> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.continuouslabs.ai/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Create MCP Box > Creates an MCP Box that serves an MCP Box Snapshot's tools over MCP in front of an API Box, and starts it. The API Box must be in the workspace and started from the API Box Snapshot the MCP Box Snapshot was built against. It returns at once with status starting and the MCP Box's token; get the MCP Box until it is running. Send MCP requests to its endpoint followed by /mcp, with the token in X-Continuous-MCPBox-Token. The MCP Box keeps no state: its tools read and change the API Box, and a tool call while the API Box is stopped returns the API Box's refusal as a tool error. ## OpenAPI ````yaml /openapi/simulation.yaml post /v1/mcpbox openapi: 3.1.0 info: description: >- Start API Boxes, Web Boxes, MCP Boxes and Cloud Boxes from Snapshots. Authenticate every request with an API key sent as a Bearer token. title: Continuous API version: v1 servers: - description: Continuous production API. url: https://api.continuouslabs.ai security: [] tags: - description: >- Start API Boxes from API Box Snapshots. Each API Box serves its Snapshot's API at its own endpoint, with its own state, in real time. Stop, start and delete them. name: apibox x-group: API Boxes - description: >- Build API Box Snapshots from an OpenAPI, WSDL or GraphQL document, or use the catalog's. API Boxes start from a ready Snapshot. name: apibox-snapshots x-group: API Box Snapshots - description: >- Start Web Boxes from Web Box Snapshots. Each Web Box serves its Snapshot's web app at a host of its own, with its own state, in real time. Stop, start and delete them. name: webbox x-group: Web Boxes - description: >- Build Web Box Snapshots from a vendor's live web app, or use the catalog's. Web Boxes start from a ready Snapshot. name: webbox-snapshots x-group: Web Box Snapshots - description: >- Start MCP Boxes from MCP Box Snapshots. Each MCP Box serves its Snapshot's tools over MCP in front of an API Box. Stop, start and delete them. name: mcpbox x-group: MCP Boxes - description: >- List, rename and delete the MCP Box Snapshots that Continuous publishes into your workspace. Each holds an MCP server's tools, built against an API Box Snapshot. name: mcpbox-snapshots x-group: MCP Box Snapshots - description: >- Create emulated cloud accounts from Cloud Box Snapshots, start and stop them, and manage their Keys and connections. name: cloudbox x-group: Cloud Boxes - description: >- Save a Cloud Box's state as a Snapshot that new Cloud Boxes start from, and inspect, rename or delete Snapshots. name: cloudbox-snapshots x-group: Cloud Box Snapshots - description: >- Deprecated. Use API Box for APIs and Web Box for web apps. Build Simulators from OpenAPI, WSDL or GraphQL documents, check or cancel a build, clone Simulators into other workspaces, and rename and delete Simulators. name: simulators x-group: Simulators - description: >- Deprecated. Use API Box for APIs and Web Box for web apps. Create Simulations from ready Simulators or Snapshots, then rename, stop, start, and delete them. name: simulations x-group: Simulations - description: >- Deprecated. Use API Box for APIs and Web Box for web apps. Save a running Simulation's state as a Snapshot, create Simulations from it, and rename and delete it. name: simulation-snapshots x-group: Simulation Snapshots - description: >- Store connections to real systems: a base URL, the header that carries the credential, and its value. The API never returns a value. name: credentials x-group: Credentials paths: /v1/mcpbox: post: tags: - mcpbox summary: Create MCP Box description: >- Creates an MCP Box that serves an MCP Box Snapshot's tools over MCP in front of an API Box, and starts it. The API Box must be in the workspace and started from the API Box Snapshot the MCP Box Snapshot was built against. It returns at once with status starting and the MCP Box's token; get the MCP Box until it is running. Send MCP requests to its endpoint followed by /mcp, with the token in X-Continuous-MCPBox-Token. The MCP Box keeps no state: its tools read and change the API Box, and a tool call while the API Box is stopped returns the API Box's refusal as a tool error. operationId: create-mcpbox parameters: - description: >- Optional key for retrying this create safely. A retry with the same key and request returns the same MCP Box and token. The same key with a different request returns 409 idempotency_conflict. in: header name: Idempotency-Key schema: maxLength: 256 type: string requestBody: content: application/json: schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/CreateMCPBoxRequest' required: true responses: '202': content: application/json: schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/McpboxTokenResponse' description: Accepted '400': content: application/problem+json: examples: bad_request_body: $ref: '#/components/examples/bad_request_body' schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/Error' description: Bad Request '401': $ref: '#/components/responses/Unauthorized' '404': content: application/problem+json: examples: apibox_not_found: $ref: '#/components/examples/apibox_not_found' mcpbox_snapshot_not_found: $ref: '#/components/examples/mcpbox_snapshot_not_found' schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/Error' description: Not Found '408': $ref: '#/components/responses/RequestTimeout' '409': content: application/problem+json: examples: mcpbox_snapshot_not_ready: $ref: '#/components/examples/mcpbox_snapshot_not_ready' schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/Error' description: Conflict '413': $ref: '#/components/responses/PayloadTooLarge' '415': $ref: '#/components/responses/UnsupportedMediaType' '422': content: application/problem+json: examples: mcpbox_apibox_mismatch: $ref: '#/components/examples/mcpbox_apibox_mismatch' schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/Error' description: Unprocessable Entity '429': content: application/problem+json: examples: box_quota_exceeded: $ref: '#/components/examples/box_quota_exceeded' schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/Error' description: Too Many Requests '500': $ref: '#/components/responses/InternalServerError' '503': content: application/problem+json: examples: auth_provider_unavailable: $ref: '#/components/examples/auth_provider_unavailable' internal_unavailable: $ref: '#/components/examples/internal_unavailable' schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/Error' description: Service Unavailable security: - apiKeyAuth: [] components: schemas: CreateMCPBoxRequest: additionalProperties: false examples: - apibox_id: abx_01J8Z5X4K70000000000000001 name: billing-tools snapshot_id: mbs_01J8Z5X4K70000000000000007 properties: apibox_id: description: >- An API Box of the workspace, started from the API Box Snapshot the MCP Box Snapshot was built against. pattern: ^abx_[0-9A-HJKMNP-TV-Z]{26}$ type: string metadata: description: Customer JSON metadata, up to 16 KiB and 64 nesting levels. name: description: Name for the MCP Box. Omission generates a name. maxLength: 128 type: string snapshot_id: description: An MCP Box Snapshot of the workspace. pattern: ^mbs_[0-9A-HJKMNP-TV-Z]{26}$ type: string required: - snapshot_id - apibox_id type: object McpboxTokenResponse: additionalProperties: false properties: mcpbox: $ref: '#/components/schemas/MCPBox' description: The MCP Box. token: description: >- The MCP Box's token, which lasts until the MCP Box is deleted. It is null only on a retried create whose first attempt stored no token; a start then issues one. type: - string - 'null' required: - mcpbox - token type: object Error: additionalProperties: false properties: code: description: Stable machine-readable error code. minLength: 1 type: string detail: description: Safe human-readable error detail. minLength: 1 type: string validation: $ref: '#/components/schemas/SpecificationValidation' description: >- Safe specification diagnostics for a rejected build request, when available. required: - validation - code - detail type: object MCPBox: additionalProperties: false properties: apibox_id: description: The API Box it fronts, whose state its tools read and change. pattern: ^abx_[0-9A-HJKMNP-TV-Z]{26}$ type: string created_at: description: MCP Box creation time. format: date-time type: string endpoint: description: >- Base URL of the MCP Box. Send MCP Streamable HTTP requests to it followed by /mcp, with the MCP Box's token in X-Continuous-MCPBox-Token. type: string error: $ref: '#/components/schemas/SimulatorError' description: Why its last run stopped without a stop request, or null. id: description: MCP Box ID. pattern: ^mbx_[0-9A-HJKMNP-TV-Z]{26}$ type: string metadata: description: Customer JSON metadata, or null. name: description: MCP Box name. The ID is its identity, and names need not be unique. maxLength: 128 type: string snapshot_id: description: The MCP Box Snapshot it serves. pattern: ^mbs_[0-9A-HJKMNP-TV-Z]{26}$ type: string status: description: >- starting while its runtime boots; running while it serves MCP; stopping while it releases its runtime; stopped when it holds no runtime. enum: - starting - running - stopping - stopped type: string required: - id - name - snapshot_id - apibox_id - status - endpoint - error - metadata - created_at type: object SpecificationValidation: additionalProperties: false properties: issues: description: Specification validation problems. At most 20 are returned. items: $ref: '#/components/schemas/SpecificationIssue' maxItems: 20 type: array required: - issues type: - object - 'null' SimulatorError: additionalProperties: false properties: agent_message: description: >- Plain-text explanation from the build agent when it could not continue, or the problems the check of the build's index found. At most 4096 UTF-8 bytes. maxLength: 4096 type: - string - 'null' code: description: >- Stable Simulator build error code. live_credential_rejected is a build that waited at QA for its rejected live credentials and was not resumed within 