User Guide

Everything you need to know about using k12mcp — from getting your first API key to understanding tool responses.

What is k12mcp?

k12mcp is a compliance assistant that connects directly to your AI editor (Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, and others). Once connected, your AI can answer questions like:

—“Does our schema have FERPA violations?”
—“What student privacy laws apply in California and Texas?”
—“Is our product COPPA-compliant? We serve K-12 students.”
—“What data processing agreement clauses do we need to sign with schools?”

It works through a standard called MCP (Model Context Protocol) — a way for AI editors to call external tools. Think of it like giving your AI assistant a specialized compliance consultant it can query while you work.

k12mcp provides educational compliance information. It is not a substitute for legal advice. Always verify requirements with a licensed attorney before shipping.

Get an API key

Option A — Portal

Recommended

1Go to k12mcp.vercel.app
2Enter your email and click Register
3We'll send you a magic link — click it in your inbox to confirm your account
4Your API key appears on the confirmation page — copy it immediately

Your API key appears exactly once. Copy it immediately from the confirmation page. It cannot be recovered. If you lose it, visit your dashboard and click Generate new key (this invalidates the old one).

New accounts start with 10 free credits — enough to run a FERPA scan.

Option B — API

curl -X POST https://k12mcp-production.up.railway.app/auth/register \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"email":"you@example.com"}'

Expected response:

{
  "ok": true,
  "message": "Account created. Check your inbox for your magic link."
}

Connect to your editor

MCP servers are configured differently in each editor. Pick yours below.

Option A — One command

Recommended

claude mcp add --transport http k12mcp https://k12mcp-production.up.railway.app/mcp

Then type /mcp in any Claude Code session to complete the OAuth login — you'll see a form asking for your k12mcp API key.

Option B — Manual .mcp.jsonFor teams sharing the config

.mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "k12mcp": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://k12mcp-production.up.railway.app/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${K12MCP_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}

export K12MCP_API_KEY=your_api_key_here

Add the export to your .zshrc or .bashrc to persist it. Safe to commit .mcp.json — the key is in your environment, not the file.

How credits work

Every plan includes a monthly credit allowance. Running a compliance check deducts credits from that balance. Each tool has a fixed credit cost — you always know what you'll spend before you run a check.

Credit cost per tool

Command	Credits	What it does
`/k12mcp:ferpa`	10	FERPA field classification and DPA provisions
`/k12mcp:coppa`	10	COPPA applicability determination
`/k12mcp:sis`	10	Rostering protocol lookup by SIS platform (PowerSchool, Infinite Campus, Skyward, Aeries, etc.)
`/k12mcp:dpa`	20	DPA gap analysis against SDPC baseline
`/k12mcp:state-privacy`	20	50-state privacy law summaries
`/k12mcp:rostering`	25	SIS rostering integration options
`/k12mcp:procurement`	25	State procurement pathway guidance

Every plan — including free accounts — has access to all tools. Credits are the only gate.

Running low?

If you need more credits before your monthly allowance resets, you can buy a one-time top-up of 20 credits for $5 — or upgrade to a higher plan for a larger monthly allowance.

Check your balance

Your current credit balance is always visible in your dashboard. When your balance hits 0, tool calls return an insufficient_credits error. Buy a top-up or upgrade your plan to continue.

Plans & pricing

All plans include a monthly credit allowance. Credits reset each billing cycle. Every plan has access to all six tools — the only difference is how many credits you get per month.

Plan	Credits / month	Price
Starter	50	$19 / month
Growth	100	$29 / month
Pro	300	$49 / month

Need more credits?

No subscription needed

Buy a one-time top-up of 20 credits for $5. Or upgrade to a higher plan for a larger monthly allowance.

View pricing

Annual billing saves 20% — see the pricing page for annual rates.

Available tools

k12mcp exposes 6 compliance tools to your AI assistant. All tools are available on every plan — credits are the only gate.

