# mercurialsolo/counsel-mcp [Health: Active]

**Category:** 🗣️ Conversational AI  
**Repository:** https://github.com/mercurialsolo/counsel-mcp  
**GitHub Stars:** 6  
**npm Downloads (last month):** 60  
**Views:** 3  
**Installs:** 0  
**Upvotes:** 0  
**Directory Page:** https://allmcps.com/mcp/mercurialsolo-counsel-mcp

## Description
Connect AI agents to the Counsel API for strategic reasoning, multi-perspective debate analysis, and interactive advisory sessions.

## Tools
Capabilities this server exposes over MCP:

- **start_consultation** — Start a new strategic consultation (debate) to analyze a complex question with multiple perspectives.
- **get_consultation_status** — Check the status of an ongoing consultation.
- **get_consultation_report** — Retrieve the final synthesis report from a completed consultation.
- **list_consultations** — List your past consultations.
- **sharpen_question** — Refine and improve a strategic question before starting a consultation.
- **consult_advisor** — Start an interactive advisor session for brainstorming or scoping problems.

## Claude Desktop Quick Installation
Install path detected from listing signals. Uses `npx` (confidence: high):

```json
"mcpServers": {
  "counsel-mcp": {
    "command": "npx",
    "args": ["-y","counsel-mcp-server"],
    "env": {
      "COUNSEL_API_KEY": ""
    }
  }
}
```

**Requires environment variables:** `COUNSEL_API_KEY` — the values above are empty placeholders; fill in real credentials before running (see the repository for what each one is for).

## Documentation

## What mercurialsolo/counsel-mcp MCP server does

The mercurialsolo/counsel-mcp MCP server gives MCP-compatible AI clients access to Counsel's strategic reasoning and advisory workflows. Its consultation flow is designed for complex questions that benefit from multiple perspectives. A consultation can include additional context, named stakeholders, and a selected analysis depth: quick, standard, or deep.

The server also supports a separate advisor workflow for interactive brainstorming and problem scoping. Before launching a consultation, an agent can use the question-refinement tool to make a strategic question more specific.

## How it works

The mercurialsolo/counsel-mcp MCP server can run in two transport modes. STDIO mode is intended for local MCP clients and starts through the `counsel-mcp-server start` command. In this mode, the server authenticates to Counsel with the `COUNSEL_API_KEY` environment variable.

HTTP mode runs a separate local HTTP process with `counsel-mcp-server http`. Clients connect to its `/mcp` endpoint. This mode provides OAuth 2.0 discovery and authentication, so the client handles sign-in and token management rather than receiving an API key. The hosted endpoint is also available at `http://counsel-mcp.getmason.dev/mcp` for clients that support HTTP transport.

Consultations are represented by an ID. After starting one, an agent can poll its status and request the final synthesis report once processing is complete. Past consultations can be listed with an optional result limit.

## Setup and configuration

Self-hosting requires Node.js 18 or newer and a Counsel account. Local clients can launch the package with npx:

```json
{
  "command": "npx",
  "args": ["-y", "counsel-mcp-server", "start"]
}
```

For STDIO connections, add `COUNSEL_API_KEY` to the client environment. The README provides configurations for Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, and VS Code with Copilot. HTTP deployments use the `http` command and can set a custom port, such as `3000`.

## Tools and capabilities

- `start_consultation`: Begin a debate-style analysis with a question, optional context, analysis mode, and stakeholders.
- `get_consultation_status`: Check an active consultation by debate ID.
- `get_consultation_report`: Retrieve the completed synthesis for a debate ID.
- `list_consultations`: Show previous consultations, with a configurable limit.
- `sharpen_question`: Improve a strategic question before analysis.
- `consult_advisor`: Start an interactive session from an initial question or topic.

## Limitations and notes

The server depends on a Counsel account and the Counsel API. STDIO mode requires an API key, while HTTP mode requires an MCP client that supports HTTP transport and OAuth 2.0. Consultation reports are available only after the associated consultation has completed.

_Full upstream README: https://allmcps.com/mcp/mercurialsolo-counsel-mcp/readme_