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Blues Expert MCP

Blues Expert is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that helps generative AI tools build with Blues products. It gives your tools access to current Blues documentation, product expertise, and development services, including:

  • Notecard API documentation and request validation
  • The ability to search the latest Blues documentation
  • Expert analysis from LLM specialists with deep knowledge of Notecard, Notehub, and IoT development
  • Firmware development guidance for Arduino, C, Zephyr, and Python
note

Blues Expert is an HTTP MCP server and is available at https://mcp.blues.io/expert/mcp (this link must be provided to an MCP client and will not work in a browser).

Getting Started

Install and configure the Blues Expert MCP server to enhance your AI-powered IoT development workflow with direct access to Blues hardware and cloud services.

Claude Code

To install the Blues Expert MCP server in Claude Code, you can use the following commands from your terminal:

claude mcp add blues-expert https://mcp.blues.io/expert/mcp --transport http

To validate that it has been installed correctly:

claude mcp list

You should see blues-expert in the list of installed MCP servers.

GitHub Copilot (VS Code)

To install the Blues Expert MCP server in VS Code Copilot, use the VS Code command palette as follows:

  1. Open the command palette with ctrl+shift+p (or cmd+shift+p on macOS).
  2. Run MCP: Add Server.
  3. Select (HTTP) HTTP or Server-Sent Events.
  4. Type https://mcp.blues.io/expert/mcp and press enter.

You can then give it a name, such as blues-expert, choose if you want it to be globally or workspace-specific, and confirm by pressing enter.

To validate that it has been installed correctly, run the following in the VS Code command palette:

  1. Open the command palette with ctrl+shift+p (or cmd+shift+p on macOS).
  2. Run MCP: List Servers.
  3. blues-expert should be listed.
note

From time to time, Copilot appears to disconnect from MCP servers. If this happens, you can reconnect by running ctrl+shift+p -> MCP: List Servers -> blues-expert -> Start Server and press enter.

GitHub Copilot Coding Agent

To install the Blues Expert MCP server in a GitHub Copilot coding agent complete the following steps.

Configuration JSON

First, visit the GitHub repository where you wish to add the MCP server, navigate to Settings > Copilot > Coding Agent, and update the “MCP configuration” text box with the following JSON:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "blues-expert": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.blues.io/expert/mcp",
            "tools": [
                "*"
            ]
        },
        ... // other MCP servers
    }
}

Repository Settings Page (Copilot, Coding Agent Tab) Repository Settings Page (Copilot, Coding Agent Tab)

Once you’ve updated the MCP configuration JSON, click the Save MCP configuration button.

Validate Agent Access

To validate the Copilot Agent has access to the MCP server, you need to create a dummy ticket on your GitHub repository and assign it to Copilot. Use the template below to add an issue to your repository:

Title:

Validate Copilot has access to the Blues Expert MCP Server

Description:

The Blues Expert MCP server was recently added to the settings of the repository page.

We need to be certain our Copilot Agent has access to the MCP server for better source code generation, issue resolution, and code reviews.

Next, assign the GitHub issue to Copilot as shown in the image below.

Assign to Copilot

Once you’ve assigned the task to Copilot, it will start working on it (👀), and you will be able to confirm it has MCP access in two different ways.

  1. Watch the Copilot session logs. Copilot Session Logs
  2. Check the result dialogue. Validation Results

Cursor

To install the Blues Expert in Cursor, you'll need to navigate to Cursor's settings, then to the MCP Servers section and click New MCP Server.

You can then add the following to the mcp.json file:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "blues-expert": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.blues.io/expert/mcp",
            "tools": [
                "*"
            ]
        },
        ... // other MCP servers
    }
}

To validate that it has been installed correctly, navigate to Cursor's settings, then to the MCP Servers section.

You should see a green dot next to blues-expert. You may need to toggle the switch to enable it.

Others

Many MCP clients will accept a mcp.json file to configure the MCP server. Although this may vary slightly between clients, the following is standard:

{
    "blues-expert": {
        "type": "http",
        "url": "https://mcp.blues.io/expert/mcp",
        "tools": [
            "*"
        ]
    }
}

Example Usage

Here are some examples of how you can use the Blues Expert MCP server:

  • "How do I use the card.attn API? I want to use Notecard to power down my MCU host until it receives an inbound note."
  • "I want to write an Arduino program using Notecarrier-F, Cygnet and a BME280 sensor to measure temperature and humidity. I want to send the data to the Notehub every 30 minutes."
  • "How can I simultaneously use the GPS and Cellular radio on my Notecard?"
note

Many MCP clients will automatically invoke the MCP tool calls when you ask specific questions about Notecard and Notehub. However, clients such as VS Code Copilot can be explicitly told to use the MCP tools by using the #tool, e.g. #docs_search directive, when creating a prompt.

MCP Tool List

Once connected, the Blues Expert MCP server exposes the following tools to your MCP client. Most clients invoke these automatically based on your prompt, but some (such as VS Code Copilot) let you call one explicitly with a #tool directive, e.g. #docs_search.

Documentation Tools

Search and reason over the latest Blues documentation.

docs_search

Search the Blues documentation for answers about Notecard, cellular connectivity, GPS, power management, Notehub, and other Notecard topics.

Example prompts:

  • "How can I simultaneously use the GPS and Cellular radio on my Notecard?"
  • "What affects Notecard power consumption, and how do I reduce it?"

docs_search_expert

Search the documentation and get contextual analysis from an LLM Notecard specialist with deep knowledge of IoT product development and embedded systems. Requires an MCP client that supports sampling.

Example prompts:

  • "How can I optimize power consumption for a solar-powered sensor?"
  • "What are the best practices for cellular connectivity in remote locations?"

Notecard API Tools

Look up and validate Notecard API requests.

api_docs

Return detailed documentation for a specific Notecard API request — parameters, types, and usage examples — or list every available API and its description.

Example prompts:

  • "How do I use the card.attn API? I want Notecard to power down my host MCU until it receives an inbound note."
  • "Show me the parameters for note.add."

api_validate

Validate a Notecard API request against the Notecard API schema before you use it in a firmware project.

Example prompts:

  • "Is {"req":"card.temp","minutes":60} a valid Notecard request?"
  • "Validate this hub.set request for me."

Firmware Tools

Bootstrap and follow best practices for Notecard firmware projects.

firmware_entrypoint

Get a starting point for a Notecard firmware project in a given SDK: Arduino, C, Zephyr, or Python.

Example prompts:

  • "Help me start an Arduino firmware project for the Notecard."
  • "Scaffold a Zephyr application that communicates with a Notecard."

firmware_best_practices

Get best-practices guidance for firmware development by SDK and topic, such as power management, sensors, templates, connectivity, and debugging.

Example prompts:

  • "What are the firmware best practices for power management with the Notecard in C?"
  • "How should I use Note templates in an Arduino project?"