MCP Integration Guide

How to connect AI clients to Pharos and start querying your ERP data.

Prerequisites

Before connecting, ensure you have:

A running Pharos instance (on-premise or hosted)
A valid bearer token (see Authentication)
An MCP-compatible AI client

Connecting Claude Desktop

Add Pharos to your Claude Desktop MCP configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pharos": {
      "command": "curl",
      "args": ["-s", "https://pharos.your-domain.com/mcp"],
      "env": {
        "PHAROS_TOKEN": "your-bearer-token"
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop. Pharos tools will appear in the tool list automatically.

Connecting Custom Applications

For custom AI applications, connect via HTTP:

# Discover available tools
curl -s https://pharos.your-domain.com/mcp/tools \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $PHAROS_TOKEN"

# Call a specific tool
curl -s -X POST https://pharos.your-domain.com/mcp/tools/schema_search \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $PHAROS_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"query": "customer"}'

Tool Discovery

When an AI client connects, it can request a list of all available tools:

{
  "tools": [
    {
      "name": "schema_search",
      "description": "Search for database tables matching a keyword",
      "inputSchema": {
        "type": "object",
        "properties": {
          "query": { "type": "string", "description": "Search keyword" }
        },
        "required": ["query"]
      }
    }
  ]
}

The AI uses these descriptions to decide which tool to call for a given question. You don't need to tell it which tool to use; it figures that out from context.

Testing Your Connection

Verify connectivity with a simple schema search:

curl -s -X POST https://pharos.your-domain.com/mcp/tools/schema_search \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $PHAROS_TOKEN" \
  -d '{"query": "inventory"}'

A successful response returns matching tables with descriptions and row counts. If you get a 401 error, check your bearer token. If you get a connection error, verify your Pharos instance is running and accessible.

Next Steps

Browse the API Reference for all available tools
Set up Authentication for your team
Review the Deployment Guide for production setup