MCP Getting Started¶

Connect your AI coding assistant to PrimeRFP Scout using the Model Context Protocol (MCP). Once connected, you can ask your AI questions like:

"Find IT services opportunities under $10M posted in the last 30 days" "What contracts is Leidos losing to recompete this year in NAICS 541511?" "Find 8(a) partners with past performance in cloud infrastructure"

Requirements¶

A PrimeRFP Scout account with MCP enabled: SCOUT MCP Trial, SCOUT MCP Explorer, or Tactics / Strategic / Premier (pricing). The web-only Free plan does not include MCP access.
An MCP-compatible client (ChatGPT, Cursor, Claude, n8n, custom agents — see below)
An MCP API key from Settings → API Keys. Claude skips this; see Connect Claude.

Connect Claude¶

Add Scout as a custom connector in Claude web, desktop, or mobile. Enter the MCP URL, then sign in with your Scout account.

Full walkthrough: Connect Claude →

Settings → Customize → Connectors
Add → Add custom connector
Name: PrimeRFP Scout · URL: https://mcp.primerfp.com/mcp · Continue
Sign in with your Scout account if Claude asks
In a chat: + → Connectors → switch PrimeRFP Scout on

Claude Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise is required. On Team and Enterprise, an Owner adds the connector once for the org.

Install via Smithery¶

You can connect through the Smithery directory for Cursor and other clients that support Smithery's one-click MCP install. For Claude, use the custom connector.

Open smithery.ai/servers/primerfp/scout
Click Add to toolbox (or use the Smithery CLI: smithery mcp add primerfp/scout)
Enter your prfp_ API key when prompted

The server endpoint is https://mcp.primerfp.com/mcp (streamable HTTP). Smithery proxies to our hosted endpoint; your API key is sent as X-PrimeRFP-Key.

Install from ChatGPT Apps (easiest for ChatGPT)¶

SCOUT for Federal Contracting is listed in the public ChatGPT Apps directory.

Open ChatGPT → Settings → Apps
Search SCOUT for Federal Contracting (or PrimeRFP)
Click Add / connect and sign in with your Scout account or paste your prfp_ API key when prompted

No manual mcp.json editing required on ChatGPT web/mobile when using the directory app.

For ChatGPT Desktop MCP config (custom connector), see the ChatGPT Desktop tab below.

Step 1 — Create an API key¶

Skip this step for Claude. The custom connector signs you in with your Scout account.

For Cursor, ChatGPT Desktop, Windsurf, VS Code, n8n, and CLI clients:

Open scout.primerfp.com and sign in
Go to Account Settings → API Keys
Click New Key, give it a name (e.g. Cursor Work), click Create Key
Copy the key. It starts with prfp_ and is shown only once.

Save your key

The raw key is never stored and cannot be recovered. Copy it before closing the dialog.

Step 2 — Configure your AI client¶

Claude uses a custom connector and Scout sign-in. See the Claude tab.

All other configs below use OAuth 2.0 Bearer (Authorization: Bearer prfp_…). If your client doesn't support Authorization headers, see the legacy API key option →. For clients that can perform the full OAuth token-claim flow automatically, see the Authentication reference →.

ChatGPT DesktopCursorClaudeWindsurfVS Code (Copilot)Claude Code (CLI)n8nOther / SSE

Requires: ChatGPT Desktop app (macOS or Windows) with MCP support enabled.

Config file locations:

OS	Path
macOS	`~/Library/Application Support/ChatGPT/mcp.json`
Windows	`%APPDATA%\ChatGPT\mcp.json`

Steps:

Open ChatGPT Desktop → Settings (gear icon) → scroll to MCP Servers → Edit Config (or edit the file directly)
Add the Scout server:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "scout": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.primerfp.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer prfp_YOUR_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Save and fully quit and relaunch ChatGPT Desktop
Start a new conversation and ask: "What government contracting tools do you have?"

File: ~/.cursor/mcp.json (global) or .cursor/mcp.json (project)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "scout": {
      "url": "https://mcp.primerfp.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer prfp_YOUR_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Steps:

Open Cursor → Settings → MCP → Add new global MCP server
Paste the JSON above (replacing the key)
Save and restart Cursor

Claude web, desktop, and mobile connect through a custom connector. Enter the MCP URL and sign in with your Scout account.

Full walkthrough: Connect Claude →

Quick version:

Settings → Customize → Connectors
Add → Add custom connector
Name: PrimeRFP Scout · URL: https://mcp.primerfp.com/mcp
Click Continue, then sign in with your Scout account if Claude asks
In a chat: + → Connectors → switch PrimeRFP Scout on

Replaces the older Claude Desktop setup

Claude connects to remote MCP servers directly. CLI clients still use mcp-remote; see Authentication and the Claude Code (CLI) tab.

File: ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

Steps:

Open Windsurf → Settings (Cmd+,) → search MCP
Click View raw config to open mcp_config.json
Add the Scout server:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "scout": {
      "serverUrl": "https://mcp.primerfp.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer prfp_YOUR_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Save and restart Windsurf

File: .vscode/mcp.json (workspace) or user settings.json

{
  "servers": {
    "scout": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.primerfp.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer prfp_YOUR_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Steps:

Create .vscode/mcp.json in your workspace
Open Command Palette → MCP: List Servers to confirm it's loaded

Claude Code is a CLI client and uses an API key. Claude web, desktop, and mobile use the custom connector.

claude mcp add --transport http scout https://mcp.primerfp.com/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer prfp_YOUR_KEY_HERE"

Then verify with:

claude mcp list

n8n can call Scout from workflows using nodes that support remote MCP over HTTP (for example MCP Client or equivalent community nodes). Use the API key from Step 1 and the URLs below.

