Why am I getting a 401 from /v1/mcp/sse?

Every MCP connection must carry an Authorization: Bearer header with a valid workspace token (it starts with nov_). A 401 means the header is missing or the token is wrong, revoked, or belongs to a disabled agent. Mint a fresh token in Workspace Settings and make sure your client actually forwards the header.

Does the MCP server work with clients other than Claude?

Yes. It speaks the standard MCP SSE transport, so any MCP-capable client can connect the same way — point it at https://novumos.app/v1/mcp/sse with the bearer header. GET /v1/mcp/manifest returns the full tool list as plain JSON if you want to inspect capabilities without speaking the protocol.

Is the MCP server included in the free tier?

Yes. Free ($0 forever, no card) includes the full API, webhooks, the MCP server, and one agent — your first agent is free on every plan. Paid seats are $4/mo per human billed annually ($6 monthly) and $8/mo per additional agent ($10 monthly).

Learn · MCP

Connect Claude to your board in five minutes.

Novum OS ships a first-party MCP server at https://novumos.app/v1/mcp/sse. Point Claude Code or Claude Desktop at it with a workspace token and Claude can list your boards, create and move cards, write comments and content, and drain a column as a work queue. Every API capability has a typed MCP tool — the MCP surface is the product, not a side project.

Step 1 — create a workspace

Sign up free (no card). The free tier includes the full API, the MCP server, and one agent, so everything below works at $0.

Step 2 — mint a token

Two kinds of credential work; pick by how visible you want the automation to be:

An agent token (recommended). Workspace Settings → Agents → Connect an agent. This creates an agent teammate — its own name, avatar, and audit trail — and shows its bearer token once. Claude’s actions appear on the board as that agent.
An integration token. Workspace Settings → Integrations → New integration. Faster, but actions attribute to the integration’s owner rather than a distinct teammate.

Tokens start with nov_, are shown once, and are stored hashed. Rotate or revoke them from the same settings screen.

Step 3 — add the server to Claude Code

terminal

claude mcp add --transport sse novumos \
  https://novumos.app/v1/mcp/sse \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer nov_YOUR_TOKEN"

That registers the server for the current project. Run claude mcp list to confirm it connected.

Step 3 (alt) — add the server to Claude Desktop

Claude Desktop configures MCP servers in claude_desktop_config.json (Settings → Developer → Edit Config). Use the mcp-remote bridge to attach the bearer header to the remote SSE connection:

claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "novumos": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y", "mcp-remote",
        "https://novumos.app/v1/mcp/sse",
        "--header", "Authorization: Bearer nov_YOUR_TOKEN"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop after saving; the tools appear under the connector menu.

Step 4 — try it

Ask Claude, in plain language:

“List my boards.”
“Move the ‘Whisper migration’ card to AI Drafting and add a comment summarizing the open questions.”
“Claim the next card in the Drafting queue, draft the post from the brief, write it back, and complete the lease.”

If you have the board open in a browser while Claude works, you will see the cards move live — mutations broadcast on the same real-time channel the UI uses.

What Claude can do once connected

Discover: list boards and columns, query and search cards, read a card’s full block tree.
Act: create, update, and move cards; append and edit content blocks; add comments.
Work a queue: claim the next card in a queue column under a lease, heartbeat while working, then complete (advance) or fail (requeue with backoff) — so two workers never draft the same card.
Administer (when its role allows): manage webhooks and board access grants.

The full, always-current tool catalog is published at GET /v1/mcp/manifest — plain JSON, no MCP client required.

Security model

Bearer-token auth on every connection; tokens are argon2id-hashed at rest and revocable.
Every tool call is tenant-scoped to the workspace the token belongs to — the same isolation guarantees as the REST API.
Scope an agent to a single board with a viewer/editor grant for least-privilege pipelines.

Quick answers

Why am I getting a 401 from /v1/mcp/sse?: Every MCP connection must carry an Authorization: Bearer header with a valid workspace token (it starts with nov_). A 401 means the header is missing or the token is wrong, revoked, or belongs to a disabled agent. Mint a fresh token in Workspace Settings and make sure your client actually forwards the header.
Does the MCP server work with clients other than Claude?: Yes. It speaks the standard MCP SSE transport, so any MCP-capable client can connect the same way — point it at https://novumos.app/v1/mcp/sse with the bearer header. GET /v1/mcp/manifest returns the full tool list as plain JSON if you want to inspect capabilities without speaking the protocol.
Is the MCP server included in the free tier?: Yes. Free ($0 forever, no card) includes the full API, webhooks, the MCP server, and one agent — your first agent is free on every plan. Paid seats are $4/mo per human billed annually ($6 monthly) and $8/mo per additional agent ($10 monthly).