by mercurialsolo
Counsel connects to the Counsel API for strategic reasoning AI, multi‑perspective analysis tool, AI debate platform, and
★ 3
GitHub stars
Connects to Counsel API to analyze decisions and questions through structured debates and multi-perspective reasoning sessions.
Counsel is a community-built MCP server published by mercurialsolo that provides AI assistants with tools and capabilities via the Model Context Protocol. Counsel connects to the Counsel API for strategic reasoning AI, multi‑perspective analysis tool, AI debate platform, and It is categorized under developer tools.
You can install Counsel in your AI client of choice. Use the install panel on this page to get one-click setup for Cursor, Claude Desktop, VS Code, and other MCP-compatible clients. This server supports remote connections over HTTP, so no local installation is required.
MIT
Counsel is released under the MIT license. This is a permissive open-source license, meaning you can freely use, modify, and distribute the software.
Add new capabilities to Claude beyond text generation
Example
Access external data sources, execute code, interact with tools and services
Transform Claude from chatbot to action-taking agent
Provide Claude with access to relevant context and data
Example
Load project documentation, access knowledge bases, query databases
Get more accurate, context-aware responses
Automate multi-step workflows combining AI and external tools
Example
Research → Summarize → Create document → Send notification
Complete complex tasks end-to-end without manual steps
Share your MCP server with the developer community
Useful MCP listing: Counsel is the kind of server we cite when onboarding engineers to host + tool permissions.
Strong directory entry: Counsel surfaces stars and publisher context so we could sanity-check maintenance before adopting.
According to our notes, Counsel benefits from clear Model Context Protocol framing — fewer ambiguous “AI plugin” claims.
Counsel is a well-scoped MCP server in the explainx.ai directory — install snippets and categories matched our Claude Code setup.
Strong directory entry: Counsel surfaces stars and publisher context so we could sanity-check maintenance before adopting.
Counsel is among the better-indexed MCP projects we tried; the explainx.ai summary tracks the official description.
Counsel has been reliable for tool-calling workflows; the MCP profile page is a good permalink for internal docs.
Counsel reduced integration guesswork — categories and install configs on the listing matched the upstream repo.
We evaluated Counsel against two servers with overlapping tools; this profile had the clearer scope statement.
Counsel has been reliable for tool-calling workflows; the MCP profile page is a good permalink for internal docs.
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An open-source Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that connects AI agents to the Counsel API for strategic reasoning and multi-perspective analysis.
Connect instantly to the hosted Counsel MCP server - no installation required:
http://counsel-mcp.getmason.dev/mcp
For MCP clients that support HTTP transport, simply add:
{
"mcpServers": {
"counsel": {
"url": "http://counsel-mcp.getmason.dev/mcp",
"transport": "http"
}
}
}
OAuth authentication is handled automatically by your MCP client.
Run your own instance of the Counsel MCP server locally.
Add to your claude_desktop_config.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"counsel": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "counsel-mcp-server", "start"]
}
}
}
{
"mcpServers": {
"counsel": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "counsel-mcp-server", "start"]
}
}
}
claude mcp add counsel -- npx -y counsel-mcp-server start
Or manually add to your MCP settings:
{
"mcpServers": {
"counsel": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "counsel-mcp-server", "start"]
}
}
}
Add to your Cursor MCP configuration (.cursor/mcp.json in your project or global settings):
{
"mcpServers": {
"counsel": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "counsel-mcp-server", "start"]
}
}
}
Add to your Windsurf MCP configuration:
{
"mcpServers": {
"counsel": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "counsel-mcp-server", "start"]
}
}
}
Add to your VS Code settings (settings.json):
{
"mcp.servers": {
"counsel": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "counsel-mcp-server", "start"]
}
}
}
The server supports two transport modes. Choose based on your client's capabilities:
Most MCP clients use STDIO transport. Configure with:
{
"mcpServers": {
"counsel": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "counsel-mcp-server", "start"],
"env": {
"COUNSEL_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here"
}
}
}
}
For clients that support HTTP transport with OAuth 2.0, run the server separately:
# Start the HTTP server
npx -y counsel-mcp-server http --port 3000
This starts an HTTP server with:
http://localhost:3000/mcphttp://localhost:3000/.well-known/oauth-authorization-serverThen configure your client to connect:
{
"mcpServers": {
"counsel": {
"url": "http://localhost:3000/mcp",
"transport": "http"
}
}
}
HTTP mode uses OAuth 2.0 with automatic token management - no API key required.