7 days. enum: - build_failed - build_canceled - specification_validation_failed - live_credential_rejected type: string detail: description: Safe human-readable error detail. type: string reason: description: >- Bounded failure reason for selecting recovery guidance, or null when unavailable. enum: - canceled - specification_invalid - time_limit - service_unavailable - build_failed - null type: - string - 'null' validation: $ref: '#/components/schemas/SpecificationValidation' description: >- Specification validation details. Address these issues before building again. required: - agent_message - reason - validation - code - detail type: - object - 'null' SpecificationIssue: additionalProperties: false properties: code: description: Stable validation rule code. type: string kind: description: >- Whether the input is invalid, unsupported, incomplete, exceeds a build limit, or has no specific diagnosis. enum: - invalid - unsupported - incomplete - limit - unknown type: string location: description: Readable endpoint or field affected by this issue. maxLength: 512 type: string message: description: What needs attention at this location. type: string operation: description: >- Affected operation ID or method and path, when available. Empty for document-level issues. maxLength: 243 type: string suggestion: description: How to correct or address the problem. type: string required: - code - operation - location - kind - message - suggestion type: object examples: bad_request_body: value: code: bad_request detail: request body is invalid validation: null apibox_not_found: value: code: apibox_not_found detail: No API Box was found with ID "abx_01J8Z5X4K70000000000000001". validation: null mcpbox_snapshot_not_found: value: code: mcpbox_snapshot_not_found detail: >- No MCP Box Snapshot was found with ID "mbs_01J8Z5X4K70000000000000007". validation: null mcpbox_snapshot_not_ready: value: code: mcpbox_snapshot_not_ready detail: >- The MCP Box Snapshot with ID "mbs_01J8Z5X4K70000000000000007" cannot start an MCP Box. Ask Continuous to publish it again. validation: null mcpbox_apibox_mismatch: value: code: validation detail: >- The API Box with ID "abx_01J8Z5X4K70000000000000001" started from API Box Snapshot "abs_01J8Z5X4K70000000000000002", but the MCP Box Snapshot was built against "abs_01J8Z5X4K70000000000000003". validation: null box_quota_exceeded: value: code: simulation_quota_exceeded detail: >- The workspace runs 5 Simulations, API Boxes, Web Boxes and MCP Boxes, which share a limit of 5. Stop or delete one, then retry. validation: null auth_provider_unavailable: value: code: auth_provider_unavailable detail: >- The authentication provider is unavailable. Retry the request after a short delay. validation: null internal_unavailable: value: code: internal_unavailable detail: >- The service is temporarily unavailable. Retry the request after a short delay. validation: null auth_invalid: value: code: auth_invalid detail: The authentication credential is invalid. validation: null auth_missing: value: code: auth_invalid detail: Authentication credentials are required. validation: null request_timeout: value: code: request_timeout detail: >- The request body was not received before the timeout. Retry the request. validation: null payload_too_large: value: code: payload_too_large detail: The request body exceeds the maximum allowed size. validation: null unsupported_media_type: value: code: unsupported_media_type detail: The request Content-Type is not supported. validation: null internal: value: code: internal detail: The server encountered an unexpected error. validation: null responses: Unauthorized: content: application/problem+json: examples: auth_invalid: $ref: '#/components/examples/auth_invalid' auth_missing: $ref: '#/components/examples/auth_missing' schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/Error' description: Unauthorized RequestTimeout: content: application/problem+json: examples: request_timeout: $ref: '#/components/examples/request_timeout' schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/Error' description: Request Timeout PayloadTooLarge: content: application/problem+json: examples: payload_too_large: $ref: '#/components/examples/payload_too_large' schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/Error' description: Request Entity Too Large UnsupportedMediaType: content: application/problem+json: examples: unsupported_media_type: $ref: '#/components/examples/unsupported_media_type' schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/Error' description: Unsupported Media Type InternalServerError: content: application/problem+json: examples: internal: $ref: '#/components/examples/internal' schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/Error' description: Internal Server Error securitySchemes: apiKeyAuth: bearerFormat: Continuous API key description: >- Use a Continuous API key. Send it in the Authorization header as a Bearer token. scheme: bearer type: http ```` This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.