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"

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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 API key (created in Settings → API Keys)
• An MCP-compatible client (ChatGPT, Cursor, Claude, n8n, custom agents — see below)

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Step 1 — Create an API key

1. Open scout.primerfp.com and sign in
2. Go to Account Settings → API Keys
3. Click New Key, give it a name (e.g. Cursor Work), click Create Key
4. 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.

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Step 2 — Configure your AI client

All configs below use OAuth 2.0 Bearer (Authorization: Bearer prfp_…) — the recommended method. 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 DesktopCursorClaude DesktopWindsurfVS 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:

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

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

1. Save and fully quit and relaunch ChatGPT Desktop
2. 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:

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

Claude Desktop only supports local stdio MCP servers — remote HTTP is not supported directly. The solution is mcp-remote, a tiny npm bridge that runs locally and proxies to PrimeRFP's server.

Pre-requisite: Node.js must be installed (node -v to check). npx is included with Node.

Steps:

1. Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config
2. Edit (or create) claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "scout": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://mcp.primerfp.com/mcp",
        "--header",
        "Authorization: Bearer prfp_YOUR_KEY_HERE",
        "--transport",
        "http-only"
      ]
    }
  }
}

1. Save and fully quit Claude Desktop (Cmd+Q, not just close the window), then relaunch
2. The first launch will auto-download mcp-remote via npx — this takes ~10 seconds

No Node.js?

Install from nodejs.org (LTS version). After installing, quit and reopen Claude Desktop so it picks up the updated PATH.

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

Steps:

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

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

1. 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:

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

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.

For casual users: ChatGPT Desktop and Cursor are the easiest on-ramps today.

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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

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Troubleshooting

I use Google Gemini or Microsoft Copilot — can I connect?

Unfortunately, Google Gemini (gemini.google.com / Gemini Advanced) and Microsoft Copilot (copilot.microsoft.com) do not currently 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.

Best alternatives right now:

• ChatGPT Desktop — supports MCP, easiest setup (see the ChatGPT Desktop tab above)
• Cursor — best experience for research-heavy workflows

Claude Desktop says 'command: invalid_type — expected string'

Claude Desktop only supports local stdio MCP servers and does not accept type: "http" configs. The fix is to use mcp-remote as a local bridge — see the Claude Desktop tab above for the correct config. You need Node.js installed for npx to work.

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 Desktop says 'Server disconnected' on Mac with nvm installed

This is a Node.js version conflict. Claude Desktop launches commands using the system PATH, which often resolves to an old nvm-managed Node (e.g. v15 or v16) instead of the version active in your terminal. mcp-remote requires Node 18 or later.

Check the Claude log at ~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp-server-scout.log — look for the node version in the Using MCP server command: line or any module errors.

Fix option 1 (immediate) — bypass npx entirely and call node + proxy.js directly:

First, install mcp-remote globally and find your nvm Node 20 path:

npm install -g mcp-remote
ls ~/.nvm/versions/node/   # find your v20.x.x folder name

Then set claude_desktop_config.json to use the absolute node binary and dist/proxy.js (the stdio↔HTTP bridge):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "scout": {
      "command": "/Users/YOUR_USERNAME/.nvm/versions/node/v20.11.1/bin/node",
      "args": [
        "/opt/homebrew/lib/node_modules/mcp-remote/dist/proxy.js",
        "https://mcp.primerfp.com/mcp",
        "--header",
        "Authorization:Bearer prfp_YOUR_KEY_HERE",
        "--transport",
        "http-only"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Replace v20.11.1 with your actual nvm v20 version, and YOUR_USERNAME with your Mac username. Note: use X-PrimeRFP-Key:value (no space after the colon).

Fix option 2 (permanent) — set nvm default to Node 20 LTS:

nvm install 20
nvm alias default 20

Then fully quit Claude Desktop (Cmd+Q, not just close the window) and relaunch it. With the default set, the standard npx mcp-remote form in the config will work.

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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?

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Next steps

• Available tools reference →
• Tier limits →