Medialyst MCP

Medialyst exposes a remote MCP server for agents that need to search news, create media lists, inspect media-list tables, update rows and columns, and create share links.

The site docs are for setup. The MCP server is the source of truth for agents while they work.

Required Scopes

Use the smallest key that covers the workflow:

Scope	Needed for
`news:search`	Searching recent news coverage
`media_lists:read`	Listing, reading, and inspecting media lists
`media_lists:write`	Creating lists, mutating tables, deleting lists, and creating share links

Keep keys out of prompts

Store API keys in environment variables or your agent client's secret storage. Do not paste raw keys into a chat thread or commit them to a repo.

Runtime Docs Tools

Agents should not rely on stale copied schemas. After connecting, they should ask the MCP server how to use the current contract.

Tool	Purpose
`get_usage_guide`	Current workflow guidance by topic
`get_tool_reference`	Current tool examples, scope requirements, and optional generated schemas

Recommended first calls:

{
  "topic": "getting_started",
  "detail": "short"
}

Then, before a mutation:

{
  "tool_name": "apply_table_action",
  "detail": "full"
}

Use include_schema: true only when examples are not enough. Some table-action schemas are large.

Tool Surface

Tool	Scope	Use it for
`get_usage_guide`	API key only	Read current operating guidance
`get_tool_reference`	API key only	Read examples and optional schemas
`search_news`	`news:search`	Find fresh articles and bylines
`create_media_list`	`media_lists:write`	Create a list from articles, URLs, keywords, or empty state
`list_media_lists`	`media_lists:read`	Find existing lists
`get_media_list`	`media_lists:read`	Read metadata, columns, settings, and optional rows
`inspect_table`	`media_lists:read`	Read bounded previews or enrichment health
`read_full_values`	`media_lists:read`	Read exact values for a small row/column slice
`preview_column_render`	`media_lists:read`	Preview formula, AI, send, or template-bearing columns
`apply_table_action`	`media_lists:write`	Mutate columns, cells, rows, views, run state, and article imports
`create_share_link`	`media_lists:write`	Create public read-only share links
`delete_media_list`	`media_lists:write`	Delete a list after explicit user intent

Agent Operating Model

Media lists are workflow tables. The table is the deliverable.

Good agents follow this pattern:

Call get_usage_guide.
Search or list existing media lists.
Create or select a list.
Inspect the table before edits.
Use returned IDs from tool responses.
Preview template-bearing columns before applying them.
Apply one focused table action at a time.
Verify with get_media_list or inspect_table.
Share only when the user asks for a public link.

Fewer, better, evidence-backed

The agent should curate article results before creating rows. More rows are not automatically better. The goal is a focused list of journalists who actually cover the story.

Codex

Add this to ~/.codex/config.toml:

[mcp_servers.medialyst]
url = "https://medialyst.ai/api/mcp"
bearer_token_env_var = "MEDIALYST_API_KEY"

Then verify inside Codex:

/mcp

Claude Code

Claude Code can connect to HTTP MCP servers. A user-scoped setup looks like:

claude mcp add-json medialyst '{
  "type": "http",
  "url": "https://medialyst.ai/api/mcp",
  "headers": {
    "Authorization": "Bearer ${MEDIALYST_API_KEY}"
  }
}' --scope user

For rotating keys, use your client's dynamic header helper instead of hardcoding a header value.

For OpenClaw and other MCP-compatible agents, use their remote HTTP MCP configuration when they can send custom headers. If an agent cannot connect to remote HTTP MCP servers or cannot send custom headers, bridge through mcp-remote:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "medialyst": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://medialyst.ai/api/mcp",
        "--header",
        "Authorization: Bearer ${MEDIALYST_API_KEY}"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Example Workflow

Ask your agent:

Search recent AI infrastructure coverage, create a media list from the best articles, add a Notes column, and share the list.

Expected sequence:

get_usage_guide
search_news
create_media_list
inspect_table
get_tool_reference for apply_table_action
apply_table_action with create_column
apply_table_action with patch_cells if notes are known
create_share_link after the user asks to share

Troubleshooting

Symptom	What to check
`401 Unauthorized`	The key is missing, malformed, revoked, or not sent on every request
`403 Forbidden`	The key is valid but lacks the required scope or fails an IP allowlist
`402 Payment Required`	Credits or plan limits block the operation
Validation errors	Call `get_tool_reference` for the failing tool
Stale IDs	Call `get_media_list` or `inspect_table` again
Client cannot attach headers	Use the `mcp-remote` stdio bridge

Agent Skill

For open-source agents, use a small bootstrap skill that tells the agent how to connect and when to call the runtime docs tools. Keep detailed schemas on the server.

Install the Medialyst MCP agent skill.