Chat Clients

Use Foldr with Open WebUI (MCP)

Open WebUI is the self-hosted ChatGPT-like web front-end that runs in front of Ollama, vLLM, or any OpenAI-compatible endpoint. Open WebUI supports MCP servers via its tool-server framework. Adding Foldr lets self-hosted teams keep chat local while still publishing files through a controlled, audited upload path.

Open WebUI (OSS)Self-hosted (Docker, K8s)MCP: beta

Installation

Add the Foldr MCP server to Open WebUI with the snippet below. Replace fs_… with an API key from foldr.space/developers/signup. Each upload costs 5¢ - top up account credits or subscribe to Pro tier to bypass per-call charges.

{
  "MCP_SERVERS": {
    "foldr": {
      "url": "https://foldr.space/api/mcp",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer fs_live_..." }
    }
  }
}

Setup tip: Configure via Admin Panel → Settings → Tools → MCP, or set OPEN_WEBUI_MCP_SERVERS in the container env.

Official Open WebUI MCP docs

What You Can Do

Upload any file from Open WebUI to Foldr and get a permanent shareable URL back in the same turn (5¢ per upload, debited from credits)
Mint short-lived capability tokens to share files with downstream agents without leaking your API key
Organize uploads into per-API-key folders with hierarchical structure
Shorten long URLs to foldr.space/s/... links - free with any API key
Let chat participants retrieve uploaded files by asking for them by filename

Open WebUI + Foldr FAQ

How do I install the Foldr MCP server in Open WebUI?

Open Open WebUI'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/developers/signup. Restart Open WebUI if it doesn't hot-reload.

How much does it cost to use Foldr from Open WebUI?

Each upload costs 5¢. You can pay by topping up account credits via the `top_up_credits` MCP tool (min $5) - every upload then debits from balance. Or subscribe to Pro tier ($25/mo) and per-call charges are bypassed entirely. Tools that don't write data (list_files, mint_capability, get_usage, etc.) are free.

I set the key but Open WebUI says the Foldr tool isn't available - what's wrong?

Three common causes: (1) Open WebUI wasn't restarted after editing the config - most MCP hosts need a restart to pick up new servers. (2) The API key is wrong or missing - verify the env var name your client reads (e.g. FOLDR_API_KEY) matches the config snippet above. (3) Your client doesn't support the streamable-http transport - most modern clients do, but check Open WebUI's docs for the version that added MCP support.

Can Open WebUI upload files directly to Foldr, or just generate URLs?

Open WebUI can do both. The MCP server exposes tools for `upload_file` (base64-encoded file content), `bulk_upload` (up to 20 files in one call), `mint_capability` (short-lived shareable links), and `create_short_url`. Any file Open WebUI can read from disk can be uploaded.

Is the Foldr MCP integration with Open WebUI production-ready?

Foldr's MCP server is stable and used in production - streamable-http transport at https://foldr.space/api/mcp with 23 tools. Open WebUI's MCP support is currently in public beta - suitable for day-to-day use. Every write endpoint accepts an Idempotency-Key so retries are safe.

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Connect Open WebUI to Foldr in under a minute

Grab an API key, paste the snippet above into Open WebUI's MCP config, top up credits (or grab a Pro subscription), and your agent can upload files and mint share links immediately.

Get your Foldr API key x402 details