> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.cedarai.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# MCP for AI assistants
> Connect ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, Copilot, and other AI assistants to Cedar ARMS with your own Cedar login.
The **MCP** page in Data Depot shows you how to connect an AI assistant to Cedar ARMS through the Model Context Protocol
(MCP). Once connected, you can ask the assistant questions such as "How many loaded cars are at Quillmoor Junction?" and it
looks up the answer in ARMS for you.
* **Uses your own login.** You sign in with your Cedar account when the assistant first connects. There is no separate
key to create or share.
* **Read-only.** The assistant can list and look up ARMS data. It can't create, update, move, or delete anything; those
changes stay in the ARMS app.
* **Your permissions apply.** The assistant can see only what you can see in ARMS, for the carriers you have access to.
## Connect your AI app
Every app connects to the same server URL:
```text theme={null}
https://mcp.arms.cedarai.com/mcp
```
Open **MCP** in the sidebar and find your app on the **Connect** tab. Each card has copy buttons for the exact
configuration. After you add the server, your app opens a Cedar sign-in page; sign in to finish connecting.
Add this to `~/.codex/config.toml` (shared by ChatGPT desktop, Codex CLI, and the IDE extension):
```toml theme={null}
[mcp_servers.arms]
url = "https://mcp.arms.cedarai.com/mcp"
```
Or run:
```bash theme={null}
codex mcp add arms --url https://mcp.arms.cedarai.com/mcp
```
Then open **Settings → MCP servers** and complete Cedar sign-in when prompted.
**Claude Desktop:** paste this into your MCP or Connectors settings:
```json theme={null}
{
"mcpServers": {
"arms": {
"url": "https://mcp.arms.cedarai.com/mcp"
}
}
}
```
**Claude Code:** run:
```bash theme={null}
claude mcp add arms --transport http https://mcp.arms.cedarai.com/mcp
```
Complete Cedar sign-in when prompted.
Select **Add to Cursor** on the Cursor card in Data Depot, approve adding Cedar ARMS MCP, and complete Cedar sign-in
in your browser. You can also paste the same JSON configuration shown for Claude Desktop into Cursor's MCP settings.
In Microsoft Copilot Studio:
1. Open your agent, then go to **Tools → Add a tool → Model Context Protocol**.
2. Paste the server URL. Name it `Cedar ARMS`. For authentication, choose **OAuth 2.0 → Dynamic discovery**.
3. Create a connection and complete Cedar sign-in when prompted.
**Copy server description** on the card gives you a description that helps the agent decide when to use Cedar.
For GitHub Copilot in VS Code, create or open `.vscode/mcp.json` (or run **MCP: Open User Configuration** from the Command Palette) and paste:
```json theme={null}
{
"servers": {
"arms": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://mcp.arms.cedarai.com/mcp"
}
}
}
```
Save, then sign in with Cedar when VS Code asks.
For Windsurf, Cline, and similar apps, paste the JSON configuration shown for Claude Desktop, or add a custom
connector with the server URL. Save, restart the app if it asks, and complete Cedar sign-in.
## Start with the starter prompt
Select **Copy starter prompt** and paste it into a new chat after you connect. It tells the assistant how to use Cedar
correctly:
* check which carriers you can access first, and always say which carrier (by reporting mark) it is asking about;
* never guess a carrier or make up data when access is denied;
* page through large results, such as railcar inventory, instead of asking for everything at once.
The same guide is available inside the connection, so the assistant can look it up on its own.
## See what your assistant can do
The **Permissions** tab lists the read-only actions an assistant can take for the selected carrier, based on the user
groups' ARMS permissions. Different people can see different actions.
* Use **User groups** to see the actions available to one or more groups. The count on the right shows how many
**MCP actions** that adds up to.
* Actions are grouped by API family. Each one shows its method and path, with a **Docs** link to the API reference.
* **Other ARMS actions (not MCP)** lists operations that exist in the API but aren't available through MCP, because
they change data.
This tab only shows existing access. It doesn't grant anything. To change what someone can do, change their ARMS roles
in the Admin Portal.
The MCP pages don't need a Data Depot role, and the carrier list on these pages includes every carrier you can access.
To protect privacy, Cedar leaves some details out of what it returns to the assistant, such as street addresses,
email addresses, and phone numbers. See [MCP data handling](/user-docs/api-reference/mcp).
## Troubleshooting
The assistant can only do what your ARMS permissions allow for that carrier. Check the **Permissions** tab, and ask
your administrator if you need more access.
If you can access more than one carrier, name the carrier by its reporting mark in your question, for example
"Show inventory for DEMO".
This connection is read-only. Make changes in the ARMS app.
MCP may not be turned on for your account yet. Contact your Cedar account team.
## Related pages
* [MCP data handling](/user-docs/api-reference/mcp)
* [API documentation](/user-docs/api-reference/introduction)
* [Access and permissions](/user-docs/data-depot/access)
## Related topics
- [Cedar Data Depot](/user-docs/data-depot/overview.md)
- [API Introduction](/user-docs/api-reference/introduction.md)
- [MCP privacy addendum](/user-docs/api-reference/mcp-privacy.md)
- [Use Cedar data in Databricks](/user-docs/data-depot/databricks.md)
- [Access and permissions](/user-docs/data-depot/access.md)