Tolgee MCP Server

Manage your app’s translations directly from your AI coding assistant. Search keys, create translations, trigger machine translation. All without

Local serverstdio

What is the Tolgee MCP server?

Tolgee MCP server is a locally run integration for AI assistants that speak the Model Context Protocol. Manage your app’s translations directly from your AI coding assistant. Search keys, create translations, trigger machine translation. All without leaving your editor.

What you get

Add this to your Cursor MCP settings (~/.cursor/mcp.json):

What the assistant can call

Once Tolgee is connected, these are the calls the assistant has available:

  • Ability — Tools
  • read — list/get collections, entries, assets, webhooks; webhook logs
  • create — create entries, upload assets, create webhooks
  • update — update entries, publish/unpublish/discard draft, link_entry_translation, versions, update asset metadata, update webhooks
  • delete — delete entries, delete assets, delete webhooks
  • admin — create/update/reorder collections and fields; add/set default project locales (MCP does not expose locale removal)
  • Project — Removing locales is intentionally not exposed here (use Project settings → Localization in the dashboard, or the REST/SDK APIs)
  • Collections — The Collections tool exposed by this server
  • Fields — The Fields tool exposed by this server
  • Assets — The Assets tool exposed by this server
  • Webhooks — The Webhooks tool exposed by this server

Setting it up

@elmapicms/mcp-server on npm is all you need. Most clients run it directly, so configuration is a few lines and a restart.

Configuration and credentials

You will need 5 environment variables: ELMAPI_BASE_URL, ELMAPI_API_KEY, ELMAPI_PROJECT_ID, NODE_TLS_REJECT_UNAUTHORIZED, ELMAPI_API_URL. The server will not start without them, which is usually why the tools fail to appear on a first run. Keep credentials in your client's env block or a secrets manager rather than in a file you might commit.

Choosing this one

Among the monitoring and observability options, the useful question is rarely "what can it do" but "what does it cost you to run" — permissions, credentials, and how much of your context its toolset consumes. Tolgee's toolset — Ability, read, create and 8 more — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow.

SyncDev reviews every entry in this directory against the project's own documentation before publishing, and revisits them as servers change.

Before you rely on it

  • It runs with your machine's permissions. That is convenient and also the reason to think about what you point it at before you approve a tool call.
  • With 11 tools registered it takes up a noticeable share of the context window; turn it off in projects that never touch Tolgee.
  • Missing credentials fail quietly in some clients — if no tools show up, check the environment block first.
  • MCP clients confirm each tool call by default. Leave that on until you have watched what the tolgee mcp server does with a few real requests.

Available tools

ToolWhat it does
AbilityTools
readlist/get collections, entries, assets, webhooks; webhook logs
createcreate entries, upload assets, create webhooks
updateupdate entries, publish/unpublish/discard draft, **link_entry_translation**, versions, update asset metadata, update webhooks
deletedelete entries, delete assets, delete webhooks
admincreate/update/reorder collections and fields; add/set default **project locales** (MCP does not expose locale removal)
ProjectRemoving locales is intentionally **not** exposed here (use **Project settings → Localization** in the dashboard, or the REST/SDK APIs).
CollectionsThe Collections tool exposed by this server.
FieldsThe Fields tool exposed by this server.
AssetsThe Assets tool exposed by this server.
WebhooksThe Webhooks tool exposed by this server.

How to install the Tolgee MCP server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "elmapicms": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@elmapicms/mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "ELMAPI_BASE_URL": "https://your-domain.com/api",
        "ELMAPI_API_KEY": "your-project-api-token",
        "ELMAPI_PROJECT_ID": "your-project-uuid"
      }
    }
  }
}

Configuration as documented by the project. Restart the client after saving.

Configuration

VariableDescriptionRequired
ELMAPI_BASE_URLEndpoint or connection string the server talks to.Yes
ELMAPI_API_KEYCredential the server authenticates with.Yes
ELMAPI_PROJECT_IDConfiguration value read at startup.Optional
NODE_TLS_REJECT_UNAUTHORIZEDConfiguration value read at startup.Optional
ELMAPI_API_URLEndpoint or connection string the server talks to.Yes

Example prompts to try

  • Use Tolgee to Ability.
  • Use Tolgee to read.
  • Use Tolgee to create.

Frequently asked questions

It connects Tolgee to MCP-compatible AI assistants such as Claude and Cursor, exposing 11 tools (Ability, read, create, and more) that the assistant can call on your behalf. Instead of copying data back and forth by hand, the assistant works with Tolgee directly.