to my collection: [paste text here]
Remove documents: Remove the document about AI basics from my collection

Searching

Basic search: Search my collection for information about AI models
Advanced search: Find documents in "Technical Docs" that mention neural networks and provide a summary

Tips for Effective Use

Organize by Topic: Create separate collections for different subjects or projects
Use Descriptive Names: Give your collections clear names that reflect their content
Leverage Claude's Understanding: You can ask natural language questions about your documents
Combine with Other Tasks: Ask Claude to analyze search results or create summaries

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues:

Verify your Needle API key is correct
Ensure Claude Desktop is properly configured
Check that the path to the needle-mcp directory is correct
Restart Claude Desktop after making configuration changes

For more detailed instructions, visit the GitHub repository or watch the YouTube explanation video.