MCP Resources & File Storage

MCP Resources let you give your AI access to files and data for context. This page explains what resources are, how they differ from tools, and how to use the built-in file storage.

What Are MCP Resources?

Resources are files or data that you manually share with your AI to provide context.

Think of resources like email attachments. When you add a resource, you're giving your AI reference material to work with — like handing someone a document before asking questions about it.

Resources vs Tools: The Key Difference

	Resources	Tools
What they do	Provide data to read	Perform actions
Who uses them	You attach manually	AI calls automatically
Example	Attach a database schema	Query the database
UI	Click "+" to add	AI decides when to call

Resources = Manual attachments (context)
Tools = Automatic functions (actions)

How They Work Together

Resources and tools complement each other:

Scenario: Database Query

1. You: Attach resource://database-schema
2. AI: Reads it, learns table structure
3. You: "Get all active users"
4. AI: Automatically calls the database tool with correct table names

The resource gave knowledge. The tool performed the action. Together they enabled smart automation.

File Storage with Your AI

MCPBundles includes cloud file storage that your AI can use to save and manage files for you. Think of it as giving your AI its own file system.

Storage Limits

• Max file size: 100MB per file
• Max files: 10,000 files
• Total storage: 10GB per user

What Your AI Can Do With Files

Save Files

Your AI can save files you share or create during conversations.

Examples:

• "Save this code snippet to my snippets folder"
• "Take this screenshot and store it"
• "Download this research paper and save it for me"

The AI will automatically organize files and can create subdirectories to keep things tidy.

List & Find Files

Your AI can browse your stored files and find what you need.

Examples:

• "What files do I have saved?"
• "Find all my reports from this month"
• "Show me everything in my images folder"
• "How much storage am I using?"

The AI will show you file names, sizes, when they were last modified, and your storage usage.

Share Files

Your AI can generate shareable links for any stored file.

Examples:

• "Give me a link to share that screenshot"
• "Create a download link for my report that expires in 24 hours"

You'll get two types of links:

• Share link: Opens in browser (for viewing)
• Download link: Forces download (for saving)

Links are temporary and expire after a set time (default: 1 hour).

Organize Files

Your AI can rename, copy, and delete files to keep your storage organized.

Examples:

• "Rename that file to include today's date"
• "Make a backup copy of my report"
• "Delete all the test files"
• "Move this to my archive folder"

Common Use Cases

Screenshot Storage & Sharing

You: "Save this screenshot and give me a link to share"

What happens:

• AI saves the image to your storage
• Generates a shareable link that expires in 1 hour
• You get a URL you can paste anywhere

Perfect for: Sharing debugging screenshots with teammates, saving UI mockups, storing visual notes.

Research Paper Library

You: "Download this paper and save it to my research folder"
You share: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2304.09121.pdf

What happens:

• AI downloads the PDF from the URL
• Saves it with an organized filename
• You can later ask "Show me papers about LLM agents" and it will find it

Perfect for: Building a personal research library, saving articles to read later, organizing learning materials.

Code Snippet Collection

You: "Save this function for authentication"

What happens:

• AI saves the code snippet with a descriptive name
• Automatically organizes it into a code folder
• Later you can ask "Show me my auth code" and get it back

Perfect for: Reusable code patterns, solutions to common problems, team code standards.

Batch File Management

You: "Find all my test files and rename them to include today's date"

What happens:

• AI searches your files for anything containing "test"
• Renames each one to add the current date
• Confirms how many files were updated

Perfect for: Organizing downloads, archiving old files, cleaning up storage.

Using Resources in Your AI Client

Claude Desktop

1. Click the "+" button below where you type
2. Select "Add from [your bundle name]"
3. Choose the resource you want to attach
4. It appears as an attachment in your conversation
5. Ask questions about it

VS Code / Cursor

1. Click "Add Context" in the chat panel
2. Select "MCP Resources"
3. Choose your resource
4. It shows up in your conversation context
5. Reference it in your questions

Other MCP Clients

Most MCP clients have a similar pattern:

• Look for "Add Context" or "Attach" buttons
• Resources will appear in a list to select from
• Once attached, your AI can read and reference them

Tips for Using File Storage

Keep Files Organized

Your AI can create folders for you - just mention where you want things saved:

• "Save this to my images folder" → AI creates images/
• "Put this in my 2025 reports" → AI creates 2025-reports/
• "Add this to code snippets" → AI creates code-snippets/

Use descriptive names so you can find files later by asking natural questions.

Monitor Your Storage

Ask your AI "How much storage am I using?" and it will tell you:

• Number of files stored
• Total storage used (MB/GB)
• Percentage of your 10GB limit

Keep Links Secure

Shareable links expire automatically (default: 1 hour). When sharing sensitive files:

• Generate fresh links each time
• Set shorter expiration times if needed
• Don't share links in public places

Your files are private - only you can access them unless you share a link.

Clean Up Regularly

Ask your AI to help keep storage tidy:

• "Delete files I haven't used in 6 months"
• "Remove all test files"
• "Show me my largest files"

Troubleshooting

File Too Large

If a file is over 100MB, you can:

• Compress it first (zip, reduce image quality, etc.)
• Split it into smaller parts
• Store it elsewhere and save just the link

Running Out of Storage

If you hit the 10GB limit:

1. Ask "What are my largest files?"
2. Delete old or unnecessary files
3. Archive large files to external storage (Google Drive, Dropbox)
4. Keep only actively needed files in your AI storage

URL Download Fails

If your AI can't download from a URL:

• Make sure the URL works in your browser
• Check if it requires login (AI can't handle auth)
• Try a direct link instead of a redirect URL
• Some sites block automated downloads - download manually instead

Next Steps

• Understanding Bundles - Learn how resources fit into bundles
• Getting Started - Set up your first MCP bundle
• Integration Guides - Configure resources in your AI client