| Feature | STDIO Mode | HTTP Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Command | npx -y counsel-mcp-server start | npx -y counsel-mcp-server http |
| Auth | API key via env var | OAuth 2.0 (automatic) |
| Setup | Single config | Run server + configure client |
| Best for | Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code | Web clients, shared servers |
The server supports two authentication modes:
Set the COUNSEL_API_KEY environment variable with your API key from counsel.getmason.dev:
export COUNSEL_API_KEY=your_api_key_here
Or add it to your MCP client configuration:
{
"mcpServers": {
"counsel": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "counsel-mcp-server", "start"],
"env": {
"COUNSEL_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here"
}
}
}
}
When running in HTTP mode (npx -y counsel-mcp-server http), authentication is handled automatically through OAuth 2.0:
No manual API key required in HTTP mode - your MCP client handles the entire OAuth flow.
The server exposes standard OAuth 2.0 endpoints:
| Endpoint | Description |
|---|---|
/.well-known/oauth-authorization-server | OAuth metadata discovery |
/authorize | Authorization endpoint |
/token | Token exchange endpoint |
/register | Dynamic client registration |
start_consultationStart a new strategic consultation (debate) to analyze a complex question with multiple perspectives.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
question | string | Yes | The core question to analyze |
context | string | No | Additional context about the situation |
mode | enum | No | Depth of analysis: quick, standard (default), deep |
stakeholders | string[] | No | Key stakeholders to consider |
Example:
Start a consultation about "Should we migrate our monolith to microservices?"
with context about our 50-person engineering team and mode set to deep
get_consultation_statusCheck the status of an ongoing consultation.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
debate_id | string | Yes | The ID of the consultation |
get_consultation_reportRetrieve the final synthesis report from a completed consultation.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
debate_id | string | Yes | The ID of the consultation |
list_consultationsList your past consultations.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
limit | number | No | Number of results (default: 10) |
sharpen_questionRefine and improve a strategic question before starting a consultation.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
question | string | Yes | The question to refine |
context | string | No | Additional context |
Example:
Sharpen this question: "Is AI good for our company?"
consult_advisorStart an interactive advisor session for brainstorming or scoping problems.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
question | string | Yes | The initial topic or question |
Use Counsel to analyze: "Should we expand into the European market in 2025?"
Consider these stakeholders: CEO, CFO, Head of Sales, Legal
Use deep analysis mode
Use the sharpen_question tool to improve this question:
"How do we fix our culture?"
Context: We're a 200-person startup experiencing rapid growth
Check the status of consultation abc-123-def
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
COUNSEL_API_URL | https://counsel.getmason.dev | Counsel API base URL |
PORT | 3000 | Server port (HTTP mode) |
# STDIO mode (default) - for most MCP clients
npx -y counsel-mcp-server start
# HTTP mode - for clients supporting OAuth
npx -y counsel-mcp-server http [options]
HTTP Options:
-p, --port <port> Port to listen on (default: 3000)
--host <host> Host to bind to (default: localhost)
Ensure the MCP server is properly configured in your client. Restart your client after adding the configuration.
If running in HTTP mode, ensure:
Prerequisites
Time Estimate
15-60 minutes depending on server complexity
Steps
Troubleshooting
✓ Do
✗ Don't
💡 Pro Tips
Architecture
Model Context Protocol standardizes how AI hosts (Claude, Cursor) communicate with external tools and data sources through server implementations.
Protocols
Compatibility
✓ Use when
Use when you need Claude to access external data, execute actions, or integrate with tools. Best for extending AI capabilities beyond conversation.
✗ Avoid when
Avoid when native integrations exist (use official APIs directly), for real-time critical systems, or when security/compliance requires zero external dependencies.