Autotask Search MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that exposes Autotask ticket search functionality to LLMs like Claude.

Overview

This MCP server provides LLMs with the ability to search and retrieve Autotask tickets using advanced semantic search, keyword matching, and AI-powered reranking. It integrates seamlessly with Claude Desktop, Cursor, and other MCP-compatible clients.

Features

• Advanced Search: Multi-method search combining BM25, semantic vectors, and fuzzy matching
• AI Reranking: Results are reranked using cross-encoder models for optimal relevance
• Related Tickets: Find semantically similar tickets using vector similarity and AI re-ranking
• Detailed Ticket Info: Retrieve complete ticket details including all notes
• Bulk Operations: Fetch notes for multiple tickets efficiently
• LLM-Optimized: Results formatted for easy LLM comprehension
• Robust Error Handling: Clear error messages with unique grep codes for debugging
• Easy Setup: Shell wrapper handles venv creation and dependencies

Prerequisites

• Python 3.10 or higher
• Running Autotask Django API server (default: http://localhost:8000)
• Valid API key for the Autotask API

Installation

1. Clone or Navigate to Directory

cd /path/to/autotask-data-warehouse/mcp-autotask-search

2. Create Environment File

cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env and add your API key

3. Test the Server

The run.sh script will automatically create a venv and install dependencies:

./run.sh

Configuration

Claude Desktop

Add to your Claude Desktop config file (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on macOS):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "autotask-search": {
      "command": "/absolute/path/to/autotask-data-warehouse/mcp-autotask-search/run.sh",
      "env": {
        "AUTOTASK_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here",
        "AUTOTASK_API_BASE_URL": "http://localhost:8000"
      }
    }
  }
}

Important: Use the absolute path to run.sh, not a relative path.

Cursor IDE

Add to your Cursor settings (.cursor/mcp.json in your project or global settings):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "autotask-search": {
      "command": "/absolute/path/to/autotask-data-warehouse/mcp-autotask-search/run.sh",
      "env": {
        "AUTOTASK_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here",
        "AUTOTASK_API_BASE_URL": "http://localhost:8000"
      }
    }
  }
}

Environment Variables

• AUTOTASK_API_KEY (required): Your API key for authentication
• AUTOTASK_API_BASE_URL (optional): Base URL for the API (default: http://localhost:8000)

Available Tools

1. search_tickets

Search Autotask tickets using advanced semantic and keyword search.

Parameters:

• query (string, required): Search query (supports partial names, keywords, typos)
• limit (integer, optional): Maximum results to return (default: 10, max: 100)

Example Usage:

Search for tickets about "password reset issues"
Search for "outlook email problems for ABC Company"
Search for "slow computer" with limit 5

Search Capabilities:

• Works with imperfect queries (typos, partial company names)
• Semantic understanding (finds relevant tickets even without exact keyword matches)
• Combines multiple search methods for comprehensive results
• Returns results ranked by relevance

2. get_ticket_details

Get complete details for a specific ticket including all notes.

Parameters:

• task_id (integer, required): The numeric task ID from search results

Example Usage:

Get full details for ticket 12345
Show me all notes for task_id 67890

Returns:

• Complete ticket information
• All human-created notes with timestamps
• Status and priority information

3. get_related_tickets

Find tickets semantically related to a given ticket using vector similarity and AI re-ranking.

Parameters:

• task_id (integer, required): The numeric task ID to find related tickets for
• limit (integer, optional): Maximum results to return (default: 10, max: 30)

Example Usage:

Find tickets related to task 12345
Show me similar tickets to ticket 67890
Get 20 related tickets for task_id 54321

How It Works:

• Uses vector embeddings to find semantically similar tickets
• Re-ranks results with AI model for optimal relevance
• Returns tickets with similar issues, topics, or root causes

Returns:

• List of related tickets with task numbers and titles
• Relevance scores for each related ticket
• Results ranked by relevance

4. get_tickets_notes

Get notes for multiple tickets in bulk. More efficient than calling get_ticket_details multiple times when you only need notes.

Parameters:

• task_ids (list of integers, optional): List of task IDs. Example: [12345, 67890]
• task_numbers (list of strings, optional): List of ticket numbers. Example: ["T20240101.0001", "T20240102.0005"]

Notes:

• At least one parameter must be provided
• Maximum of 50 tickets per request
• Only returns human-created notes (system notes excluded)
• Results grouped by ticket and sorted chronologically

Example Usage:

Get notes for tickets 12345 and 67890
Show me notes for tickets T20240101.0001 and T20240102.0005
Get all notes for task_ids [100, 101, 102]

Returns:

• All notes for each ticket
• Note timestamps and titles
• Notes grouped by ticket

Usage Examples

In Claude Desktop/Cursor

Once configured, you can ask Claude:

"Search for tickets about email configuration issues"

"Find tickets related to password resets at ABC Company"

"Show me recent tickets about network problems"

"Get the full details for ticket 12345"

"Find tickets similar to ticket 12345"

"Show me related tickets for task 67890"

"Get all notes for tickets 12345, 67890, and 11111"

"Show me notes for tickets T20240101.0001 and T20240102.0005"

Claude will use the MCP tools to search the Autotask database and return formatted results.

