Cordra MCP Server

About Cordra

Cordra is a configurable digital object repository system that stores digital objects as JSON documents with associated metadata and optional binary payloads. Each object follows a defined JSON schema and is assigned a unique handle identifier using the prefix/suffix format. Cordra provides a robust HTTP REST API for data access and supports fine-grained access control, versioning, and flexible schema definitions.

Key Cordra features:

• JSON-based digital objects with schema validation
• Handle-based identifier system for object resolution
• Binary payload attachment support
• Configurable authorization and access control
• RESTful HTTP API for programmatic access
• Flexible schema system with Cordra-specific extensions

About the MCP Server

This Model Context Protocol (MCP) server provides AI assistants with read-only access to explore and understand Cordra repositories. It enables AI systems to discover data structures, examine object schemas, browse repository contents, and understand repository configuration without making any modifications.

Purpose

The primary purpose of this MCP server is to assist developers in building applications that integrate with Cordra repositories. By providing AI assistants with repository exploration capabilities, developers can:

• Quickly understand the data model and schema structure
• Explore existing objects and their relationships
• Learn about the repository's configuration and behavior
• Understand access control patterns and permissions
• Discover available binary payloads and their metadata

This exploration capability accelerates the development process by allowing developers to understand repository structure through natural language queries to AI assistants.

Core Features

Read-Only Access

All operations are strictly read-only, ensuring safe exploration without risk of data modification or corruption.

Schema Discovery

Complete access to repository schemas and type definitions, including Cordra-specific schema extensions for UI behavior, auto-generated fields, and object relationships.

Object Exploration

Search and retrieve digital objects with full metadata, enabling understanding of real data structures and content patterns.

Configuration Understanding

Access to repository design object and server information to understand behavioral rules, authorization settings, and system capabilities.

Binary Payload Awareness

Discovery of attached binary files with metadata (names, sizes, types) without downloading the actual content.

MCP Architecture

Resources

• cordra://schemas/ - List all available schema types
• cordra://schemas/{type_name} - Schema definition for a specific type
• cordra://objects/ - Browse repository objects
• cordra://objects/{object_id} - Object metadata and content
• cordra://design_object/ - Repository design configuration

Tools

search_objects

Search for objects using queries, filters, and sorting options with pagination support.

Parameters:

• query (string, optional): Search query
• type (string, optional): Filter by object type
• pageNum (number, optional): Page number for pagination
• pageSize (number, optional): Number of results per page
• sortFields (string, optional): Fields to sort by

Returns: Search results with object summaries and pagination info

Configuration

The MCP server requires connection details for the target Cordra instance:

{
  "cordra_url": "https://localhost:8443",
  "username": "your_username",
  "password": "your_password",
  "max_search_results": 1000
}

Security

• All operations are read-only by design
• Authentication credentials are required for repository access
• Respects existing Cordra access control and permissions
• No data modification capabilities to ensure repository safety