Use Foldr with Chatbot UI (MCP)
Chatbot UI is a popular open-source Next.js clone of ChatGPT used as a reference implementation by many teams. Community forks have added MCP support through the LLM tool-calling interface. Foldr is a natural companion — it gives self-hosted Chatbot UI instances an easy upload-and-share primitive.
Installation
Add the Foldr MCP server to Chatbot UI with the snippet below. Replace fs_live_... with an API key from foldr.space/developers.
// In .env.local:
MCP_SERVERS_JSON='{
"foldr": {
"url": "https://foldr.space/api/mcp",
"headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer fs_live_..." }
}
}'Setup tip: Exact env var name depends on the fork — check your specific Chatbot UI repo's README.
Official Chatbot UI MCP docsWhat You Can Do
- Upload any file from Chatbot UI to Foldr and get a shareable URL back in the same turn
- Shorten long URLs to foldr.space/s/... links without leaving Chatbot UI
- Create or update a Foldr bio page from a Chatbot UI conversation
- Generate a hosted Foldr form and paste the submission URL into your reply
- Let chat participants retrieve uploaded files by asking for them by filename
Chatbot UI + Foldr FAQ
How do I install the Foldr MCP server in Chatbot UI?
Open Chatbot UI's MCP configuration (the JSON settings file) and paste the config block shown above. Set FOLDR_API_KEY to a key you create at foldr.space/api-keys. Restart Chatbot UI if it doesn't hot-reload.
Which Foldr plan do I need to use the MCP integration with Chatbot UI?
The Foldr MCP server is available on every paid plan (Pro from $5/mo and Developer tier for API-heavy usage). The free tier can generate temporary 7-day links; for permanent storage, a Pro plan or Foldr Space is required.
I set the key but Chatbot UI says the Foldr tool isn't available — what's wrong?
The two most common issues: (1) Chatbot UI wasn't restarted after editing the config — most MCP hosts need a restart to pick up new servers. (2) Your API key is missing the `mcp:invoke` scope. Regenerate a key at foldr.space/api-keys with full scope and retry.
Can Chatbot UI upload files directly to Foldr, or just generate URLs?
Chatbot UI can do both. The MCP server exposes tools for `upload_file` (takes a local path or base64 blob), `shorten_url`, and `create_bio_page`. Any file Chatbot UI can read from disk can be uploaded.
Is the Foldr MCP integration with Chatbot UI production-ready?
Foldr's MCP server is stable and used in production. Chatbot UI's MCP support is currently community-maintained — check the upstream repo for current status. We pin to stable SDK versions and publish changelog entries for every breaking change.
Related MCP Integrations
Connect Chatbot UI to Foldr in under a minute
Grab an API key, paste the snippet above into Chatbot UI's MCP config, and your agent can upload files and share URLs immediately.
Get your Foldr API key