---
title: "Using autoslider.core via MCP"
date: "`r Sys.Date()`"
output:
    rmarkdown::html_document:
        theme: "spacelab"
        highlight: "kate"
        toc: true
        toc_float: true
author:
  - Joe Zhu ([`shajoezhu`](https://github.com/shajoezhu))

vignette: >
  %\VignetteIndexEntry{MCP server}
  %\VignetteEngine{knitr::rmarkdown}
  %\VignetteEncoding{UTF-8}
editor_options:
    markdown:
        wrap: 72
---

```{r, include = FALSE}
knitr::opts_chunk$set(
  collapse = TRUE,
  comment = "#>",
  eval = FALSE
)
```

## Overview

`autoslider.core` ships an [MCP
(Model Context Protocol)](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/) server that
exposes the entire slide-generation pipeline as a set of tools any
MCP-compatible AI client can call. This means you can drive slide
creation conversationally — no manual R scripting required.

The server lives at `inst/mcp/autoslider_mcp_server.R` and registers
these tools:

| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| `list_programs` | Discover available TLG programs |
| `load_spec` | Load a `spec.yml` and `filters.yml` |
| `show_spec` | Inspect the loaded spec |
| `run_pipeline` | Run the full TLG pipeline against your datasets |
| `add_ai_notes` | Generate speaker notes with an LLM |
| `generate_slides` | Assemble outputs into a `.pptx` file |
| `reset` | Clear session state |

## Prerequisites

Install the required R packages:

```{r}
install.packages("mcptools")   # MCP server runtime
# ellmer and autoslider.core are already in your renv/library
```

Locate the server script. In a package checkout it is at:

```
inst/mcp/autoslider_mcp_server.R
```

After installation you can find it with:

```{r}
system.file("mcp/autoslider_mcp_server.R", package = "autoslider.core")
```

---

## Example 1: Claude Code as the MCP client

[Claude Code](https://claude.ai/code) is a terminal-based AI agent from Anthropic.
Once the autoslider MCP server is registered, Claude Code can
call all the tools above in a natural language conversation.

### Step 1 — Find the server script path

Run this in R to get the absolute path to the server script:

```{r}
system.file("mcp/autoslider_mcp_server.R", package = "autoslider.core")
```

Copy the result — you will paste it into the configuration below.

### Step 2 — Register the server

> **Important:** Claude Code does **not** read MCP servers from
> `.claude/settings.json`. That file is only for permissions, hooks, and
> environment variables. MCP servers are registered with the
> `claude mcp add` command (which writes to `~/.claude.json`) or via a
> `.mcp.json` file. Do not put an `mcpServers` block in `settings.json` —
> it will be silently ignored.

The **recommended approach** is to register the server at *user* scope so
it is available in every session, regardless of which directory you open
Claude Code in. Run this in your terminal:

```bash
claude mcp add autoslider --scope user -- Rscript /absolute/path/to/autoslider_mcp_server.R
```

Replace the path with the one you found in Step 1. The `--` separates
Claude Code's own flags from the command it should run.

The three scopes:

| Scope | Flag | Where it is stored | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| User | `--scope user` | `~/.claude.json` (top level) | Every directory (recommended) |
| Local | `--scope local` (default) | `~/.claude.json` (per project) | Only the directory you ran it in |
| Project | `--scope project` | `.mcp.json` in the repo | Anyone who checks out the repo |

For a team-shareable setup checked into the package repo, use
`--scope project`, which creates a `.mcp.json`:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "autoslider": {
      "command": "Rscript",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/autoslider_mcp_server.R"]
    }
  }
}
```

> **API keys:** No `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` is required to register or use the
> server. It is only needed if you call `add_ai_notes` with
> `provider = "anthropic"`. Add it later with
> `--env ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-...` on the `claude mcp add` command, or omit
> it entirely if you use a local model (Ollama) or another provider.

> **WSL users:** Use a single leading slash in paths — `/mnt/c/...`, not
> `//mnt/c/...`.

### Step 3 — Verify the server is registered

Restart Claude Code, then type `/mcp` in the session — you should see
`autoslider` listed with a connected status. You can also list servers
from the terminal:

```bash
claude mcp list
```

If it shows an error or does not appear, run `claude doctor` (it flags
config files that failed validation) and check:

- The path is the exact output of `system.file(...)` from Step 1.
- `Rscript` is on your `PATH` (test with `which Rscript`).
- The `mcptools` R package is installed (`install.packages("mcptools")`).

### Step 4 — Drive the pipeline conversationally

Open a Claude Code session and ask it to generate slides.
Claude Code will invoke the MCP tools automatically.

**Example conversation:**

```
User:
  Generate demographic slides using the example data and save
  them to /tmp/study_slides.pptx. Add AI speaker notes using
  Claude Haiku.

Claude Code:
  I'll use the autoslider MCP tools to do this step by step.

  [calls list_programs]
  → t_dm_slide, t_ae_slide, g_km_slide, ...

  [calls load_spec with spec_path="default", filters_path="default",
         program_filter="t_dm_slide", suffix_filter=""]
  → Spec loaded: 2 output(s).

  [calls run_pipeline with dataset_paths="example"]
  → Pipeline complete: 2 succeeded, 0 failed.

