HotDocs MCP Server for Claude Desktop 14 tools — connect in under 2 minutes
Claude Desktop is Anthropic's native application for interacting with Claude AI models on macOS and Windows. It was the first consumer application to ship with built-in MCP support, making it the reference implementation for the Model Context Protocol standard.
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{
"mcpServers": {
"hotdocs": {
// Your Vinkius token. get it at cloud.vinkius.com
"url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp"
}
}
}
* Every MCP server runs on Vinkius-managed infrastructure inside AWS - a purpose-built runtime with per-request V8 isolates, Ed25519 signed audit chains, and sub-40ms cold starts optimized for native MCP execution. See our infrastructure
About HotDocs MCP Server
Connect your HotDocs Advance tenancy to any AI agent and take full control of your document automation workflows through natural conversation.
Claude Desktop is the definitive way to connect HotDocs to your AI workflow. Add Vinkius Edge URL to your config, restart the app, and Claude immediately exposes all 14 tools in the chat interface. ask a question, Claude calls the right tool, and you see the answer. Zero code, zero context switching.
What you can do
- Template Discovery — List all template packages and their versions available in your HotDocs tenancy
- Work Item Management — Create, inspect, and manage work items that hold interview data and assembled documents
- Interview Sessions — Initialize interview sessions programmatically for interactive data collection
- Automated Document Assembly — Inject answers via XML and trigger document generation without manual UI interaction
- Document Retrieval — List and download assembled documents (PDFs, Word docs) directly from the agent
- Validation & Auditing — Check unanswered variables, list work items by date range or user, and audit assembly history
The HotDocs MCP Server exposes 14 tools through the Vinkius. Connect it to Claude Desktop in under two minutes — no API keys to rotate, no infrastructure to provision, no vendor lock-in. Your configuration, your data, your control.
How to Connect HotDocs to Claude Desktop via MCP
Follow these steps to integrate the HotDocs MCP Server with Claude Desktop.
Open Claude Desktop Settings
Go to Settings → Developer → Edit Config to open claude_desktop_config.json
Add the MCP Server
Paste the configuration above into the mcpServers section
Restart Claude Desktop
Close and reopen Claude Desktop to load the new server
Start using HotDocs
Look for the 🔌 icon in the chat. your 14 tools are now available
Why Use Claude Desktop with the HotDocs MCP Server
Claude Desktop by Anthropic provides unique advantages when paired with HotDocs through the Model Context Protocol.
Claude Desktop is the reference MCP client. it was designed alongside the protocol itself, ensuring the most complete and stable MCP implementation available
Zero-code configuration: add a server URL to a JSON file and Claude instantly discovers and exposes all available tools in the chat interface
Claude's extended thinking capability lets it reason through multi-step tool usage, chaining multiple API calls to answer complex questions
Enterprise-grade security with local config storage. your tokens never leave your machine, and connections go directly to Vinkius Edge network
HotDocs + Claude Desktop Use Cases
Practical scenarios where Claude Desktop combined with the HotDocs MCP Server delivers measurable value.
