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Overview

Claude Desktop can be configured to use WebHelp MCP Server through the Model Context Protocol (MCP), enabling seamless documentation search capabilities directly within your Claude conversations.

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Prerequisites

  • Claude Desktop app installed
  • WebHelp MCP Server deployed and accessible
  • Access to your claude_desktop_config.json file

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Configuration

1

Locate Configuration File

Find your Claude Desktop configuration file:macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.jsonWindows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.jsonLinux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
2

Add MCP Server Configuration

Open the configuration file and add your WebHelp MCP Server endpoint:
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "webhelp-oxygen-docs": {
      "url": "https://webhelp-mcp.example.com/www.oxygenxml.com/doc/versions/27.1/ug-editor"
    }
  }
}
Replace webhelp-mcp.example.com with your actual WebHelp MCP Server domain.The endpoint format is:
  • Single site: /{domain}/{path} (e.g., /www.oxygenxml.com/doc/versions/27.1/ug-editor)
  • Federated: /federated/{base64-encoded-urls} for searching multiple sites simultaneously
3

Restart Claude Desktop

Close and reopen Claude Desktop for the changes to take effect.
4

Verify Connection

Start a new conversation and ask Claude about the available tools:
What tools do you have access to?
Claude should report having access to search and fetch tools from your WebHelp MCP Server.

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Available Tools

Once configured, Claude Desktop has access to two primary tools: Search documentation for relevant content. Parameters:
  • query (string): Search query string. Supports boolean operators like AND, OR.
Returns: Array of search results with:
  • title: Document title
  • id: Document ID (used with fetch tool)
  • url: Full URL to the document

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fetch

Retrieve complete document content by ID for detailed analysis. Parameters:
  • id (string): Document ID from search results
Returns: Complete document content including:
  • title: Document title
  • url: Document URL
  • text: Full document text content in markdown format

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Example Usage

1

Search for Documentation

Ask Claude to search for specific topics:
Search the Oxygen documentation for information about WSDL validation.
Claude will use the search tool with query “WSDL validation” and return relevant results.
2

Get Detailed Content

Request more details about a specific result:
Can you fetch the full content of the first result and summarize it?
Claude will use the fetch tool with the document ID and provide a detailed summary.
3

Advanced Queries

Use boolean operators for complex searches:
Search for documents about "XML AND validation" but not schema.
The search tool supports boolean operators: AND, OR, NOT.

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Example Conversation

User: Search the documentation for WSDL

Claude: I'll search the Oxygen XML Editor documentation for WSDL.
[Uses search tool with query: "wsdl"]

I found several relevant documents:
1. "WSDL Documentation" - Describes WSDL file validation features
2. "Web Services Support" - Information about WSDL and SOAP
3. "Validation Scenarios" - How to set up WSDL validation

Would you like me to fetch the full content of any of these documents?

User: Yes, get the first one

Claude: [Uses fetch tool with document ID]

Here's a summary of the WSDL Documentation:

The Oxygen XML Editor provides comprehensive WSDL validation...
[Detailed summary follows]

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Troubleshooting

Solution:
  1. Verify the JSON syntax in claude_desktop_config.json is valid
  2. Ensure the MCP server URL is correct and accessible
  3. Restart Claude Desktop completely (check system tray/menu bar)
  4. Check Claude Desktop logs for connection errors
Solution:
  1. Verify your WebHelp MCP Server is running and accessible
  2. Test the endpoint URL in a browser or with curl: 
    curl https://webhelp-mcp.example.com/www.oxygenxml.com/doc/versions/27.1/ug-editor
  3. Check for firewall or network restrictions
  4. Ensure the server supports HTTPS (required by Claude Desktop)
Solution:
  1. Verify the documentation site URL is correct
  2. Check that the site has WebHelp search enabled
  3. Try a broader search query
  4. Ensure the site’s search index is properly configured
Solution:
  1. Validate your JSON syntax using a JSON validator
  2. Ensure all URLs use https:// protocol
  3. Check that server names contain only alphanumeric characters and hyphens
  4. Remove any trailing commas in the JSON
You can configure multiple WebHelp MCP servers for different documentation sites, allowing Claude to search across all your documentation resources.
Make sure your WebHelp MCP Server endpoints are secure and accessible. Claude Desktop requires HTTPS endpoints for production use.

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Advanced Configuration

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Using Environment Variables

You can reference environment variables in your configuration: 
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "webhelp-docs": {
      "url": "${WEBHELP_MCP_URL}/www.oxygenxml.com/doc/versions/27.1/ug-editor"
    }
  }
}

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Federated Search Setup

To search multiple documentation sites simultaneously, use the federated endpoint. The URL pattern requires base64-encoded comma-separated URLs:
  1. Create a list of base URLs: 
    https://www.oxygenxml.com/doc/versions/27.1/ug-editor/
https://www.oxygenxml.com/doc/versions/27.1/ug-author/
  2. Encode the URLs (comma-separated, then base64-encoded)
  3. Use in configuration: 
    {
  "mcpServers": {
    "webhelp-multi": {
      "url": "https://webhelp-mcp.example.com/federated/{encoded-urls}"
    }
  }
}
The federated search will automatically include site titles in the search tool description to help Claude understand which documentation sources are available.

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Next Steps

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