Introduction
Large language models are great at explaining concepts, but they do not always know the exact register offset, the latest bit-field definition or a device-specific detail from an NXP reference manual. When the answer has to be correct, the model should not be guessing.
MCP Server for Documentation solves this by bringing NXP product documentation directly into your agentic development workflow. Instead of relying only on what the model already knows – or asking you to search through hundreds of pages of a hardware manual yourself – your AI agent can discover the right product, search the documentation and read the underlying source content, all without leaving your development environment.
This article explains what MCP Server for Documentation is, what you can use it for, which documentation it covers, and how to get started in a few simple steps.
What is MCP Server for Documentation?
MCP Server for Documentation is a remote MCP (Model Context Protocol) service that gives an MCP-compatible AI client access to structured NXP product documentation.
With MCP Server for Documentation, your agent can:
- Discover the products and documents that are available to you
- Search the documentation for the hardware information it needs
- Retrieve the underlying source content before it produces an answer
The key idea is simple: instead of searching blindly through PDFs, the agent navigates a structured knowledge graph – chapters, sections, registers and fields – and retrieves exactly the context that is relevant to your question.
The flow of MCP Server for Documentation
Why use MCP Server for Documentation?
Ground your AI
Give your agent relevant NXP product information instead of relying only on what the model already knows. This reduces guessing and helps avoid hallucinated register values or configuration steps.
Find details faster
Ask about registers, bit fields, peripherals, configuration sequences and other hardware topics, and let the agent locate the answer for you.
Improve code generation
Retrieve product-specific documentation context before asking the agent to explain hardware behaviour or generate an implementation.
Reduce manual searching
Let the agent search and retrieve the relevant information while you stay inside your development environment.
What can I use it for?
MCP Server for Documentation already supports a range of everyday hardware development workflows.
Find precise hardware information
Ask about a known register, field, peripheral, acronym or hardware concept.
Example: "Using ChipDocs MCP, find the S32K3xx eDMA TCD NBYTES register and explain the SMLOE and DMLOE fields."
Ask how-to questions
Use MCP Server for Documentation when the answer requires multiple sections or a sequence of configuration steps.
Example: "Using ChipDocs MCP, explain how to configure FlexCAN0 on MCX N947 for CAN FD with bit rate switching, and which CTRL1 fields set the nominal bit timing."
Generate documentation-grounded code
Give your agent relevant product context before asking it to generate an implementation.
Example: "Using ChipDocs MCP, generate a simple initialization function called LPI2C_init that configures LPI2C1 as a controller at 400 kHz on i.MX RT1180."
Work with document attachments
Where available, MCP Server for Documentation can expose supporting PDFs, spreadsheets and other document assets.
Example: "Using ChipDocs MCP, retrieve the S32N55 DMA channel mapping spreadsheet and list the request sources for eDMA channels 0 through 7."
Documentation coverage
MCP Server for Documentation provides access to reference manuals and data sheets for recent NXP MCU and MPU products, with additional documentation being added through regular releases.
Publicly available product families currently include:
S32 Automotive – S32E2, S32G2, S32G3, S32K3, S32N5, S32Z2
MCX family – MCXA, MCXC, MCXE, MCXN, MCXW
i.MX family – i.MX 91, i.MX 93, i.MX 95
i.MX RT family – i.MX RT700, i.MX RT1180
KW family – KW45, KW47
Additional products and documentation may be available based on the user's access permissions. Document visibility varies by product and user authorization, and the available documentation is continuously expanded
Getting started
MCP Server for Documentation is a remote MCP service. There is no local MCP server or SDK to install – you simply connect your AI client to the service.
Prerequisites
- An MCP-compatible AI client that supports the current MCP protocol and OAuth authentication
- Connectivity to the MCP Server for Documentation service
- An NXP account with access to the documentation you want to use
MCP Server for Documentation has been tested with GitHub Copilot, Claude Code and Kiro. Other clients that implement the current MCP protocol and OAuth authentication are expected to be compatible.
Step 1 – Add MCP Server for Documentation to your AI client
MCP Server for Documentation is reachable at a single HTTP endpoint:
MCP endpoint
https://mcp.gw.ext.nxp.com/mcp
Add the server through your client's interface, or directly in your MCP configuration file. For GitHub Copilot in VS Code, open the Command Palette, choose "MCP: Add Server...", select HTTP, and paste the endpoint above. Give the server a name (for example, chipdocs) and choose whether it should apply to all projects or only the current one.
If you prefer to edit the configuration file yourself, the entry looks like this:
.vscode/mcp.json
{
"servers": {
"chipdocs": {
"url": "https://mcp.gw.ext.nxp.com/mcp",
"type": "http"
}
}
}
Step 2 – Authenticate
MCP Server for Documentation uses OAuth authentication. Start or activate the MCP Server for Documentation in your client and complete the sign-in flow with your NXP account when authorization is requested.
Step 3 – Verify your connection
Confirm that the MCP Server for Documentation tools are available and that the server responds.
Try: "Using the ChipDocs MCP, show me which chips are currently available to me."
Step 4 – Check what documentation you have access to
Try: "Using the ChipDocs MCP, what manuals are available for the chip I am working with?"
If your agent has no project open to infer the device from, name it in the prompt instead – for example, "… what manuals are available for S32K3?"
The reply lists the document types and versions your account can read for that product. That single answer confirms all three things at once: the server responds, your sign-in was accepted, and your account is authorized for the documentation.
Step 5 – Run your first grounded hardware query
Now ask something a model cannot answer reliably from memory.
Try: "Using the ChipDocs MCP, find the LPSPI version ID register on S32K3 and give me the exact offset and bit fields."
The answer should use retrieved NXP documentation and provide the requested hardware details instead of guessing device-specific values.
Watch: Get started with MCP Server for Documentation
The short video below walks through the whole flow – from adding the server and authenticating, to verifying the connection and running your first grounded query.
Tips for better results
For the best results, include three things in your prompt whenever possible:
- Product – the NXP device you are working with (for example, s32k3xx)
- Topic – the register, peripheral or concept you are asking about
- Desired result – what you want back (an explanation, an offset, a code snippet)
Example: "Using ChipDocs MCP, for S32K3 find the LPSPI version ID register and give me the exact offset and bit fields."
Explicitly mentioning "Using ChipDocs MCP" makes it clear that the agent should retrieve information from MCP Server for Documentation instead of answering only from existing model knowledge.
What's next for MCP Server for Documentation?
MCP Server for Documentation is actively evolving. Additional NXP product documentation is being added through regular releases, increasing the range of hardware information available to agentic workflows. Capabilities will continue to improve based on developer workflows, product needs and user feedback.
Conclusion
MCP Server for Documentation gives your AI agent direct, grounded access to NXP hardware documentation. Instead of guessing device-specific details, your agent can discover the right product, search the documentation and retrieve the real source content – helping you get accurate answers and better code without manually browsing large reference manuals.
Connect MCP Server for Documentation to your AI development environment and give your agent the NXP product context it needs.
