The full reference for the lazysite MCP connector: how it authenticates, the
capability model, and every tool it exposes. For *setting up* a connector (adding
it in Claude.ai / ChatGPT / Claude Code) see Connect an AI assistant.

Endpoint and protocol

The connector is a single MCP endpoint, Streamable HTTP / JSON-RPC:

https://YOUR-SITE/cgi-bin/lazysite-mcp.pl

initialize and tools/list are open (discovery); a tools/call requires authentication. An unauthenticated tool call returns HTTP 401 with a WWW-Authenticate challenge so an OAuth client starts the sign-in flow.

Authentication

Two credential shapes, same capability + ACL enforcement:

OAuth (Claude.ai, ChatGPT web)

The client registers itself, the operator's one-time connect code is entered at the consent screen, and an opaque access token is issued (expires hourly, refreshed transparently).

Static bearer (Claude Code, Desktop, scripts)

Authorization: Bearer <partner-id>:<lzs_ token> - the token comes from Generate credential on the Users page.

whoami returns an auth block - { method: "oauth"|"bearer", expires_at } - so the agent can see how the session is authenticated and when it lapses.

Capabilities

A partner's grant (visible in whoami.capabilities) gates the tools:

• manage_content - read/write content pages and use the file tools (most tools). Defaults to the webdav grant; set off for a theme-only partner.
• manage_themes - activate themes.
• manage_layouts - activate layouts.
• webdav - the WebDAV transport / file-API mechanism flag.
• manage_config - site configuration (control API, not exposed as MCP tools).

Per-file ACLs (owner + read/write lists, with @groups) bind a token client exactly as over WebDAV - a tool call is refused if the partner lacks access to the target, regardless of capability.

What is walled off

The connector deliberately cannot reach operator-only surfaces. Attempts return a machine-readable kind:

• lazysite/forms/*.conf and other config - blocked-config (delivery settings + SMTP credentials are operator-only; use bind_form to reference a handler, never to set one).
• lazysite/auth/*, .pl scripts, the manager - blocked.
• User administration, secrets, credential minting - not exposed at all.

Tools

27 tools. Reads are not audited; writes are recorded in the audit log as material events and may trigger the AI client's per-call approval. All file tools need manage_content unless noted.

Identity

whoami

Partner identity, capabilities, active layout/theme, the full tools manifest, and the auth block (method + expiry). No capability required. Call it first.

Reading and inspecting (reads - not audited)

list_files { path }

Files and folders under a directory (default /) with size, mtime, ext, has_brief, generated, is_brief.

read_file { path }

A text file's contents. Refuses binary (kind: binary) and files over 512 KB (kind: too-large).

read_page { path }

A page as structured data - parsed front matter, Markdown body, has_brief, public_url.

list_pages

Every page with title, registries (sitemap/llms/feed) and public URL.

page_status { path }

Whether the source exists + last-modified, whether the render is pending (cache dropped after an edit, re-renders next visit), and the public URL. Confirm an edit will reach visitors without a web fetch.

search_files { query, path }

Case-insensitive content grep across text files, returning path + line snippets. Excludes the lazysite/ infra; file- and match-capped.

preview_page { path }

Render a page server-side, fresh (no cache), and return its HTML + status - in-channel verification of layout / nav / form output. Public view; a protected page shows the auth gate.

validate_page { path | content }

Pre-publish checks: unterminated front matter, missing title, invalid form-field rules, and a public-data warning (Wi-Fi passwords, postcodes/addresses, phone numbers).

audit_site

Whole-site audit: broken internal links, orphan pages, missing titles, stale generated HTML, duplicate content blocks.

get_permissions { path }

The ACL for a path (owner + read/write grants) - call before set_permissions.

list_form_handlers

The configured form delivery handlers (id, type, name). No destinations or credentials are returned.

read_nav

The site navigation as a structured list (items + children) plus the raw nav.conf. Read before set_nav.

Writing and editing (writes - audited)

write_file { path, content }

Create or overwrite a text file. Returns created (1 new / 0 overwrite) and runs validate_page on the content, returning any warnings/issues. Audited as create or edit.

create_page { slug, title, subtitle, body, register }

Create a new page from front-matter fields + body; errors if it already exists.

delete_page { slug }

Delete a page and its .brief, and report still_referenced_in (nav, other pages) for cleanup; generated indexes refresh automatically.

rename_page { old, new, update_links }

Rename / move a page (carries .brief + ACL); with update_links, rewrites internal links to the old path across pages (nav.conf is not rewritten).

replace_text { path, old, new }

Replace exact text without rewriting the whole file - safer for a small change. Errors if old is absent (no silent clobber); reports the replacement count.

copy_file { from, to }

Copy a text file to a new path (templating). Destination starts with a fresh ACL.

move_file { from, to }

Rename / move a file; carries its .brief and re-keys its ACL.

delete_file { path }

Delete a file. Audited as delete.

set_permissions { path, read, write }

Set the per-file ACL - owner plus comma-separated read/write lists (users or @groups).

bind_form { form, handler }

Wire a form to delivery by referencing an existing handler from list_form_handlers. The connector never sets a destination or credential.

set_nav { items }

Replace the site navigation - items is an ordered list of { label, url } (a children list becomes a sub-menu; an item with no url is a section header). Writes nav.conf and rebuilds the cache.

Site operations

activate_theme { theme }

Activate a theme for the current layout (clears the HTML cache). Needs manage_themes.

activate_layout { layout, theme }

Activate a layout, optionally naming a compatible theme. Needs manage_layouts.

invalidate_cache { path }

Drop a page's cached HTML so it re-renders ("*" for all). A normal write already clears its own page; use this for pages that embed another.

Error model

A failed tool result is { ok: 0, error, kind }. The kind lets an agent tell causes apart: blocked, blocked-config, not-found, permission, binary, too-large, invalid-path. A 401 carries error.data.reason - sign-in-incomplete (no credential reached the server - re-authorise the connector) vs credential-invalid (expired/revoked - reconnect).

A reliable edit loop

1. whoami - confirm identity, capabilities, and that tools are loaded.
2. list_files / list_pages / read_page - orient; read before you edit.
3. validate_page (with content) - catch front-matter / form / public-data issues before writing.
4. write_file or replace_text - make one change at a time.
5. preview_page - confirm the render in-channel (not a web fetch). page_status confirms it will reach visitors.
6. audit_site after a set of changes - catch broken links / orphans / duplicates.

Pages are Markdown files served at their path (about.md → /about); a page that registers in a feed lists it in front matter (register: [sitemap, llms]).