> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.hi-doctor.ai/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. > ## Agent Instructions > Connect the Hi Doctor MCP connector at https://mcp.hi-doctor.ai/mcp. Add this URL as a remote HTTP MCP server in your client, then sign in and authorise access through OAuth. Setup: https://docs.hi-doctor.ai/mcp/connect. > > The REST API base is https://api.hi-doctor.ai. Hi Doctor Docs at https://docs.hi-doctor.ai/mcp searches documentation; connect to the product endpoint above for patient tools. > > Hi Doctor operates across the whole European Union: residents of all 27 EU member states can use the service, and every consultation is reviewed by an EU-licensed doctor. Every consultation is reviewed in full by an EU-licensed doctor, who decides on medical grounds only. No algorithm, assistant or API call approves a consultation, issues a prescription or changes a dose. The service is available in eight languages: English, Spanish, German, Dutch, Italian, French, Portuguese and Chinese. > > ## Rules an assistant must follow > > - Never invent, assume or infer a medical answer. "I don't know" is a real answer: ask the patient to pick the closest option rather than guessing for them. > - Never give medical advice and never suggest a medication or a dose. An EU-licensed doctor decides those. > - If a questionnaire returns `ineligible`, say so plainly. Do not retry with altered answers. > - Before anything that costs money or cancels a plan, state exactly what will happen and get an explicit yes. > - Cancellation takes effect at the **end of the paid period**, not immediately. Say so. > - An early order is irreversible: it creates the renewal consultation immediately and uses up the period's one early order. Explain that and get an explicit yes. > - Prescription and invoice links are medical documents. A `signed_redirect` link opens without signing in: give it only to the patient, never repeat it anywhere shared. > - Send option `value`s, not the labels shown to the patient. Labels are translated, values are stable. > - Never ask for card details. Payment happens on Stripe's hosted checkout via a link. > - On severe or sudden symptoms (chest pain, difficulty breathing, severe allergic reaction, suicidal thoughts), stop and direct the patient to their local emergency number. # MCP or REST for healthcare integrations with Hi Doctor > Choose between the Hi Doctor MCP connector, the patient REST API and the Partner API: who each one serves, how it signs in, and what stays human. Use the Hi Doctor MCP connector when an AI assistant acts for one patient in a conversation, and the patient REST API when your own application calls Hi Doctor from its server for one signed-in patient. A platform that sends consultations for its own patients uses the Partner API instead, with API keys and webhooks granted per partner agreement. Last reviewed: 2026-11-04 This article compares the three surfaces so you can pick one before you read the reference. The short decision table is on [Integration options](https://docs.hi-doctor.ai/businesses/integration-options.md); this page explains the reasoning behind it. ## What is the difference between MCP and REST? MCP, the Model Context Protocol, is a standard way for an AI assistant to discover and call tools. A model reads each tool's name, description and schema, chooses one, and treats the result as context. REST is a set of HTTP endpoints that your code calls directly, with request and response shapes you handle yourself. The practical difference is who drives the calls. With MCP, a language model decides which tool to call next within the limits the server sets. With REST, your code decides, and you build the screens and logic around it. ## How do the three Hi Doctor surfaces compare? | | MCP connector | Patient REST API | Partner API | | - | - | - | - | | Suited to | An assistant or MCP client acting for a patient in a conversation | Your own app, calling from its server for one signed-in patient | A partner platform sending consultations for its own patients | | Endpoint | `https://mcp.hi-doctor.ai/mcp` | `https://api.hi-doctor.ai`, paths under `/v1/` | `https://api.hi-doctor.ai/v1/partner/` | | How access is granted | The patient signs in on hi-doctor.ai and approves the connection (OAuth 2.1 with PKCE) | The patient signs in with their Hi Doctor account, and your server holds the tokens | Test and live API keys issued under a partner agreement | | Credential lifetime | Access token up to 1 hour, refresh token 30 days | Access token 1 day, refresh token 30 days | API