Model Context Protocol (MCP)

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that lets AI-powered code editors connect to external tools and data sources. Instead of copying documentation into prompts or switching between your editor and a browser, MCP gives your AI assistant direct access to APIs, schemas, and reference material in real time.

The Lithic MCP server brings this capability to the Lithic Developer API. Once connected, your AI assistant can search Lithic documentation, inspect endpoint schemas, generate integration code, and execute live API requests, all from within your editor.

Capabilities

Once connected, your AI coding assistant can:

• Search Lithic documentation: find guides, API references, and code examples by keyword
• Explore API endpoints: list all endpoints, inspect request/response schemas, and view code snippets in your language
• Execute live API requests: call the Lithic API directly from your editor (requires a Lithic API key)
• Generate integration code: build Lithic integrations with real context from the API specification

Prerequisites

• An AI code editor or chat app that supports MCP (see supported clients below)
• A Lithic API key (authentication guide) (required for executing API requests; documentation search and exploration work without one)
• For sandbox testing, use a Sandbox API key to safely simulate transactions

Lithic MCP Server URL

Lithic hosts a remote MCP server at:

https://docs.lithic.com/mcp

This is a hosted server. No local installation, npm install, or Docker setup is required. Add the URL to your editor's MCP configuration and you're ready to go.

Store Your API Key in a .env File

To execute live API requests through the MCP server, your AI assistant needs access to your Lithic API key. The recommended approach is to store it in a .env file in your project root so your assistant can read it when making requests.

Create a .env file in your project directory:

# .env
LITHIC_API_KEY=your_sandbox_api_key_here

Replace your_sandbox_api_key_here with your actual key. You can find your Sandbox API key in the Lithic Dashboard.

Important: Add .env to your .gitignore file to avoid committing your API key to version control.

# .gitignore
.env

Your AI assistant can then read the key from this file and include it as an Authorization header when using the execute-request tool.

Connect Your Editor or Chat App

Select your editor or chat app and follow the setup instructions. Each section includes the exact configuration or steps you need.

Cursor

Add to your project-level config (.cursor/mcp.json) or global config (~/.cursor/mcp.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "lithic": {
      "url": "https://docs.lithic.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}

You can also add it via Cursor Settings > Features > MCP Servers > + Add new global MCP server.

Claude Code

Use the CLI to add the Lithic MCP server:

# Add to your current project
claude mcp add lithic --transport http https://docs.lithic.com/mcp

# Or add globally (available across all projects)
claude mcp add lithic --transport http --scope user https://docs.lithic.com/mcp

To share the configuration with your team, add a .mcp.json file to your project root instead:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "lithic": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://docs.lithic.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}

VS Code (GitHub Copilot)

Add a .vscode/mcp.json file to your project:

{
  "servers": {
    "lithic": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://docs.lithic.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Important: VS Code uses `