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Add a remote MCP server to Cline

Updated

Cline can call remote MCP servers over Streamable HTTP. This guide connects BRONTIR, live web research for your agent (search, Reddit, YouTube, reviews and whole pages, with citations), from the MCP tab of Customize, which took over from the MCP Servers icon, with the JSON for those who would rather edit the file.

Your client opens a browser tab to sign in, so have a BRONTIR account ready. Opening one is free, and new accounts start with free credits.

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Cline MCP setup, step by step

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Added from the panel, no config file needed.

  1. Press Customize, the wrench icon at the top of the Cline panel. Open the MCP tab and press Add Remote Server.
  2. Server Name: research. Server URL:
    https://research.brontir.com/api/mcp
    Transport Type: Streamable HTTP. Press Add Server.
  3. The server shows an error with an Authenticate button under it. Press it, sign in with your Google account, press Approve.
  4. Start a new task. A task that was already open may not see the new tools.

An older Cline with an MCP Servers icon instead of Customize? Its Remote Servers tab has the same form, and Authenticate shows on the Configure tab. Editing the JSON instead? Use "type": "streamableHttp". Without it Cline falls back to the legacy SSE transport.

Always restart your client after connecting. Quit and reopen the desktop app, or reload the page in a web client. Clients read the tool list once at startup, so until they restart your agent may not see the new tools even though the connector already shows as connected.

Cline MCP troubleshooting

  • The connector is connected, but the agent doesn't see the tools. Restart the client: quit and reopen the desktop app, or reload the page in a web client. If the tools are still missing, start a new chat, since an open conversation can keep the tool list it was created with.
  • You pressed Approve, but the client still shows the connector as not connected. Authorization did go through; the client just hasn't refreshed its own state. Restart the app or reload the page and it will show as connected. If it doesn't, press Connect once more and approve again.
  • The agent uses its built-in web search instead of these tools. Name the tools in your prompt: “use advanced_web_search and advanced_web_fetch from the research MCP” rather than “look this up”. To make it permanent, add it as a global Cline rule: a Markdown file in Documents/Cline/Rules, which applies to every project.

Full setup guide for every client: brontir.com/docs.

Cline MCP: common questions

Which transport do I choose in Cline?

Streamable HTTP, which Cline recommends for remote servers. SSE (Legacy) is for older servers.

I prefer editing the JSON. What goes in it?

Press Edit Configuration under Customize → MCP and add { "mcpServers": { "research": { "type": "streamableHttp", "url": "https://research.brontir.com/api/mcp" } } }. Keep the type: without it Cline falls back to the legacy SSE transport.

Cline added the server but can’t connect. What is the usual cause?

The transport. With type missing from the JSON, or spelled differently (streamable-http, http), Cline falls back to legacy SSE, which doesn’t work with this server. Set "type": "streamableHttp" exactly and save the file.

The server is connected, but Cline says MCP isn’t set up. Why?

A task that was open while you signed in can keep going without the new tools. Start a new task, or reload the window, and Cline sees them.

Do I need an API key?

No. Once the server is added, an Authenticate button shows under its error: press it, sign in with your Google account and press Approve.

How do I sign in again, or set the server up from the Cline CLI?

In the extension, press Authenticate under the server’s error again. In the CLI, cline mcp add research https://research.brontir.com/api/mcp --transport http adds the server, and cline mcp opens a menu whose Authorize OAuth runs the browser sign-in, or reruns it.

Where does Cline keep its MCP settings?

In ~/.cline/data/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json, which the extension and the Cline CLI share. Edit Configuration under Customize → MCP opens it.

Can Cline call the tools without asking every time?

Yes. Turn on Use MCP servers in Cline’s auto-approve options: since version 4.1.15 that one switch approves every MCP tool, and the per-tool autoApprove list no longer applies. The research tools only read public data, so approving all of them changes nothing on your machine.

Once connected

What your agent can do with BRONTIR

  • Search the web and the news, Reddit, YouTube, TikTok and other social platforms.
  • Read whole pages, PDFs, video transcripts and comment threads, not snippets.
  • Pull reviews, maps and local businesses, app stores, products and ad libraries.
  • Get it all back structured, with citations down to the exact line.
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