MCP Integration

The problem

You want Claude or another LLM to read, write, query, and manage .it files directly — parse a document, render it, seal it, amend it — without custom API integration.

The solution

The IntentText MCP server exposes every core operation as a tool. Connect it to Claude Desktop, VS Code with Copilot, or any MCP-compatible client.

Installation

npm install -g @dotit/mcp

Configure Claude Desktop

Add to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "intenttext": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@dotit/mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Configure VS Code

Add to .vscode/mcp.json:

{
  "servers": {
    "intenttext": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@dotit/mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Available tools

Tool	Description
parse_intent_text	Parse .it source into a structured document
render_html	Render to styled HTML with optional theme
render_print	Render to print-optimised HTML
query_document	Query blocks by type, content, or properties
merge_template	Merge a {{variable}} template with data
validate_document	Semantic validation beyond syntax
seal_document	Sign and freeze a document
verify_document	Verify document integrity
get_document_history	Get document revision history
diff_documents	Semantic diff between two versions
document_to_source	Convert a parsed document back to .it
extract_workflow	Extract the execution graph from a workflow

Example conversation

User: "Read the contract at contracts/service-agreement.it and tell me when the payment deadline is."

Claude uses the parse_intent_text tool → reads the document → finds deadline: blocks:

The payment deadline is 2026-04-15 (Net 30 from invoice date). The contract also has a renewal deadline of 2027-03-31.

User: "Amend the payment terms from Net 30 to Net 45."

Claude appends an amendment: line (amendment lines are excluded from the document hash, so the seal is preserved):

amendment: Payment terms updated | section: Payment | was: Net 30 | now: Net 45 | ref: Amendment #1 | at: 2026-09-15

Done. Amendment #1 has been added to the contract. The original seal is preserved. The payment terms now read Net 45.

User: "Verify the contract is still valid."

Claude uses the verify_document tool:

✓ Original seal is valid (sha256:f9a0b1c2, sealed 2026-03-22). One amendment applied: Amendment #1 — Payment terms changed from Net 30 to Net 45. Both signatures from Ahmed Al-Rashid (CEO) and Maria Santos (COO) are intact.

The lightweight alternative: dotit ask

If you don't need full MCP integration, use the built-in natural language query:

dotit ask ./contracts "What are the payment terms?" --format text
dotit ask ./hr "Who are the contacts in Engineering?" --format json

This uses the Anthropic API directly — no MCP server needed.

Building agent pipelines with MCP

An agent can use MCP tools to execute a pipeline defined in a .it file:

1. extract_workflow on the pipeline definition (or parse_intent_text for the raw blocks)
2. Read step: blocks and their dependencies
3. Execute each step's tool: in dependency order
4. Check gate: conditions for branching
5. Write audit: blocks for logging
6. Mark done: when complete

The .it file is both the plan and the execution log.

Next steps

• Task Planning — write agent task plans
• Pipeline Definition — define pipelines with error handling
• Agent Handoff — pass context between agents