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The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that lets AI assistants call external tools and access data sources. Avala’s MCP server exposes your datasets, projects, and exports as tools, so you can manage your annotation workflow through natural language in Claude, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, or ChatGPT. MCP architecture: AI editor connects to Avala MCP server, which calls the Avala API and returns structured data

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Quick Setup

Install the MCP server with any compatible AI client. You’ll need Node.js 18+ and an Avala API key. For Claude Desktop, add to your config file (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on macOS):
Never commit config files containing real API keys to version control. Set AVALA_API_KEY as a system environment variable, or replace "your-api-key" with your actual key locally.
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "avala": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@avala-ai/mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "AVALA_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}
Restart Claude Desktop. The Avala tools will appear in the tool picker.
MCP runs read-only by default in the bundled server. To enable write/delete tools, set AVALA_MCP_ENABLE_MUTATIONS=true before launching the MCP server.

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What You Can Do

Once connected, you can ask your AI assistant to interact with Avala using natural language: 
List all my datasets

Show the status of the "Pedestrian Detection" project

How many tasks are completed in "Lidar QA"?

Show export jobs for dataset ds_abc123

Show my workspace stats
The assistant calls the appropriate Avala MCP tool, processes the response, and presents the results. You can chain multiple requests in a single conversation — for example, list datasets, pick one, then trigger an export.

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Full Setup Guide

For VS Code, ChatGPT, and a complete list of available MCP tools, see the full MCP Server setup guide.

MCP Server Setup

Complete setup instructions for all supported AI clients and the full tool reference.

API Authentication

Create and manage the API keys used by the MCP server.