Install Boringdots Operator

What you need

• An active Boringdots Pro subscription (Operator + Library, $49 a month).
• Your Boringdots Operator key, sent in your welcome email. It starts with dk_live_. Treat it like a password.
• One of the supported AI coding clients listed below.

Don't have a Pro subscription yet? See pricing or learn about Operator.

Install per client

Pick your AI coding client. Each tab shows the exact config to add. Replace YOUR_KEY_HERE with the key from your welcome email.

claude mcp add --transport http boringdots https://boringdots.onrender.com/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_KEY_HERE"

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "boringdots": {
      "url": "https://boringdots.onrender.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

[mcp_servers.boringdots]
url = "https://boringdots.onrender.com/mcp"
http_headers = { Authorization = "Bearer YOUR_KEY_HERE" }

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "boringdots": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://boringdots.onrender.com/mcp",
        "--header",
        "Authorization: Bearer ${BORINGDOTS_KEY}"
      ],
      "env": {
        "BORINGDOTS_KEY": "YOUR_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "boringdots": {
      "url": "https://boringdots.onrender.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Authentication

Every request needs your bearer key in the Authorization header. The MCP server validates the key on every call against your active subscription.

The key is single-use in the sense that there is only ever one live key per buyer. Rotating it via support invalidates the previous one. Sharing it grants full Pro access until rotated.

A browser-based OAuth flow is on the roadmap. When it ships, you will be able to authorize Operator with one click instead of pasting a key. Until then, the bearer key is the supported path.

Verify your setup

The fastest way to confirm the server accepts your key is a direct call to the REST endpoint:

curl -X POST https://boringdots.onrender.com/v1/tools/readiness_audit \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_KEY_HERE" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{}'

Expected responses:

• 200 OK with JSON body: the key works and the tool ran. Empty input produced a baseline verdict.
• 401 Unauthorized: the key did not validate. Check that you copied the full key (it is long).
• 429 Rate Limited: you hit the per-minute limit. Wait a minute and retry. See troubleshooting.
• 5xx: the server is rebuilding or down. Wait a minute and retry. If it persists, email hi@boringdots.com.

Troubleshooting

The tools don't appear after restart

Quit the client process completely (not just close the window). On macOS, use the menu bar Quit option or Cmd+Q. Reopen. If still missing, check the client's MCP server logs for the connection attempt.

401 Unauthorized on every call

The bearer key did not validate. Two common causes: (1) the key was copied incomplete (it is long and crosses lines in some email clients), or (2) your subscription was cancelled or has lapsed. Check your Stripe receipt for active billing.

The MCP key is lost

Keys are shown once in the welcome email and never again. If you no longer have it, email hi@boringdots.com with the email address on your subscription. We rotate the key and send the new one. The old key stops working immediately.

429 Rate Limited

The Pro tier allows 120 requests per minute and a generous monthly quota. If you hit the rate limit during normal use, wait one minute and retry. If you consistently hit it, the AI client may be retrying aggressively on a different error. Check the client logs.

Other issues

Send a description of what you tried and what response you got to hi@boringdots.com. Include your subscription email and the AI client name and version.