> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://developer.kizen.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://developer.kizen.com/docs/developers/build-with-the-mcp/mcp-tools.md).

# MCP Tools

Reference for Kizen's Knowledge Base MCP tools (listCatalogs, searchCatalog, and getDocument), including inputs, outputs, and behavior.

{% hint style="success" %}
**Audience:** Developers and integration engineers

**Purpose:** Look up each MCP tool's inputs, outputs, and behavior.
{% endhint %}

## Overview

The <code class="expression">space.vars.Kizen\_company\_name</code> MCP server exposes three tools for working with Knowledge Catalogs, which are sets of information sources that you can share across your business. Admins control which roles and team members can query each catalog. A connected assistant discovers these tools automatically and calls them as needed to answer questions from the catalogs you are allowed to access.

## Why Would I Use These Tools?

Use these tools to let an AI assistant answer questions from your <code class="expression">space.vars.Kizen\_company\_name</code> knowledge without anyone copying content out of <code class="expression">space.vars.Kizen\_company\_name</code>. The assistant finds the right catalog, searches it, and pulls the source document, all scoped to what you are allowed to see.

### listCatalogs

Lists the Knowledge Catalogs the connected user can access.

Inputs: none.

Returns: a list of the catalogs the user can access, with a total count, and for each catalog its `id`, `api_name`, and `description`.

### searchCatalog

Runs a semantic search across one or all accessible catalogs and returns the most relevant content.

Inputs:

* `query` (string, required): the search text.
* `n` (integer, optional, default 10): maximum number of results.
* `catalog` (string, optional): limit the search to one or more catalogs, by API name or UUID. Accepts multiple comma-separated values. To search all accessible catalogs, omit the `catalog` input.

Returns: matching content chunks as plain text, each with a source description, a snippet, and a relevance score.

### getDocument

Retrieves the full text of a single knowledge source.

Inputs:

* `source_id` (string, required): the source identifier, obtained from a `searchCatalog` result.

Returns: the source's metadata and its full, concatenated content.

## Behavior and Details

* Response format: All tools return plain text, not JSON, optimized for AI consumption.
* Tool annotations: Each tool advertises MCP annotations such as `readOnlyHint: true` and `destructiveHint: false`, so clients can tell these are safe, read-only tools.
* Permissions and scope: Results include only catalogs the user has View permission on, scoped to the authenticated business.
* Performance: A search adds roughly 200 to 500 ms for embedding.
* Errors: An unauthenticated request returns a JSON-RPC error. An unknown configuration slug returns 403.

***

## What's Next

For how the server and authentication work, see [Build with MCP](/docs/developers/build-with-the-mcp.md), or follow [Connect an AI Assistant](/docs/developers/build-with-the-mcp/connect-an-ai-assistant.md) to connect a client.

<details>

<summary><strong>Related Topics</strong></summary>

* [Build with MCP](/docs/developers/build-with-the-mcp.md)
* [Connect an AI Assistant](/docs/developers/build-with-the-mcp/connect-an-ai-assistant.md)
* [Authentication](/docs/developers/authentication.md)
* [Permissions](/docs/settings-and-administration/permissions.md)

</details>


---

# Agent Instructions
This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com.

## Querying This Documentation
If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter:

```
GET https://developer.kizen.com/docs/developers/build-with-the-mcp/mcp-tools.md?ask=<question>&goal=<endgoal>
```

`ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
`goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal.

The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.