Model Context Protocol

The scissor.news MCP

Query a live news knowledge graph — stories, topics, entities, events, locations, quotes and metrics — from Claude, or any MCP-capable client. Read-only, citation-ready, one endpoint.

Quickstart — Claude Desktop

Add this to your claude_desktop_config.json (Settings → Developer → Edit Config). It bridges Claude to the HTTP endpoint via mcp-remote and passes your key. Requires Node.js.

// claude_desktop_config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "newscan": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y", "mcp-remote",
        "https://mcp.scissor.news/mcp",
        "--header", "Authorization:${AUTH}"
      ],
      "env": { "AUTH": "Bearer sk-mcp-YOUR-KEY-HERE" }
    }
  }
}

The token lives in env.AUTH (not the args) on purpose — it dodges a known mcp-remote bug where a space inside --header gets split. Restart Claude Desktop after saving; you'll see the newscan tools appear.

Mobile & web (native connector)

On the Claude mobile or web app: Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector, enter the URL below, and tap Connect. Claude runs an OAuth sign-in — paste your NewScan API key once on the authorize screen and you're done. The connector syncs across your phone, web, and desktop.

https://mcp.scissor.news/mcp

No mcp-remote and no Node needed here — the app connects directly over OAuth 2.1. Your key is entered once on the scissor.news authorize page (not stored in the app), and the connection inherits that key's tier and limits.

Endpoint & auth

Endpoint	`POST https://mcp.scissor.news/mcp` — JSON-RPC 2.0 (MCP)
Auth	`Authorization: Bearer sk-mcp-…` on every request
Get a key	Email [email protected] — free (lite) keys available
Health	`GET /health` · catalog: `GET /`

Raw JSON-RPC (any language)

# list the tools available to your key
curl -s https://mcp.scissor.news/mcp \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk-mcp-YOUR-KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/list"}'

# call a tool
curl -s https://mcp.scissor.news/mcp \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk-mcp-YOUR-KEY" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":2,"method":"tools/call",
       "params":{"name":"top_stories","arguments":{"time_range":"24h","limit":5}}}'

Profiles (tiers)

Your key is granted a tier. Request a lower one per-call with ?profile=lite or the MCP-Profile header (a downgrade for small models); you cannot request a higher tier than your key allows.

lite · 17

Core search + read + brief. Tuned for small models & the free tier.

full · 57

The complete catalog — events, locations, metrics, quotes, sources, aggregations, raw layer.

advanced · 62

Full + niche/admin tools (dedup audit, source cadence, merge-lineage).

endpoints

/mcp uses your granted tier; /mcp/lite · /mcp/full · /mcp/advanced request a specific one (capped by your key).

Tool catalog

Stories

search_stories · get_story · top_stories · trending_stories · find_stories_for_audience · articles_view

Topics

search_topics · get_topic · stories_for_topic · narrative_timeline · get_topic_bulletin · compose_topic_brief · topic_relationships · co_occurring_topics · topic_graph · topic_lineage · list_topic_bulletins

Entities & quotes

search_entities · get_entity · stories_mentioning_entity · quotes_by_speaker · search_quotes · get_quote · most_cited_quotes

Events · locations · metrics

search_events · get_event · stories_for_event · event_timeline · search_locations · get_location · stories_at_location · search_metrics · find_metric_values · metric_timeline · get_metric

Categories & sources

categories_list · get_category · category_pivot · tags_search · search_sources · get_source · publisher_distribution · top_sources

Aggregations

co_occurrence · trending_topics · trending_entities · trending_events · popular_subjects · sentiment_timeline · geo_distribution · compare_subjects · top_speakers · source_bias

Utility & briefs

daily_brief · deep_dive · related_stories · semantic_similar · format_citations · find_duplicates · raw_articles · get_raw_article · source_publication_rate

Overlapping tools cross-reference each other in their descriptions (look for the ↔). Rule of thumb: top_stories = importance, trending_stories = velocity, search_stories = filters, deep_dive = one-call subject overview.

Rate limits & errors

Defaults: 30 req/min, 500 req/day per key (per-tier overrides available).
Over limit → JSON-RPC error with reset_at. Slow down / retry after reset.
Queries are capped at 8s; oversized limit/depth are clamped to each tool's max.

Terms & attribution

Read-only access to aggregated public-news metadata. Every story row carries url + publisher — attribute the original source when you surface content. Full article text (get_raw_article) is provided for transformative / LLM-context use only. Don't scrape around the rate limits or resell raw feeds.