Testing

1. Test with MCP Inspector

Install the MCP Inspector:

npm install -g @modelcontextprotocol/inspector

Run the inspector:

cd mcp-autotask-search
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector ./run.sh

This opens a web UI where you can test the tools interactively.

2. Verify Django Server is Running

Before testing, ensure your Autotask Django server is running:

cd /path/to/autotask-data-warehouse
python manage.py runserver

3. Test Direct API Access

Verify the API is accessible:

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  "http://localhost:8000/api/search/double-reranked/?q=test&limit=5"

Troubleshooting

"API key not found" Error

Symptom: Server fails to start with error code [MCPS-NOKEY]

Solution:

• Ensure AUTOTASK_API_KEY is set in your Claude Desktop/Cursor config
• Check that the environment variable is being passed correctly
• Verify the API key is valid

"Could not connect to Autotask API" Error

Symptom: Error code [MCPS-CONN]

Solution:

• Check that the Django server is running: python manage.py runserver
• Verify AUTOTASK_API_BASE_URL is correct (default: http://localhost:8000)
• Test API directly with curl

"Authentication failed" Error

Symptom: Error code [MCPS-AUTH]

Solution:

• Verify API key is valid and not expired
• Check API key has proper permissions in Django admin
• Ensure key is correctly formatted in config

"API endpoint not found" Error

Symptom: Error code [MCPS-404]

Solution:

• Verify Django server is running and accessible
• Check that search endpoints are properly configured
• Ensure you're using the correct base URL

Search Returns No Results

Possible Causes:

• No tickets match the query
• Database is empty or not indexed
• Search index needs rebuilding

Solution:

cd /path/to/autotask-data-warehouse
python manage.py index_tickets

Development

Project Structure

mcp-autotask-search/
├── src/
│   └── autotask_search_mcp/
│       ├── __init__.py
│       └── server.py          # Main MCP server implementation
├── run.sh                     # Shell wrapper (creates venv, runs server)
├── pyproject.toml             # Python project config
├── README.md                  # This file
└── .env.example               # Example environment file

Running in Development Mode

cd mcp-autotask-search
./run.sh

Viewing Logs

All errors include unique grep codes (prefix: MCPS-) for easy log searching:

# Search logs for specific errors
grep "MCPS-CONN" logs.txt
grep "MCPS-AUTH" logs.txt

Common Grep Codes:

• MCPS-INIT - Server initialization
• MCPS-START - Server starting
• MCPS-SEARCH - Search request
• MCPS-DETAIL - Detail request
• MCPS-RELATED - Related tickets request
• MCPS-NOTES-REQ - Bulk notes request
• MCPS-NOTES-POST - Bulk notes POST request
• MCPS-NOTES-OK - Bulk notes success
• MCPS-NOTES-NOPARAM - No parameters provided
• MCPS-NOTES-EMPTY - Empty parameters
• MCPS-NOTES-LIMIT - Too many tickets requested
• MCPS-NOTES-AUTH - Authentication failed
• MCPS-NOTES-BADREQ - Bad request
• MCPS-NOTES-404 - Endpoint not found
• MCPS-NOTES-SVR - Server error
• MCPS-NOTES-CONN - Connection error
• MCPS-NOTES-TIMEOUT - Request timeout
• MCPS-NOTES-ERR - Unexpected error
• MCPS-NOKEY - API key missing
• MCPS-AUTH - Authentication failed
• MCPS-CONN - Connection error
• MCPS-404 - Endpoint not found
• MCPS-NOTFOUND - Ticket not found
• MCPS-SVR - Server error
• MCPS-TIMEOUT - Request timeout
• MCPS-REQ - Making API request
• MCPS-OK - Request successful
• MCPS-NORES - No results found
• MCPS-ERR - Unexpected error

Technical Details

Search Method

The server uses the /api/search/double-reranked/ endpoint which combines:

1. BM25 - Full-text search on titles, descriptions, and notes
2. Vector Search - Semantic search using embeddings
3. Fuzzy Matching - Handles typos and misspellings
4. AI Reranking - Cross-encoder model reranks for optimal relevance

Response Format

Results are formatted for LLM readability:

Task #T20240216.0023 (ID: 12345) - Relevance: 0.95
Title: Password reset issue
Description: User cannot reset password...
Created: 2024-02-16 14:30
---

Authentication

The server uses Bearer token authentication:

Authorization: Bearer <your-api-key>

License

This is a POC/internal tool. See parent project for license information.

Support

For issues or questions:

1. Check the Troubleshooting section above
2. Review logs for grep codes
3. Verify Django server is running and accessible
4. Test API directly with curl

Version

Current version: 0.1.0 (POC)