> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.poesius.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# MCP Overview

> Introduction to Model Context Protocol (MCP) for Poesius

## What is MCP?

The MCP (Model Context Protocol) interface is designed for AI assistants like Claude. It provides a structured way to interact with the Poesius platform.

## Video Demo: Connecting Poesius to Claude via MCP

Watch this video to see how to connect Poesius to Claude using MCP:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/d7pvpt7Yl-Y" title="Connecting Poesius to Claude via MCP" frameBorder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowFullScreen style={{ width: '100%', borderRadius: '0.5rem' }} />

## How Poesius Generates Presentations

When you use MCP tools to generate slides, Poesius automatically performs three steps:

1. **Generate narrative** - Creates a McKinsey-style presentation story, summarizing key findings and revealing insights
2. **Retrieve layout details** - Gets template specifications (colors, layout zones, typography) defined visually in the web app
3. **Create slides** - Combines the generated narrative with template specs to produce professional PPTX files

<Card title="Learn More" icon="info-circle" href="/how-it-works">
  Understand the complete generation process
</Card>

## MCP Endpoint

**Base URL**: `https://poe.poesius.com/mcp` or `https://poe.poesius.com/api/v1/mcp`

**Transport**: SSE (Server-Sent Events) or HTTP POST

## Authentication

MCP supports the same authentication methods as the REST API:

* `X-API-Key` header
* `Authorization: Bearer <token>` header

## Available MCP Tools

### Core Tools

<Card title="generate_slides" icon="wand-magic" href="/mcp/generate-slides">
  End-to-end slide generation (recommended)
</Card>

<Card title="list_templates" icon="list" href="/mcp/list-templates">
  List all available templates
</Card>

### Advanced Tools

* `generate_presentation_content` - Generate markdown content first
* `slide_from_content` - Create slides from existing content
* `refine_slide` - Refine an existing slide
* `list_conversations` - List user conversations
* `get_conversation_history` - Get conversation history
* `create_share_link` - Create shareable links

## Basic Usage

### Example MCP Call

```json theme={null}
{
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "generate_slides",
    "arguments": {
      "topic": "Introduction to Machine Learning",
      "instructions": "Create a comprehensive presentation",
      "num_slides": 20
    }
  }
}
```

## When to Use MCP vs REST API

### Use MCP when:

* Building AI assistant integrations
* You want structured tool responses
* You need conversation context
* Working with Claude or similar AI tools

### Use REST API when:

* Building traditional web applications
* You need direct HTTP control
* You're using standard HTTP clients
* You prefer RESTful patterns

## Next Steps

<Card title="Generate Slides (MCP)" icon="wand-magic" href="/mcp/generate-slides">
  Learn how to generate slides using MCP
</Card>

<Card title="List Templates" icon="list" href="/mcp/list-templates">
  Discover available templates
</Card>

<Card title="Examples" icon="code" href="/examples/mcp-python">
  See MCP code examples
</Card>