Tolgee MCP Server — Official Localization MCP for AI
The Tolgee MCP Server brings the full power of Tolgee into your AI coding assistant, letting you manage translations without ever leaving your editor. Connect Claude Code, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible AI assistant to your Tolgee project and start managing localization tasks conversationally.
What is MCP?
The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that allows AI assistants to interact with external tools and services. MCP servers let you manage your data directly from AI-powered tools like Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, ChatGPT, and others.
What is the Tolgee MCP server?
The Tolgee MCP server is the official Model Context Protocol endpoint built into the Tolgee platform. It lets AI assistants (Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, ChatGPT, and any other MCP-compatible client) manage your Tolgee localization projects through natural language. It is hosted at https://app.tolgee.io/mcp/developer for Tolgee Cloud and is available on every self-hosted Tolgee instance. No proxy, no separate process. Your AI client talks to Tolgee directly over HTTPS.
The server is official, maintained by the Tolgee team, and listed in the Official MCP Registry as io.github.tolgee/tolgee.
How does the Tolgee MCP server compare to the Tolgee CLI and REST API?
All three talk to the same underlying Tolgee API but target different workflows. The Tolgee MCP server is for natural-language use from inside an AI assistant — no client library, no script, you just ask. The Tolgee CLI is for scripted, repeatable operations such as push and pull in CI pipelines. The Tolgee REST API is for building your own integrations, dashboards, or in-product features. They are complementary, not alternatives, most teams end up using two or three.
| Tolgee MCP server | Tolgee CLI | Tolgee REST API | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Conversational use from AI assistants | Scripts, CI sync/push/pull | Building your own apps & integrations |
| Surface | Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT, Windsurf… | Terminal | Your code (any language) |
| Auth | PAK or PAT via X-API-Key | PAK or PAT | PAK or PAT |
| Discoverability | High — AI lists tools and prompts for missing params | Medium — tolgee --help | Low — read the OpenAPI spec |
| Determinism | Lower — natural language can be ambiguous | High | High |
| Bulk / batch ops | ✔ machine_translate, etc. | ✔ | ✔ |
| Latency per call | One HTTP round-trip | One HTTP round-trip | One HTTP round-trip |
| Sandboxed by client | ✔ (client shows confirmation for destructive ops) | ❌ runs whatever you type | ❌ runs whatever you call |
A common end-state for a Tolgee team:
- MCP server — day-to-day exploratory work and one-off fixes from inside Claude or Cursor.
- CLI — committed sync between repo and Tolgee in CI (e.g.
tolgee pushon merge tomain). - REST API — in-app translation lookup, custom dashboards, or webhooks.
Which MCP clients are supported?
The Tolgee MCP server uses the standard streamable-HTTP MCP transport, so it works with any MCP-compatible client that supports remote HTTP servers and custom request headers. Officially tested clients are Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, and ChatGPT (via custom MCP connectors). Authentication is always via the X-API-Key header. Clients that only support the local stdio transport are not supported directly, but they can connect through an HTTP-to-stdio bridge if needed.
| Client | Status | Transport |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Desktop | Supported | HTTP |
| Claude Code | Supported | HTTP |
| Cursor | Supported | HTTP |
| Windsurf | Supported | HTTP |
| ChatGPT (custom connector) | Supported | HTTP |
| VS Code MCP | Supported | HTTP |
| Zed | Supported | HTTP |
| Any stdio-only client | Use an HTTP bridge | — |
If your client supports MCP but is not listed here, it almost certainly works. File an issue if it doesn't and we'll look into it.
Available Roles
The MCP server currently exposes a single role-based endpoint:
| Role | Endpoint | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | /mcp/developer | Full access to keys, translations, languages, tags, namespaces, branches, and batch operations. |
More roles (e.g. translator, project manager) are planned for future releases.
How to Get Started
- Follow the setup guide to connect your AI client to Tolgee.
- Check the usage guide for example workflows and best practices.