Command	Credits	What it does
`/k12mcp:ferpa`	10	Classifies schema fields under FERPA, identifies school official exceptions and DPA provisions
`/k12mcp:coppa`	10	Determines COPPA applicability and what operational requirements apply
`/k12mcp:sis`	10	Rostering protocol lookup by SIS platform (PowerSchool, Infinite Campus, Skyward, Aeries, etc.)
`/k12mcp:dpa`	20	Gap analysis against SDPC baseline DPA clauses
`/k12mcp:state-privacy`	20	State-specific student privacy law summaries and vendor obligations
`/k12mcp:rostering`	25	Rostering integration options by SIS platform
`/k12mcp:procurement`	25	Recommended procurement pathway by state and product category

If your balance hits 0, tool calls return an insufficient_credits error. Buy a $5 top-up (20 credits) or upgrade your plan to continue.

Running your first audit

New accounts start with 10 free credits — enough to run a FERPA scan with /k12mcp:ferpa.

Option A — Slash command

Recommended

10 credits

Type a command directly in Claude. Each command runs exactly one compliance check — you see the cost before you commit.

/k12mcp:ferpa

Option B — Ask naturallyAny MCP client

Claude will call the right tool automatically when you ask questions like:

Scan this Prisma schema and tell me what FERPA obligations we have.

We're closing a deal with a Texas school district. What DPA provisions do we need?

Does our product need COPPA compliance? We serve K-12 students but schools manage accounts.

Command reference

Six commands are available directly in Claude. Each runs exactly one compliance check — you control what you spend.

/k12mcp:ferpa

10 credits

Scan your codebase and classify data fields under FERPA. Identifies education records and required DPA provisions.

/k12mcp:coppa

10 credits

Determine whether COPPA applies to your product, is deferred to the school, or does not apply.

/k12mcp:sis

10 credits

Look up which rostering protocols a specific SIS platform supports (PowerSchool, Infinite Campus, Skyward, Aeries, etc.).

/k12mcp:state-privacy

20 credits

Get vendor obligations and product-category gotchas for a specific US state. You'll be asked for a state code — e.g. CA for California, TX for Texas.

/k12mcp:dpa

20 credits

Gap analysis of your data handling practices against SDPC baseline DPA clauses.

/k12mcp:rostering

25 credits

Integration options and compatibility notes for a given SIS platform.

/k12mcp:procurement

25 credits

Recommended procurement pathway for a given state and product type.

Scanning your codebase

The k12_scan_codebase tool works on any file with field names or schema definitions. Best results come from:

Framework	Files to scan
Prisma	`prisma/schema.prisma`
TypeScript	`src/models/.ts, src/types/.ts`
Python / Django	`models.py, schemas.py`
SQL	`schema.sql, migration files`
Ruby / Rails	`db/schema.rb, db/migrate/*.rb`
Java	`Entity.java, Model.java`
OpenAPI	`openapi.yaml, swagger.json`

Skip files that define compliance types or legal structures (like k12mcp's own types.ts). The scanner flags these with is_likely_compliance_meta_schema: true.

Understanding responses

Every tool response includes an ok flag, a disclaimer, and freshness metadata.

Example response shape

{
  "ok": true,
  "disclaimer": "This information is for educational purposes only...",
  "freshness_metadata": {
    "knowledge_date": "2026-01",
    "staleness_status": "current",
    "next_review_date": "2026-07-14",
    "authoritative_sources": ["https://..."]
  },
  "data": { ... }
}

Status	Meaning	What to do
`current`	More than 60 days before next review	Use as a starting point
`review_approaching`	Within 60 days of review date	Verify recent changes with official sources
`overdue`	Past the scheduled review date	Treat as potentially outdated — verify before relying on it

When staleness_status is review_approaching or overdue, open the authoritative_sources URLs and check for recent legislative changes.

Limitations & legal

k12mcp is not legal advice. Tool output is educational information — a starting point, not a legal determination. Always verify compliance requirements with a licensed attorney before shipping your product.

•State laws change frequently. Knowledge files have a 180-day review cycle and may lag recent legislative changes.
•A Pro subscription unlocks additional tools — it does not imply greater legal accuracy.
•The disclaimer in every tool response is not boilerplate. Read it.

View full terms of use

Getting help

Check server status

curl https://k12mcp-production.up.railway.app/health

Returns whether the server is running and all knowledge files are loaded.

Review knowledge freshness

Check freshness_metadata in any tool response to see when the knowledge was last reviewed and whether it's current.

Billing or account issues

For billing problems or account questions, use the contact form at k12mcp.vercel.app.