Point the node at:

Setting	Value
URL	`https://mcp.primerfp.com/mcp`
Authorization	`Bearer prfp_YOUR_KEY_HERE`

Use the same Streamable HTTP endpoint as Cursor/ChatGPT; if a node only offers SSE, try https://mcp.primerfp.com/sse with the same Authorization header.

Any MCP client that supports Streamable HTTP or SSE:

Transport	URL
Streamable HTTP (recommended)	`https://mcp.primerfp.com/mcp`
SSE (legacy fallback)	`https://mcp.primerfp.com/sse`

Set header Authorization: Bearer prfp_YOUR_KEY_HERE on all requests.

Google Gemini & Microsoft Copilot (consumer)

Neither Google Gemini (gemini.google.com) nor Microsoft Copilot (copilot.microsoft.com) currently support MCP connections from third-party servers. Google is building their own Agent-to-Agent (A2A) protocol; Microsoft MCP support exists only in enterprise Copilot Studio.

Use Claude (custom connector), ChatGPT Desktop, or Cursor.

Step 3 — Verify the connection¶

After restarting your client, ask your AI:

Use Scout to tell me what tier I'm on.

A successful response looks like:

You're on Scout Tactics. You have access to:
search_opportunities, get_opportunity_detail, get_award_history,
find_recompete_contracts, find_teaming_partners, get_account_info

Troubleshooting¶

I use Google Gemini or Microsoft Copilot. Can I connect?

Google Gemini (gemini.google.com / Gemini Advanced) and Microsoft Copilot (copilot.microsoft.com) do not support remote MCP server connections for end users.

Google is developing a competing protocol (A2A). Watch for Gemini MCP support in a future release.
Microsoft MCP integration exists only in Copilot Studio (enterprise), not the consumer product.

What to use instead:

Claude: custom connector (Connect Claude)
ChatGPT Desktop: see the ChatGPT Desktop tab above
Cursor: see the Cursor tab above

Claude has no Scout tools, or I still have a claude_desktop_config.json

Claude web, desktop, and mobile use a custom connector. Follow Connect Claude: Settings → Customize → Connectors, then Add → Add custom connector. Switch PrimeRFP Scout on in the chat (+ → Connectors). You need Claude Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise.

CLI clients still use mcp-remote and claude_desktop_config.json. See Authentication and the Claude Code (CLI) tab.

I get a 401 Unauthorized error

Make sure you copied the full key including the prfp_ prefix
Keys are case-sensitive
Check the key hasn't been revoked in Settings → API Keys

I get a 403 Forbidden error

Often a monthly MCP budget on a paid tier or another server-side limit. For daily search caps, MCP usually returns a tool result with error_type: "daily_search_limit" (not always HTTP 403). Check Settings → API Keys and use get_account_info for search_quota and monthly usage. Upgrade or extend your plan if you need higher limits.

I get a 401 with a message about MCP Explorer or pricing

The web-only Free plan cannot use MCP. Start an MCP Trial, subscribe to MCP Explorer, or upgrade to Tactics+ at primerfp.com/pricing, then try again with the same API key (or create a new one after checkout if your workflow requires it).

My client says the server is unavailable

Verify your internet connection can reach https://mcp.primerfp.com
Try the health check: curl https://mcp.primerfp.com/health
Check the status page

The AI says it doesn't know what tools are available

Restart your AI client after adding the config — most clients only load MCP servers on startup.

Claude Code CLI or another stdio client can't reach the remote server

CLI-style clients still use mcp-remote as a local stdio bridge. See Authentication. mcp-remote requires Node 18 or later. If the process exits on Mac with nvm, point command at the absolute Node 20 binary rather than npx.

What to ask first¶

Once connected, try these prompts to see SCOUT in action:

Search & Discovery

Find cybersecurity opportunities at DHS posted in the last 30 days.

Budget Intelligence (Tactics+)

What programs at CISA are getting funding increases in FY2026?

Agency Briefing (Tactics+)

Brief me on the Department of Homeland Security before my customer meeting.

Capture Intelligence (Tactics+)

Should we pursue cloud migration work at the Department of Energy? Give me a bid/no-bid assessment.

Competitive Research (Tactics+)

Who are the top contractors winning cybersecurity work at DHS? What's the protest risk?

Market Sizing with PSC (Tactics+)

What's the federal natural resources market? Use category="natural resources".

NAICS vs PSC Comparison (Tactics+)

Show me the construction market two ways: using NAICS 236-238 and using category="Facilities & Construction". Compare the totals.

Recompete Pipeline (Strategic+)

What IT services contracts at VA are expiring in the next 12 months?

MCP Getting Started¶

Requirements¶

Connect Claude¶

Install via Smithery¶

Install from ChatGPT Apps (easiest for ChatGPT)¶

Step 1 — Create an API key¶

Step 2 — Configure your AI client¶

Step 3 — Verify the connection¶

Troubleshooting¶

What to ask first¶

Next steps¶