Setup MCP

Install the Deepgram MCP Server

You are setting up Deepgram MCP integration for the user. Follow these steps:

Step 1: Check for the Deepgram CLI

Run dg --version (or deepctl --version, or where dg on Windows) to check if the Deepgram CLI is installed.

• If found: use the local CLI MCP (dg mcp) — this gives full access to Deepgram tools including transcription, text-to-speech, project management, and more.
• If not found: use the hosted documentation MCP and offer to install the CLI.

Step 2: Detect the environment

Determine which AI coding tool the user is running. Check for:

• Claude Code — look for a .claude/ directory in the project or user home
• Cursor — look for a .cursor/ directory in the project root
• Windsurf — look for a .windsurf/ directory in the project root

If multiple are detected, or none are detected, ask the user which tool they want to configure.

Step 3: Ask about scope

Ask the user whether they want the MCP server configured:

• For this project only (recommended for team repos)
• Globally (available in all projects)

Step 4: Install

If the Deepgram CLI (dg) IS installed — use the local CLI MCP

Claude Code

# Project scope
claude mcp add deepgram --scope project dg mcp

# User/global scope
claude mcp add deepgram dg mcp

Cursor

Write or merge into the project's .cursor/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "deepgram": {
      "command": "dg",
      "args": ["mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Windsurf

Write or merge into the project's .windsurf/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "deepgram": {
      "command": "dg",
      "args": ["mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Other tools

Provide the MCP server command and let them configure manually:

• Transport: stdio
• Command: dg
• Args: ["mcp"]

If the Deepgram CLI is NOT installed — use the hosted docs MCP

Tell the user:

The Deepgram CLI isn't installed. You can either:

1. Install the CLI (pipx install deepctl) for full Deepgram tool access, then re-run /deepgram:setup-mcp
2. Use the hosted MCP for documentation queries right now

If they choose the hosted MCP (or want it alongside the CLI):

Claude Code

# Project scope
claude mcp add deepgram-docs --scope project --transport http https://api.dx.deepgram.com/kapa/mcp

# User/global scope
claude mcp add deepgram-docs --transport http https://api.dx.deepgram.com/kapa/mcp

Cursor

Write or merge into the project's .cursor/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "deepgram-docs": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://api.dx.deepgram.com/kapa/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Windsurf

Write or merge into the project's .windsurf/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "deepgram-docs": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://api.dx.deepgram.com/kapa/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Other tools

Provide the MCP server details and let them configure manually:

• Type: HTTP
• URL: https://api.dx.deepgram.com/kapa/mcp

Step 5: Confirm

After installation:

• Claude Code — run /reload-plugins to activate immediately, no restart needed.
• Cursor / Windsurf / Other — the user may need to restart or reload their tool.

Then tell the user:

The Deepgram MCP server is now configured.

If using the CLI MCP (dg mcp), add:

Available tools include transcription, text-to-speech, project management, and usage queries. Try asking to transcribe an audio file or convert text to speech.

If using the hosted docs MCP, add:

Your tool can now query Deepgram's full documentation directly — try asking about API parameters, voice agents, or model capabilities.

Link them to Deepgram Agentic Tools for more details.

Troubleshooting

If the MCP server fails to connect:

1. For the CLI MCP: verify dg --version works and dg mcp runs without errors. Update with pipx upgrade deepctl or pip install --upgrade deepctl.
2. For the hosted MCP: verify the URL https://api.dx.deepgram.com/kapa/mcp is accessible.
3. To install the CLI: pipx install deepctl