Glean is a self-hosted RSS reader and personal knowledge management tool designed to help information-heavy users organize, read, and save articles from multiple feeds. The server setup is Docker-based and typically deployed with docker-compose to spin up the backend API, web frontend, admin dashboard, and supporting services. Once running, you can access the web UI for regular reading and feed management, and the Admin Dashboard for user management and system monitoring. Milvus is included for advanced features such as vector-backed recommendations, and can be enabled as part of a full deployment. This MCP server exposes capabilities for subscribing to RSS feeds, filtering and reading content, saving articles for later, organizing with folders and tags, and managing admin credentials. Use the provided docker-compose deployment to start all services with a single command, or opt for a lite deployment that excludes Milvus if you don’t need the advanced features.

Prerequisites:

• Docker and Docker Compose installed on your host
• git and curl available
• Optional: access to a domain and TLS if you want production-style exposure

Step-by-step installation:

1. Clone the repository: git clone https://github.com/LeslieLeung/glean.git cd glean

2. Install dependencies and prepare environment (optional):

   • Create a local .env file by copying the example: curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/LeslieLeung/glean/main/.env.example -o .env
   • Customize important settings in .env (SECRET_KEY, POSTGRES_PASSWORD, ADMIN_PASSWORD, etc.).

3. Start the deployment (full deployment with Milvus): curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/LeslieLeung/glean/main/docker-compose.yml -o docker-compose.yml docker compose up -d

4. Access the application:

   • Web App: http://localhost
   • Admin Dashboard: http://localhost:3001 (default credentials admin / Admin123!)

5. For a lite deployment (without Milvus): curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/LeslieLeung/glean/main/docker-compose.lite.yml -o docker-compose.yml docker compose up -d Admin Dashboard: http://localhost:3001 (default credentials admin / Admin123!)

6. Manage admin credentials (optional):

   Set custom admin credentials

   cat > .env << EOF ADMIN_USERNAME=admin ADMIN_PASSWORD=YourSecurePassword123! SECRET_KEY=$(openssl rand -base64 32) EOF docker compose up -d

7. Upgrade or customize: see DEPLOY.md and the .env.example for production-grade configuration options.

Notes and tips:

• Always change SECRET_KEY and admin passwords before going to production.
• The full deployment includes Milvus for vector-based features; omit Milvus if you don’t need phase 3 features.
• Use the lite docker-compose file if you don’t require Milvus and want a simpler setup.
• The default ports are Web (80) and Admin (3001); adjust WEB_PORT and ADMIN_PORT in .env if needed.
• If you’re behind a firewall or reverse proxy, configure TLS termination and proper domain routing.
• Common issues: ensure Docker Engine is healthy, volumes have proper permissions, and .env is correctly sourced before starting services.