June 2026 webinar - Improved AI tooling with our new MCP server and OAuth connected apps

Hi Grist team,

Thank you for the MCP server and the June webinar — very useful.

I use Grist Desktop, single-user work, and I would like to connect an AI assistant to my documents.

As I understand it today:

  • The MCP server and OIDC server ship in the Full Grist edition, as noted in the v1.7.15 release notes.
  • Grist Desktop is built from grist-core, so /api/mcp is not available there and GRIST_MCP_ENABLED has no effect.
  • The README documents how to build grist-core from source with the Grist Labs extensions included.

My questions:

  1. Would a full-edition build of Grist Desktop, activated with an activation key, be feasible?
  2. If not, is a simpler local authentication option being considered for MCP (for example a token in a config file)? A single-user desktop app has no login, so the OIDC and consent flow does not really apply.
  3. Or is the Docker full edition the intended path for anyone who wants MCP on a local machine?

Even a short “not planned” answer would help me decide how to set things up. I am happy to test if useful.

Thank you.