Anytype (self Hosted HTTP)

What Anytype (self-hosted HTTP) does

Anytype (self-hosted HTTP) connects MCP clients to the local API provided by the Anytype desktop application. The application must be running on the same machine or otherwise reachable by the server; the default API address is 127.0.0.1:31009 from the host perspective.

The server exposes the full API as MCP tools generated from the active OpenAPI description. These tools let an assistant search an Anytype knowledge base, retrieve objects, inspect spaces and types, and create or change content. The README also gives task creation and new-space creation as supported examples. Tools are marked as read-only, write, or destructive to help clients distinguish their effects.

A synthesized API-get-overview tool returns the available spaces and their types in one request. When given a space identifier, it also includes that space’s property definitions, reducing the need for several discovery calls. Responses are compacted by default: empty values, nulls, and selected repeated metadata are removed before results reach the model.

How it works

The typical flow is an MCP client connecting to the server’s /mcp endpoint, followed by the server forwarding requests to the local Anytype API. Docker Compose runs the service in the background, allowing multiple MCP clients to use the same endpoint. Clients that only support stdio can connect through the mcp-remote bridge; clients with native Streamable-HTTP support can use the endpoint directly.

Anytype (self-hosted HTTP) also supports a local stdio mode when built from source. That mode is useful when a client expects to launch an MCP process itself, while the Docker deployment is intended for a continuously available HTTP service.

Setup and configuration

Install and run the Anytype desktop app, then create an API key from Settings → API Keys. Copy the example environment file, place the key in ANYTYPE_API_KEY, and start the service with docker compose up -d --build. The default MCP port is 8769; /healthz returns a simple health response for checking that the container is available.

The container normally reaches the host application through http://host.docker.internal:31009. ANYTYPE_API_BASE_URL can change that address, while ANYTYPE_API_HOST_HEADER controls the Host header when the API requires a local-origin value. ANYTYPE_VERSION selects the API version header. Set PORT to change the exposed service port.

Set MCP_SHARED_TOKEN to require bearer-token authentication on the HTTP endpoint. With no token configured, the endpoint is unauthenticated and is intended for localhost use. ANYTYPE_MCP_SLIM_RESPONSES=false disables response compaction and preserves raw API payloads. Recreate the containers after changing environment values.

Tools and capabilities

• Dynamically generates MCP tools from the running Anytype API.
• Provides the consolidated API-get-overview discovery operation.
• Supports read, write, and destructive Anytype operations with effect hints.
• Compacts list and search responses by default to reduce returned context.
• Serves MCP through Streamable HTTP or stdio.
• Includes a health-check endpoint for the HTTP deployment.

Limitations and notes

This server depends on the Anytype desktop application and its local API; it is not a standalone hosted Anytype backend. Docker is required for the documented HTTP setup, including Docker Desktop on macOS and Windows. The API key is stored in .env, which should not be committed.

Anytype (self-hosted HTTP) leaves the HTTP endpoint open unless MCP_SHARED_TOKEN is set, so exposing it beyond the local machine requires additional protection. Claude Desktop’s documented setup requires mcp-remote because that client configuration is stdio-only. Native HTTP clients can connect to /mcp without that bridge.