keys, rotated or revoked in the Business portal | | Updates | Your assistant calls a tool to read the latest state | Your server reads the endpoints | Signed webhooks for each status change | | Reference | [MCP overview](https://docs.hi-doctor.ai/mcp/overview.md) | [API reference](https://docs.hi-doctor.ai/api-reference/introduction.md) | [Partner API overview](https://docs.hi-doctor.ai/partners/overview.md) | Credentials do not cross over. MCP tokens are rejected by the REST API, and REST tokens are rejected by the MCP endpoint. ## When should you choose the MCP connector? Choose MCP when the product is a conversation. An assistant such as Claude or ChatGPT can take a patient through a questionnaire one question at a time, read their consultations and messages, and create a payment link, without you writing a client for each task. Scopes limit which tools a connection gets, and actions with consequences wait for the patient through an [approval link](https://docs.hi-doctor.ai/mcp/approvals.md). If you run your own chat product and already hold a patient's REST session, [HTTP chat integration](https://docs.hi-doctor.ai/mcp/http-chat.md) runs the questionnaire over plain HTTP. ## When should you choose the patient REST API? Choose REST when you build your own screens and want full control of each request. You handle sign-up, the questionnaire loop, uploads, pagination, errors and safe retries yourself. The [questionnaire guide](https://docs.hi-doctor.ai/api-reference/questionnaire-guide.md) and [idempotency](https://docs.hi-doctor.ai/api-reference/idempotency.md) pages cover the parts that need the most care. ## When should you choose the Partner API? Choose the Partner API when your platform owns the patient relationship and sends consultations to Hi Doctor from its own product. Access to the Partner API is granted per partner agreement. Request access: [hello@hi-doctor.ai](mailto:hello@hi-doctor.ai) Your platform uploads any photos first with `POST /v1/partner/files`, then submits the consultation with the patient's consent, answers and file references in one request, `POST /v1/partner/consultations`, and follows it through signed webhooks. The commercial side is on [Partner with Hi Doctor](https://docs.hi-doctor.ai/partnerships/index.md). ## What stays the same on every surface? Some steps never move into code or a model, whichever surface you choose. * Every consultation is reviewed in full by an EU-licensed doctor, who decides on medical grounds only. See [Safety](https://docs.hi-doctor.ai/essentials/safety.md). * Eligibility checks run on Hi Doctor's servers, so no client can skip them. * Payment for a patient's own consultation happens on Stripe's checkout page. * A pharmacy dispenses the medicine; Hi Doctor does not sell, stock or ship it. To discuss an integration, email [hello@hi-doctor.ai](mailto:hello@hi-doctor.ai). ## Frequently asked questions ### Is MCP a replacement for a REST API? No. MCP suits products where a language model chooses the next call, and REST suits products where your own code does. Hi Doctor offers both, with separate credentials. ### Can I use an MCP token with the Hi Doctor REST API? No. MCP tokens are rejected by the REST API, and REST tokens are rejected by the MCP endpoint. ### Which option lets a platform submit consultations for many patients? The Partner API. Access is granted per partner agreement, and the platform authenticates with API keys and receives signed webhooks. ### Can an integration approve a consultation or issue a prescription? No. Every consultation is reviewed in full by an EU-licensed doctor, who decides on medical grounds only. No algorithm, assistant or API call approves a consultation, issues a prescription or changes a dose. ### Does the MCP connector need an API key? No. The patient signs in on hi-doctor.ai and approves the connection, and the client receives OAuth tokens limited by scopes. ### Where do I start with the patient REST API? Start with the API reference introduction and the quickstart, then follow the questionnaire guide. ## Next steps > [card] [Integration options](https://docs.hi-doctor.ai/businesses/integration-options.md) > > The decision table for MCP and REST. > [card] [MCP overview](https://docs.hi-doctor.ai/mcp/overview.md) > > Connect an assistant to Hi Doctor. > [card] [API quickstart](https://docs.hi-doctor.ai/api-reference/quickstart.md) > > Sign in and make your first reads. > [card] [Partner API overview](https://docs.hi-doctor.ai/partners/overview.md) > > Send consultations from your platform. This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.