FAQ and troubleshooting
Answers to the common questions about the MCP server and the dataset, and fixes for the problems people hit most often.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Dyslexia Steps MCP server?
A free, read-only Model Context Protocol server that lets an AI assistant look up Dyslexia Steps' word lists: 38 English phonics and sight word lists placed from Pre-K to Grade 3 with the source of each placement, plus 216 lists in German, Spanish, French, Dutch and Brazilian Portuguese. The code is MIT-licensed; the word lists are CC BY 4.0.
Does it assess my child or tell me whether they have dyslexia?
No. It only returns word lists. A grade is a typical guide, not a rule, and a placement is not an assessment of any child. The free screening test on dyslexiasteps.com is a screening, not a diagnosis; only a specialist can diagnose dyslexia.
Do I need an account or an API key?
No. The hosted server needs no sign-up, key or credit balance, and all six tools are read-only.
How were the grades assigned?
Each English list carries the source of its placement: Dolch's own grade levels for the sight word lists (1936, public domain), the Common Core Foundational Skills item that names the skill for phonics lists (for example RF.1.3.a for consonant digraphs), or a typical sequence when no standard names it. Programs differ, so treat grades as a guide.
Hosted or local: which should I use?
Use the hosted URL unless you need to work offline or want to inspect the code you run. Both expose the same six tools. The hosted server needs no Node.js and works in ChatGPT and in Claude's custom connectors, which cannot launch a local npx process.
Which AI clients does it work with?
Any client that speaks MCP: Claude (claude.ai, Desktop and Claude Code), ChatGPT through Developer mode connectors, Codex, Cursor, VS Code, Gemini CLI and others. The setup commands for each are in these docs, taken from the clients' own documentation.
May I print and share the word lists?
Yes. The compilation is licensed CC BY 4.0: credit Dyslexia Steps and link the word lists by grade page. The Dolch words themselves are public domain. Each list page prints as a worksheet with its source line.
Is the code open source?
Yes. The data package and the MCP server are MIT-licensed code in public repositories at github.com/Dyslexia-Steps.
Troubleshooting
The tools do not appear in my client.
Quit the client completely and reopen it; many clients read their MCP configuration only at start-up. Then check the JSON or TOML syntax: a trailing comma or a missing quote silently drops the server. In Claude Code claude mcp list shows whether it is connected, in Cursor the MCP settings page does, and in VS Code the status line above the server in .vscode/mcp.json does.
npx is not found or will not start.
A local install needs Node.js 18 or newer (node --version). On Windows, if npx is missing, install npm globally with npm install -g npm. With the hosted URL you do not need Node.js at all.
Opening the MCP address in a browser shows 405.
That is expected. The server accepts only the POST /mcp request MCP clients send. To see that it is running, open https://mcp.dyslexiasteps.com/health (it answers ok) or run the curl command on this page.
ChatGPT or Claude does not show the custom connector option.
Custom connectors depend on your plan and your organization's settings. In ChatGPT, Developer mode must be on, and on Business, Enterprise, Team and Edu accounts an admin has to allow connectors. Clients rename menus: search their help pages for custom connector to find the current path.
A tool returns an error.
The input was invalid, for example get_word_list was given an id that does not exist. The error message points to list_word_lists, which shows the valid ids. find_words needs at least one of contains, starts_with or ends_with.