Connect your AI
Atlas connects to any AI tool that supports the Model Context Protocol (MCP). You build the model once, and every tool gets structured context about your actual business.
There are two ways in:
- Sign in (recommended). Tools that support remote MCP servers connect to
https://graphiteatlas.com/api/mcpand you sign in to Atlas in the browser. No key, no Node.js. The Claude Desktop plugin and Microsoft Copilot Studio work this way. - API key. Tools that run a local MCP server use an API key and Node.js.
Connect your tool
- Claude Desktop →
- Claude Code →
- Other MCP clients →: Cursor, Windsurf, ChatGPT
- Microsoft Copilot Studio →: hosted, nothing to install
Teach your AI to model well
Tools alone don't produce a good model. The Atlas skills and plugin → give your AI the modeling principles, the Atlas language and audit checks, so it builds the way an experienced Atlas user would.
Generate your API key
You only need this for the API key route.
- In Atlas, click your name at the bottom of the sidebar, then Settings > Developers.
- Click New App and name it (for example, "Claude MCP").
- Click New Key on your app.
- Choose JWT Token, Full Access (Recommended), Production and 90 days (Recommended).
- Click Generate Token.
The token is only shown once. Don't close this screen until you've pasted the config.
Click Copy Config. It copies the full MCP JSON with your token in it.
What you get
Your AI can read and write atlases, points, paths, views and folders, attach files, read and answer comments, check its work against the ontology, and run graph analytics such as ranking, communities and shortest paths.
Token scopes
When you create a key, choose its access:
| Setting | What it allows |
|---|---|
| Full Access (Recommended) | All operations on all resources |
| Read-Only Access | View all resources without modifications |
| Atlas Access | Leave empty for every atlas, or pick atlases to restrict the key to them |
| View Access (optional) | Pick views (or folders) to restrict the key, read-only, to just those views' points |
Token management
- Expiration: keys expire after the period you set (recommended: 90 days). Expired keys return
401 Unauthorized. - Revoking: revoke a key anytime from Settings > Developers. It takes effect immediately.
- Security: never commit keys to git or share them publicly. Rotate them regularly.
Environment variables
For the API key route:
| Variable | Required | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
GRAPHITE_ACCESS_TOKEN | Yes | None | Your JWT token |
GRAPHITE_API_URL | No | https://graphiteatlas.com | API base URL |
Troubleshooting
"Could not load app settings: Unexpected non-whitespace character after JSON"
The config file has two separate { } blocks. JSON only allows one top-level object.
Open the file and look near the bottom: you'll see a second { starting a new block. Merge the "mcpServers" key inside the first object instead of pasting it after.
"Server disconnected" or "spawn npx ENOENT"
Node.js is not installed, or was just installed and needs a computer restart for the PATH to update.
Install from nodejs.org (LTS version), restart your computer, then try again. Or switch to the sign-in route, which needs no Node.js.
Windows only: if Node is installed but this error persists, replace "command" and "args" in your config with:
"command": "cmd",
"args": ["/c", "npx", "-y", "-p", "@graphite-atlas/mcp-server", "graphite-mcp"],
"Unauthorized" / 401
Key expired or revoked. Generate a new one in Settings > Developers, update GRAPHITE_ACCESS_TOKEN in the config file, save, fully quit your AI tool and reopen it.
"GRAPHITE_ACCESS_TOKEN required"
The config didn't paste correctly. Generate a key again and use Copy Config.
"403 Forbidden"
The key doesn't have the access the tool needs. Generate a new key with Full Access.
Tools don't appear / AI doesn't see Atlas
You closed the window but didn't fully quit the app. On Mac: Cmd+Q or Claude menu > Quit. On Windows: system tray icon > Quit.
Still stuck? [email protected]