Developers · MCP

The agent asks for itself.

Until now somebody had to build the Mandact check into the agent. Over the Model Context Protocol the agent talks to Mandact directly — and asks for itself, before it acts: may I?

What the agent may do

Check and read. Not issue or revoke.

That is not an oversight but the core of it: the attorney does not write their own power of attorney. An agent that could grant itself authority would not be a bounded mandate — it would be a blank cheque with an extra step.

Setting it up

You need an API key. Create one in the verifier console.

Claude Desktop

In the file claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mandact": {
      "url": "https://mandact.com/api/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer mk_your_key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Your own agent

A single POST endpoint, JSON-RPC 2.0:

curl -X POST https://mandact.com/api/mcp \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer mk_your_key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "jsonrpc": "2.0",
    "id": 1,
    "method": "tools/call",
    "params": {
      "name": "mandact_check_permission",
      "arguments": {
        "mandate_id": "…",
        "action": "purchase.goods",
        "amount": 3200,
        "currency": "CHF",
        "counterparty": "merchant-ag"
      }
    }
  }'

The tools

mandact_check_permission
May I do this? Answer: ALLOW, DENY, or ESCALATE — with a reason code.
mandact_list_mandates
Which mandates do I hold? Scope, limits, validity period.
mandact_get_mandate
Details of one mandate, including the monthly budget already used.
mandact_list_verifications
What has been checked so far — and how was it decided?

A pre-check, not a verification

mandact_check_permission tells the agent whether to attempt it. It is a pre-check without a cryptographic signature.

The binding check is done by the relying party — via /api/v1/verify with a signed presentation. Only that check creates an entry in the evidence chain.

The two can differ — for instance if the mandate is revoked between the pre-check and the action. The kill switch takes effect immediately.

Security

The same key as for the REST API. Revoke it and that takes effect over MCP immediately too.
Organisation binding: an agent sees only the mandates of its own organisation.
The same rate limits as the REST API.
No sandbox keys. MCP requires a real key.

Endpoint description: GET /api/mcp · Developer quickstart · Deutsche Fassung dieser Seite