Integrating Custom AI Apps and Agents with the LRA MCP Server
Overview
All calls to the LRA MCP server require a valid access token in order to retrieve data. The access token encodes who your user is and what you have access to. Each access token is valid for one hour. If you use a third party integration like Claude or ChatGPT, the integration will authenticate you through Okta and then fetch an access token on your behalf. If you want to integrate the LRA MCP server into your own application, you will need to obtain an access token yourself.
Deployment Options
Local MCP Server Integration
For users who want to run the LLM-Ready API MCP server locally on their own infrastructure, we provide a Python-based implementation. While the documentation focuses on Claude Desktop integration, the underlying MCP server can be adapted for other local MCP integrations that support the Model Context Protocol standard.
Get started using the Local MCP Server Setup Guide.
Authentication Methods
Production Authentication Flows
There are two general flows to obtain access tokens that you can use for production environments:
Authorization Code Flow
Each user has their own provisioned account and will use their own username and password to obtain an access token. This is the model that third party integrations like Claude and ChatGPT use. In OAuth terms, this is called the "Authorization Code Flow."
Get started using the OAuth Authorization Code Flow Guide.
Client Credentials Flow
One of your servers obtains an access token. Your users make requests to that server and don't have to authenticate with the LRA MCP server directly. In OAuth terms, this is the server-to-server "Client Credentials Flow." To discuss pricing for different access levels, please contact your S&P Global representative.
Get started using the OAuth Client Credentials Flow Guide.
Development and Testing Options
In addition, there are two more manual options that can be useful for non-production use cases:
Manual Token Generation
If you want to quickly experiment with the LRA MCP server, you can always obtain an access token from https://kfinance.kensho.com/manual_login/ (opens in a new tab).
Refresh Token Authentication
If you want to run a longer job for a few hours or days, you can fetch a refresh token, which remains valid for seven days.
Get started using the Refresh Token Authentication Guide.
Authentication Guides
For specific instructions please refer to the following guides: