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Polyvia implements the Model Context Protocol (MCP), enabling seamless integration with AI assistants like Claude Desktop, IDEs, and other MCP-compatible tools.

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What is MCP?

Model Context Protocol is an open standard that allows AI applications to securely access external data sources and tools. Polyvia’s MCP server exposes your knowledge base as a set of tools and resources that AI assistants can use to answer questions with citations.

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Installation

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Prerequisites

  • Node.js 18+ or Python 3.10+
  • Polyvia account with API key
  • MCP-compatible client (Claude Desktop, Cline, etc.)

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Setup with Claude Desktop

1

Install the Polyvia MCP Server

Install the MCP server package globally:
npm install -g @polyvia/mcp-server
Or using Python:
pip install polyvia-mcp
2

Configure Claude Desktop

Add Polyvia to your Claude Desktop configuration file:
Edit ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "polyvia": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@polyvia/mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "POLYVIA_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}
Never commit your API key to version control. Store it securely in environment variables.
3

Restart Claude Desktop

Close and reopen Claude Desktop to load the MCP server.
You should see Polyvia tools available in Claude’s tool palette.

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Available Tools

The Polyvia MCP server provides the following tools:

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search_documents

Perform semantic search across your knowledge base. Parameters:
  • query (string, required): Search query
  • limit (integer, optional): Maximum results to return (default: 10)
  • filters (object, optional): Filter by document metadata
Example: 
{
  "query": "What are the security features?",
  "limit": 5
}

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get_document

Retrieve a specific document by ID with full content. Parameters:
  • document_id (string, required): Document identifier

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query_knowledge_base

Query your visual knowledge base for facts and insights. Parameters:
  • query (string, required): Natural language query
  • include_citations (boolean, optional): Include source citations (default: true)

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Available Resources

MCP resources provide read access to your knowledge base:

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document://[document_id]

Access individual documents as resources. Claude can read these directly without tool calls.

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Configuration Options

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Environment Variables

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POLYVIA_API_KEY
string
required
Your Polyvia API key from Polyvia Studio
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POLYVIA_BASE_URL
string
default:"https://api.polyvia.ai"
API base URL (for self-hosted instances)
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POLYVIA_TIMEOUT
integer
default:"30000"
Request timeout in milliseconds

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Usage Examples

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Asking Questions with Citations

Once configured, you can ask Claude questions that leverage your Polyvia knowledge base:
“Using the Polyvia knowledge base, what are our company’s data retention policies?”
Claude will automatically use the search_documents tool to find relevant information and provide cited answers.

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Comparing Data Across Documents

“Compare Apple and Microsoft’s Q4 2024 revenue based on the financial reports in Polyvia”
Claude will query your visual knowledge base and return answers with citations pointing to the exact charts and tables.

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Troubleshooting

  • Verify the configuration file path is correct
  • Check that the API key is valid
  • Restart Claude Desktop completely
  • Check Claude’s logs for error messages
  • Ensure your API key is correctly set in the environment variables
  • Verify the API key has not expired
  • Check that you have an active Polyvia subscription
  • Large knowledge bases may take longer to search
  • Consider using filters to narrow search scope
  • Increase the POLYVIA_TIMEOUT value if needed

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Next Steps

Polyvia API

Build custom integrations with the REST API

Polyvia Studio

Upload documents and manage your knowledge base