Mila Docs MCP Server

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that lets AI assistants connect to external knowledge sources as callable tools. Configuring the Mila Docs MCP server gives Claude Code or Cursor access to the full Mila documentation index — so when a question touches cluster commands, Slurm syntax, storage policies, or account setup, the assistant can pull in accurate, up-to-date Mila guidance automatically, without requiring a separate search.

Before you begin

• Set Up Claude Code

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  Install Claude Code and extend it with skills from a marketplace.

 

What this guide covers

• Understand what MCP is and how the Mila Docs MCP server works
• Configure the Mila Docs MCP server
• See an example of the assistant using Mila context to answer a question

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What is MCP?

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard that defines how AI tools communicate with external services. An MCP server exposes one or more tools — actions the AI can invoke, such as searching a database or fetching a web page. The AI tool (Claude Code, Cursor) acts as the MCP client: it discovers available tools on startup, then calls them automatically when a query requires external data.

sequenceDiagram
    participant A as AI assistant
    participant S as MCP server (Algolia)
    participant D as Mila docs index

    A->>S: algolia_search_mila_docs("sbatch options")
    S->>D: Search query
    D-->>S: Matching documentation
    S-->>A: Search results with source links

The Mila Docs MCP server

The Mila documentation site is indexed by DocSearch made by Algolia and exposes a public MCP server at the following endpoint:

https://558773LESW.algolia.net/mcp/1/3_N8rKyLQhaxUEpt0FMx6A/mcp

The server exposes a search tool that accepts natural-language queries and returns matching sections of the Mila documentation. The Search API key is embedded in the URL — no additional authentication is required.

Configure in Claude Code

CLI (recommended)Config file

Run the following command to register the Mila Docs MCP server:

claude mcp add --transport http mila-docs \
    https://558773LESW.algolia.net/mcp/1/3_N8rKyLQhaxUEpt0FMx6A/mcp

Added HTTP MCP server mila-docs with URL: https://558773LESW.algolia.net/mcp/1/3_N8rKyLQhaxUEpt0FMx6A/mcp to local config
File modified: /Users/username/.claude.json [project: /Users/username/CODE/mila-docs]

The server is registered globally and becomes available in all Claude Code sessions.

Tip

Add --scope project to limit the server to the current project only.

Add the server entry to ~/.claude.json (global) or .claude/settings.json (project-level):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mila-docs": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://558773LESW.algolia.net/mcp/1/3_N8rKyLQhaxUEpt0FMx6A/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Code after saving the file.

Configure in Cursor

Cursor reads MCP configuration from a JSON file. Create or edit the file at one of the following paths:

Scope	File
Global (all projects)	~/.cursor/mcp.json
Project only	.cursor/mcp.json (project root)

Add the following entry:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mila-docs": {
      "url": "https://558773LESW.algolia.net/mcp/1/3_N8rKyLQhaxUEpt0FMx6A/mcp"
    }
  }
}

After saving, open Cursor Settings → MCP and confirm that mila-docs shows a green status indicator.

Ask the assistant about Mila

Once the MCP server is configured, the AI assistant can answer questions about Mila systems accurately — drawing on the documentation automatically as part of the normal conversation flow.

Example — in a Claude Code session:

How do I cancel a running Slurm job on the Mila cluster?

 ▐▛███▜▌   Claude Code v2.1.109
▝▜█████▛▘  Sonnet 4.6 · Claude Team
  ▘▘ ▝▝    ~/CODE/project

⏺ Use scancel with your job ID:

  # Cancel a specific job
  scancel <JOBID>

  # Cancel all your jobs (running and pending)
  scancel -u YOUR_USERNAME

  # Cancel only your pending jobs
  scancel -t PD

  To find your job ID first, run squeue --me. More details in the https://docs.mila.quebec/help/faq/#how-do-i-cancel-a-job.

Tip

Phrase queries naturally — no special syntax is required. The assistant selects the search tool and constructs the query automatically.

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Key concepts

MCP (Model Context Protocol)

Open standard that defines how AI tools communicate with external services using a client/server model.

MCP server

A service that exposes tools an AI assistant can invoke. The Mila Docs MCP server exposes Algolia search over the Mila documentation index.

MCP client

The AI tool (Claude Code, Cursor) that connects to MCP servers, discovers their tools, and calls them automatically.

Next steps

• Install Mila Skills for Claude Code

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  Add the Mila skills marketplace and install cluster-focused skills.

 

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