qalatra/docs/MCP reference

MCP server & tools

The local tool surface your agent uses to operate Qalatra.

Qalatra runs a Model Context Protocol server at http://localhost:3457/mcp. Any MCP-aware local agent can connect and work with tasks, notes, habits, agent jobs, heartbeats, and capability discovery.

Transport

Streamable HTTP. Standard MCP. See the MCP spec for protocol details.

Claude Code config

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "qalatra": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "http://localhost:3457/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Tool catalog

Tasks and triage

ToolWhat it does
get_todays_tasksToday view with active, overdue, due, events, reminders, and habits
get_overdue_tasksOverdue active tasks
get_taskSingle task by id
create_taskNew task; all fields optional except title
update_taskPatch any field
complete_taskMark done
snooze_taskDefer until a later date
search_tasksFull-text
rename_projectRename across all tasks

Daily notes

get_daily_noteGet a note by date
update_daily_noteReplace a date's markdown content
get_week_notesGet the seven daily notes ending on a date

Habits

list_habitsHabit list with recent status
log_habitMark a habit done or skipped
create_habitCreate a new habit
get_habit_historyRead a habit's log history

Agents and heartbeats

queue_agent_jobQueue a task for its assigned agent
list_agent_jobsList recent jobs, optionally by task
get_agent_jobRead one job's status and result
list_heartbeatsScheduled background agents
create_heartbeatCreate a recurring background agent run
update_heartbeatEdit a heartbeat's prompt or schedule, or set active to pause/resume idempotently (safe to repeat, unlike toggle_heartbeat)

Capabilities

list_capabilitiesList structured capabilities derived from agent folders
search_capabilitiesFind relevant agents, skills, workflows, or knowledge by intent
get_capabilityInspect files, permissions, and delegation metadata
rescan_capabilitiesRefresh the registry from disk

Rate limits

None. It's your machine.

Security

MCP binds to 127.0.0.1 by default. The MCP server validates the same bearer tokens as the Qalatra API, controlled by the QALATRA_MCP_AUTH environment variable:

ModeBehavior
local-bypass (default)Loopback requests skip auth. Non-loopback require a valid token. Safe for desktop and same-box Claude Code.
requiredEvery request needs a valid token. Use this on any box with an MCP tunnel hostname.
offNo auth. Explicit opt-out — only use on fully private networks.

⚠️ Tunnel warning: behind a Cloudflare tunnel, traffic arrives from 127.0.0.1 (the local cloudflared daemon) and looks like loopback. local-bypass is not safe on a tunneled box. Any box with an MCP ingress hostname must set QALATRA_MCP_AUTH=required in its systemd service.

To reach MCP from another machine, expose port 3457 through a separate tunnel hostname and connect with mcp-remote:

npx -y mcp-remote https://mcp-<box>.qalatra.com/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer <token>"

The same tokens created in Settings → Instances → Access Tokens work for both the API and MCP. See Remote instances for full tunnel setup.