  [calls add_ai_notes with provider="anthropic",
         model="claude-haiku-4-5", api_key="", prompt_path="default",
         base_url=""]
  → AI notes added to 2 output(s): t_dm_slide_FAS, t_dm_slide_SE

  [calls generate_slides with outfile="/tmp/study_slides.pptx",
         template="default"]
  → Slides written to: /tmp/study_slides.pptx

  Done! The file is at /tmp/study_slides.pptx. It contains 2
  demographic slides with AI-generated speaker notes.
```

Claude Code decides the tool call sequence, reads your intent, and
handles errors automatically. You can iterate in plain English:

```
User:
  Also add the adverse event slides for the FAS population.

Claude Code:
  [calls reset]
  [calls load_spec with program_filter="t_dm_slide,t_ae_slide",
         suffix_filter="FAS"]
  [calls run_pipeline ...]
  [calls add_ai_notes ...]
  [calls generate_slides ...]
```

### Step 5 — Use your own data

Replace `"example"` with your actual datasets in the `run_pipeline`
call:

```
User:
  Use adsl=/data/trial/adsl.rds and adae=/data/trial/adae.rds
```

Claude Code will pass `dataset_paths="adsl=/data/trial/adsl.rds,adae=/data/trial/adae.rds"`
to `run_pipeline`.

---

## Example 2: Ollama local model (DeepSeek) for AI notes

If you prefer to keep data on-premise or want to avoid cloud API costs,
you can use a local model running in [Ollama](https://ollama.com) for
the `add_ai_notes` step. The MCP server itself still runs locally as an
`Rscript` process; only the note-generation step changes.

### Step 1 — Install Ollama and pull a model

Download Ollama from <https://ollama.com/download> and install it.
Then pull DeepSeek:

```bash
ollama pull deepseek-r1:1.5b   # ~1 GB, fast on CPU
# or a larger variant:
ollama pull deepseek-r1:7b
```

Verify it is running:

```bash
ollama list
# NAME                    ID              SIZE    MODIFIED
# deepseek-r1:1.5b        ...             1.1 GB  ...
```

Ollama listens on `http://localhost:11434` by default. No API key is
needed.

### Step 2 — Register the server (no API key required)

Register it exactly as in Example 1 — the server is the same; only the
note-generation provider changes at call time:

```bash
claude mcp add autoslider --scope user -- \
  Rscript /absolute/path/to/autoslider_mcp_server.R
```

No API key is needed because Ollama is local and unauthenticated.

### Step 3 — Ask for Ollama-backed notes

In a Claude Code session (or any MCP client), tell it to use Ollama:

```
User:
  Generate demographic slides with the example data, write speaker
  notes using the local DeepSeek model in Ollama, and save to
  /tmp/slides_local.pptx.

Claude Code:
  [calls load_spec with spec_path="default", filters_path="default",
         program_filter="t_dm_slide", suffix_filter=""]

  [calls run_pipeline with dataset_paths="example"]

  [calls add_ai_notes with provider="ollama",
         model="deepseek-r1:1.5b", api_key="",
         prompt_path="default", base_url=""]
  → AI notes added to 2 output(s).

  [calls generate_slides with outfile="/tmp/slides_local.pptx",
         template="default"]
  → Slides written to: /tmp/slides_local.pptx
```

### Running R in a Docker container?

If your R session is inside a container, Ollama runs on the host, so
`localhost` resolves to the container itself. Use the Docker host
address instead:

```
base_url = "http://host.docker.internal:11434"
```

Pass this in your conversation:

```
User:
  Use the local DeepSeek model. My R is running in Docker so
  point Ollama at http://host.docker.internal:11434.
```

Claude Code will pass `base_url="http://host.docker.internal:11434"` to
`add_ai_notes`.

### Calling the R functions directly

If you prefer to skip the MCP layer and call the functions directly from
R, the underlying workflow is the same — only the `get_ai_notes()` call
changes:

```{r}
library(autoslider.core)
library(dplyr)
library(filters)

filters::load_filters(
  system.file("filters.yml", package = "autoslider.core"),
  overwrite = TRUE
)

outputs <- read_spec(system.file("spec.yml", package = "autoslider.core")) |>
  filter_spec(program %in% "t_dm_slide", verbose = FALSE) |>
  generate_outputs(
    datasets = list(
      adsl = eg_adsl |> mutate(FASFL = SAFFL),
      adae = eg_adae
    ),
    verbose_level = 0
  ) |>
  decorate_outputs()

prompt_list <- get_prompt_list(
  system.file("prompt.yml", package = "autoslider.core")
)

# Ollama / DeepSeek — no API key, runs fully offline
outputs_ai <- get_ai_notes(
  outputs     = outputs,
  prompt_list = prompt_list,
  platform    = "ollama",
  model       = "deepseek-r1:1.5b",
  base_url    = "http://localhost:11434"
)

generate_slides(outputs_ai, outfile = "slides_local.pptx")
```

---

## Choosing a provider

| Scenario | `provider` | `model` example | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud, best quality | `"anthropic"` | `"claude-haiku-4-5"` | Requires `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` |
| Fully local, offline | `"ollama"` | `"deepseek-r1:1.5b"` | No key; install Ollama first |
| OpenAI-compatible API | `"openai"` | `"gpt-4o-mini"` | Requires `OPENAI_API_KEY` |
| DeepSeek cloud API | `"deepseek"` | `"deepseek-chat"` | Requires `DEEPSEEK_API_KEY` |

The `base_url` parameter lets you point any provider at a custom
endpoint — useful for local proxies, enterprise gateways, or
self-hosted models.
