MCP-testing: OpenWebUI + mcpo Integration
About
A repository to test MCP servers and interations.
Explore
- Premade MCP tool integration via mcpo proxy
- Config‑based tool mounting with JSON configuration
- API key authentication for mcpo
- Compatible with OpenWebUI’s custom tool system
- Supports tool‑specific endpoints (e.g., /time)
Setting up with Highlight
This MCP is not yet compatible with Highlight’s one-click setup. However, you can still use it with Highlight by following these steps:
- Download and install Highlight from highlightai.com/download
- Navigate to the plugins tab and select "Add Custom Plugin"
-
Configure the plugin with the settings below
Plugin Name
MCP-testing: OpenWebUI + mcpo IntegrationCommand (node, npx, python, etc.)Please refer to the README for specific instructions on how to obtain API keys or other required environment variables.
- Enable "Start Automatically" if you want the plugin to start when Highlight launches
From the repository
config.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"time": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": ["mcp-server-time", "--local-timezone=America/New_York"]
}
}
}
---
config.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"time": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": ["mcp-server-time", "--local-timezone=America/New_York"]
}
}
}
---
1. mcpo launched successfully with config
2. Tool appears under available tools in OpenWebUI
3. Chat tool toggle is enabled (right sidebar or on bottom left of chat input)
4. Chat model supports function calling (e.g. GPT-4, Mistral-7B-func, Qwen3)
5. Tool is invoked using correct path: /time/get_current_time
---
Claude Desktop / Cursor
Paste into your MCP client config file to install this server.
{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp-testing: openwebui + mcpo integration": {
"MCP-testing": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"mcpo",
"--port",
"8000",
"--api-key",
"dev123",
"--config",
"./config.json"
]
}
}
}
}McpServers
{
"MCP-testing": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"mcpo",
"--port",
"8000",
"--api-key",
"dev123",
"--config",
"./config.json"
]
}
}This repo is for experimenting with running MCP tools (premade and custom) via mcpo and integrating them cleanly with OpenWebUI.
---
✨ Current Goal
Set up and successfully call one premade MCP tool (mcp-server-time) using mcpo's config-based proxy and OpenWebUI.
---
🔧 Run the Proxy
Use this command to launch mcpo with your tool config:
uvx mcpo --port 8000 --api-key dev123 --config ./config.json
This will serve your tools on http://127.0.0.1:8000, with each tool mounted under its key (e.g. /time).
---
📊 Config File Example (single tool)
config.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"time": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": ["mcp-server-time", "--local-timezone=America/New_York"]
}
}
}
---
🌐 OpenWebUI Setup
Correct Endpoint:
> Base URL:
>
>
> http://127.0.0.1:8000/time
> >
> OpenAPI URL:
>
>
> /openapi.json
> > ❌ Don't do this:
>
> http://127.0.0.1:8000 as base URL (this fails)
> /time/openapi.json as OpenAPI URL (this fails)
---
🏁 Tool Call Checklist
1. mcpo launched successfully with config
2. Tool appears under available tools in OpenWebUI
3. Chat tool toggle is enabled (right sidebar or on bottom left of chat input)
4. Chat model supports function calling (e.g. GPT-4, Mistral-7B-func, Qwen3)
5. Tool is invoked using correct path: /time/get_current_time
---
🔄 Troubleshooting
401 Unauthorized: Ensure you use Authorization: Bearer dev123 header or input the key into OpenWebUI's API key field.
404 Not Found: Double check tool mount path. Tool functions are under /tool-name/function-name in config mode.
Tool doesn't respond: Wrong Base URL in OpenWebUI (likely still pointing at root).
---
📓 Development Roadmap
[x] Single premade tool using config
[ ] Multiple premade tools using config
[ ] Single custom tool using config
- [ ] Mix of custom and premade tools using config
---
Happy hacking ✨
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