# MCP overview and access model | answer.cloud Docs

> Canonical source: [MCP overview and access model | answer.cloud Docs](https://www.answer.cloud/docs/agents/overview/)

Learn how Answer Cloud MCP connects an assistant to organization-scoped site tools, and how authenticated ongoing management differs from temporary first launch.

overview

# MCP overview and access model

Learn how Answer Cloud MCP connects an assistant to organization-scoped site tools, and how authenticated ongoing management differs from temporary first launch.

Reviewed November 1, 2026

Model Context Protocol (MCP) lets your assistant call Answer Cloud tools while working on your website. Instead of choosing individual API calls, describe the outcome and let the assistant inspect the site before proposing the necessary changes.

The normal authenticated service is `https://app.answer.cloud/mcp`, using Streamable HTTP and OAuth. A connected assistant can inspect sites, work with deployments and configured content collections, configure supported site features, and read available reporting.

## Keep three kinds of access distinct

| Access               | Purpose                                         | Scope                                         |
|----------------------|-------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------|
| Public first launch  | Build and publish a newly reserved starter site through `/new` | Temporary access to that reservation only     |
| Authenticated MCP    | Manage sites your signed-in account may access | Authorized organizations and the explicitly selected site |
| Public website services | Visitor chat, forms, and discovery             | Published visitor-facing functionality; not account administration |

The first launch does not require plugin installation or browser sign-in. Returning management uses normal account access after [account setup](https://www.answer.cloud/docs/getting-started/account-setup/). A public site URL does not establish that an assistant has authenticated permission to manage it.

## Start with a read-only inspection

After [connecting a supported client](https://www.answer.cloud/docs/agents/plugins/), ask:

```
List the Answer Cloud organizations I can access. If there are several, let me choose. Then list that organization's sites and show the slug, kind, public URLs, and release configuration. Do not make changes.
```

The assistant should call `list_organizations` when the organization has not been established. If more than one is available, select one and keep its `organization_id` explicit on later calls. Site operations then use the intended `site_slug`; deployment operations use the returned deployment ID.

## Describe the task and publication scope

For source work, provide the current editable project. MCP can publish a compiled site, but it does not replace the Astro source needed to edit layouts and components.

Say whether you want a draft, a local preview, a staged release, or production publication. Ask the assistant to preserve the current site identity and inspect existing collections rather than create duplicates.

Tool access and feature access are separate. A tool can be available in the client while the selected site's plan does not permit the operation. Treat the returned error and site configuration as the authority.

See [common workflows](https://www.answer.cloud/docs/agents/common-workflows/), [authentication](https://www.answer.cloud/docs/agents/authentication/), and the [MCP reference](https://www.answer.cloud/docs/reference/mcp/) for the next step.