Interactive data exploration: ask Claude to query DNS records, look up WHOIS data, and cross-reference results in a single conversation
Ad-hoc security audits: type a domain name and let Claude enumerate subdomains, check DNS history, and flag configuration anomalies. all through natural language
Executive briefings: generate comprehensive domain intelligence reports by asking Claude to compile findings into a formatted summary
Learning and training: new team members can explore API capabilities conversationally without needing to read documentation
HotDocs MCP Tools for Claude Desktop (14)
These 14 tools become available when you connect HotDocs to Claude Desktop via MCP:
complete_assembly
This processes all collected answers and assembles the final documents based on the template configuration. After calling this, the assembled documents become available for download via list_documents and get_document_content. You must have already created a work item, created a version/session, and provided answers (via interview or update_answers). The workItemId and versionId must match an existing work item and its version. Complete document assembly for a work item version
create_interview_session
This endpoint prepares the system to collect answers for the template variables. The response contains interview data needed to render the HotDocs interview UI. Use this before displaying the interview to the user or before assembling documents. The versionId should be unique for each interview session (e.g., v1, v2, or a UUID). Create a new interview session for a work item
create_work_item
A work item is associated with a specific template package and holds answers provided during interviews. You must provide a unique workItemId (alphanumeric identifier you choose) and optionally a templatePackageId. The workItemId becomes the reference for all subsequent operations (interview, assembly, download). IMPORTANT: workItemId must be unique and URL-safe (letters, numbers, hyphens only). Create a new work item in HotDocs Advance
get_auth_token
This is primarily a utility function for debugging authentication issues. The token is used internally by all other tools automatically. If other tools fail with auth errors, verify your credentials are correct. Get a fresh HotDocs API access token
get_document_content
Use this to download the final generated document (PDF, Word, etc.) after assembly is complete. You need the workItemId and the documentId (obtained from list_documents). The response includes the document content and a download URL for direct access. Download/get content of an assembled document
get_template_package
Use the template package ID obtained from list_template_packages. This helps understand the template structure before creating work items. Get details of a specific template package
get_unanswered_variables
This shows which template variables were not provided answers during the interview process. Useful for validating interview completeness before or after document assembly. Requires the workItemId and documentId (from list_documents). The response includes the list of unanswered variables and assembly results. Get unanswered variables from an assembled document
get_work_item
Use this to inspect a work item before or after conducting interviews or assembling documents. The workItemId is the unique identifier you assigned when creating the work item. Get details of a specific work item
list_documents
After completing assembly, this shows all generated documents with their IDs, names, and metadata. Use the document IDs returned here to download individual documents via get_document_content. Each document entry includes filename, creation date, and assembly results information. List all assembled documents for a work item
list_template_packages
Template packages define the structure of documents that can be assembled. Each package contains interview questions and document output configurations. Use this to discover what templates are available for document assembly. The response includes package IDs which are required for creating work items. List all available template packages in HotDocs Advance
list_template_versions
Each template can have multiple versions over time. This shows version history and helps identify which version is currently live/active. Use the package_id from list_template_packages to query versions. List all versions of a template package
list_work_items
You can filter by user ID and/or date range to find specific work items. Leave all parameters empty to list all work items. This is useful for auditing, tracking progress, or finding existing work items to continue working on. Date format should be ISO 8601 (e.g., 2024-01-15 or 2024-01-15T10:30:00). List work items with optional filters
list_work_items_by_date
This is optimized for date-based filtering and auditing. Both fromDate and toDate are required for this tool. Use ISO 8601 date format (e.g., 2024-01-01 or 2024-01-01T00:00:00 for datetime). This is useful for generating reports on document assembly activity over time periods. List work items filtered by a specific date range
update_answers
The answer_xml parameter must contain valid HotDocs answer XML format that matches the template variables. This is useful for automated/batch document assembly where you already have the data. You can call this multiple times to incrementally add answers. Answer XML format example: <AnswerSet><A v="VariableName"><V>Answer Value</V></A></AnswerSet> Update answers for a work item using XML answer format
Example Prompts for HotDocs in Claude Desktop
Ready-to-use prompts you can give your Claude Desktop agent to start working with HotDocs immediately.
"List all available template packages in my HotDocs tenancy."
"Create a new work item 'contract-2024-001' using the employment contract template and assemble a document with these details: employee name is John Smith, position is Software Engineer, start date is March 1st 2024, salary is $95,000."
"Show me all work items created in the last 30 days and check if there are any unanswered variables in the documents."
Troubleshooting HotDocs MCP Server with Claude Desktop
Common issues when connecting HotDocs to Claude Desktop through the Vinkius, and how to resolve them.
Server not appearing after restart
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or %APPDATA%\\Claude\\ (Windows).Authentication error
Tools not showing in chat
HotDocs + Claude Desktop FAQ
Common questions about integrating HotDocs MCP Server with Claude Desktop.
How does Claude Desktop discover MCP tools?
claude_desktop_config.json file and connects to each configured MCP server. It calls the tools/list endpoint to fetch the schema for every available tool, then surfaces them as clickable options in the chat interface via the 🔌 icon.What happens if the MCP server is temporarily unavailable?
Can I connect multiple MCP servers simultaneously?
mcpServers section of the config file. Each server appears as a separate tool provider, and Claude can use tools from multiple servers in a single conversation turn.Is there a limit on the number of tools per server?
Does Claude Desktop support Streamable HTTP transport?
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Connect HotDocs to Claude Desktop
Get your token, paste the configuration, and start using 14 tools in under 2 minutes. No API key management needed.