Quickstart

This is a self-hosted MCP server, not a shared public recommendation service. Your agent can handle most of the setup; you handle account sign-ins and the final ChatGPT connection. It uses your own Vercel, Upstash, and Stremio accounts.

1. Ask your agent to set it up

Fork or clone Stremio Catalog MCP and give your coding agent this instruction:

Set up this repository for my Stremio account. Follow the self-hosting instructions. Deploy to my Vercel account using either a Free Upstash Redis database or my existing compatible Redis REST URL/token. You can use the Go helper or do the steps manually. Ask me to log into Stremio in headed Agent Browser, then securely obtain the session key. Verify the deployment and copy the full MCP URL to my clipboard. Never post tokens to chat, commit secrets, or enable paid services without approval.

The agent can preview the plan and then run the bootstrap once you approve:

go run ./cmd/setup --project my-stremio-catalog
go run ./cmd/setup --apply --project my-stremio-catalog --stremio-browser

This default provisions Free Redis. If you already have a Redis REST URL and token, use the alternate setup path:

go run ./cmd/setup --apply --project my-stremio-catalog \
  --redis-mode existing \
  --redis-rest-url-file /private/secrets/REDIS_REST_URL \
  --redis-rest-token-file /private/secrets/REDIS_REST_TOKEN \
  --stremio-browser

The helper configures Vercel, tests the Redis connection, and copies the authenticated MCP URL. The helper is optional—the self-hosting reference explains the complete manual deployment. You can inspect the bootstrap source on GitHub before running it.

2. Do the few human-only steps

Your agent may need you to:

• Sign in to Vercel and, if provisioning a new Redis database, Upstash. Supply a Developer API key privately, or simply provide your existing REST URL and token instead.
• Sign in to Stremio Web when your agent opens it with Agent Browser. The helper reads your session key from the signed-in browser without displaying it. You can also provide the session key through a private file if a headed browser isn’t available.
• Approve any cloud resources before your agent creates them. The setup helper requests a Free Redis plan and never automatically upgrades to paid.

For sharing keys, tokens, and other sensitive setup values with your agent, we recommend Fidelius. It is optional; use another trusted secret-sharing method if you prefer. Never paste a secret into a public issue or repo.

The full MCP URL looks like this:

https://YOUR-VERCEL-PROJECT.vercel.app/mcp?key=YOUR_PRIVATE_KEY

The key value is generated for your deployment. Do not use the public documentation website URL. If you need to copy your private URL again, have your agent run:

go run ./cmd/setup --copy-url

The helper puts the URL directly on your clipboard without printing the secret.

3. Add the MCP in ChatGPT

This is the part you do yourself:

1. Open ChatGPT Plugins.
2. Click Create custom MCP server.
3. Paste the full MCP URL from your clipboard, including ?key=....
4. Select No authentication, choose a name (for example, Stremio Catalog), and click Add as plugin.

Select No authentication because the URL already carries an API key; a separate OAuth sign-in is not needed. The URL is still a secret. UI labels may vary slightly by ChatGPT version.

4. Send your first recommendations

Try asking ChatGPT:

Find six excellent mind-bending sci-fi TV shows and send them to Stremio as a new catalog called Sci-Fi Worth Watching.

Open Stremio on your TV using the same account. Your new row should appear when Stremio refreshes its add-ons; restarting the app sometimes helps. Existing streaming add-ons handle playback.

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