How to add documentation to Claude Code with MCP

Connect maintained documentation to Claude Code with MCP, test it on real developer tasks, and decide whether to share the setup with your team.

David Garcia · · Updated

Developers often leave their editor to check an API reference, configuration guide, or troubleshooting page.

MCP can bring that documentation into Claude Code so developers can ask about the product while they work.

The useful test is not whether Claude Code can connect to an MCP server. It is whether the connection helps developers reach current documentation for tasks they already need to complete.

This guide shows how to connect Biel.ai documentation to Claude Code, test the setup with real questions, and decide whether it is useful enough to share with your team.

For current commands, authentication, and client configuration, use the Biel.ai MCP server guide and Anthropic's Claude Code MCP documentation.

Start with documentation developers already need

MCP is most useful when developers repeatedly need product information while coding.

Good examples include:

  • checking an API parameter or endpoint
  • confirming an authentication requirement
  • looking up a configuration option
  • understanding an error
  • following an integration procedure
  • checking behavior that changed in a recent release

Start with documentation that already answers those questions.

If the procedure is missing, stale, or contradictory, fix the documentation first. Giving Claude Code another way to access weak documentation does not make the answer more reliable.

Add your documentation to a Biel.ai project

Create a Biel.ai account and create a project for the documentation you want Claude Code to access.

Add the relevant sources and wait for indexing to complete.

Biel.ai supports documentation sources such as websites, files, GitHub repositories, OpenAPI specifications, and Confluence spaces. See the Sources documentation for current source types and configuration options.

Before connecting Claude Code, test a few questions in the Biel.ai dashboard and make sure the project can reach the documentation you expect.

Connect Claude Code through MCP

Biel.ai provides a hosted MCP server that compatible AI clients can use to access documentation indexed in a project.

Follow the Biel.ai MCP server guide for the current server URL, project configuration, and authentication requirements.

Then use Anthropic's Claude Code MCP documentation for the current Claude Code configuration commands and scope options.

Keeping those setup details in the product documentation avoids duplicating commands here that may change over time.

Once connected, confirm that Claude Code can see the Biel.ai MCP server before testing documentation questions.

Test real developer questions

Do not stop after confirming that the connection works.

Ask questions developers actually need while coding.

For example:

Developer questionWhat to check
How do I authenticate this request?Claude Code reaches the current authentication documentation
Which parameter controls this behavior?The relevant API reference is used
Why am I getting this error?The answer reflects the documented error and recovery path
How do I configure this integration?The current setup guide supports the answer
Did this behavior change in the latest version?The answer uses current rather than retired documentation
Can I do something the docs do not support?Claude Code does not turn missing documentation into a confident procedure

Check the source behind the answer, especially for implementation details that affect production code.

A plausible response is not enough if the documentation says something different.

Fix the source before changing the integration

A failed question can come from different places.

What happensWhat to check
The documentation does not contain the answerAdd or repair the source
Two pages give different instructionsDecide which documentation is current and update the conflict
The right documentation exists but is not reachedCheck source configuration, terminology, and indexing
The answer omits an important conditionCheck whether the source makes that condition clear
The request needs account-specific informationUse the appropriate support or engineering workflow

Do not treat every weak answer as an MCP problem.

MCP provides the access path. The quality of the documentation available through that path still matters.

For a fuller answer-and-source review, see how to evaluate a docs chatbot before you ship.

Share the setup when it improves a real workflow

Once the connection works for representative tasks, decide whether it is worth sharing more broadly.

A useful team setup should make a repeated workflow easier, such as checking API behavior without leaving Claude Code or finding the correct configuration guidance while implementing an integration.

You do not need a large formal pilot. Test enough real tasks to know:

  • the expected documentation is available
  • current sources are used
  • unsupported questions are handled sensibly
  • developers know where to verify important implementation details

If the connection adds little compared with opening the docs or using search, there may be no reason to standardize it.

For the broader decision between website access, llms.txt, and MCP, see crawlable docs, llms.txt, or MCP: which should you use?.

Keep the setup documentation current

Claude Code and MCP configuration can change independently of your documentation content.

Link developers to the current setup references rather than copying installation commands into internal onboarding material that nobody maintains.

Use:

When an important documentation source changes, rerun a few representative questions to confirm that Claude Code still reaches the current material.

Frequently asked questions

Does MCP replace the documentation site?

No. MCP gives Claude Code another way to access documentation while a developer works. The documentation site remains useful for browsing, complete guides, references, and direct source verification.

What documentation should we expose through MCP?

Start with the sources developers already use for the tasks you want to support. Keep them current, remove conflicting instructions where possible, and test representative questions before expanding the source set.

What should we do if Claude Code gives the wrong answer?

Check the source first. Confirm that the correct documentation exists, is current, and is available through the Biel.ai project. If the source is sound but the result still fails, investigate retrieval or client behavior.

Should every developer use the shared MCP connection?

Not necessarily. Roll it out when it improves a repeated workflow for the team. If developers already reach the relevant documentation quickly through the website or search, MCP may not add enough value for that task.

Add your documentation to Claude Code

Start with a few documentation tasks developers already perform while coding.

Create a Biel.ai account, add the maintained sources to a project, and use the MCP server guide together with Anthropic's Claude Code MCP documentation to connect Claude Code.

Then test the connection against real developer questions before sharing it with the rest of the team.

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