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https://github.com/f/mcptools

A command-line interface for interacting with MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers using both stdio and HTTP transport.
https://github.com/f/mcptools

mcp mcp-server modelcontextprotocol

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A command-line interface for interacting with MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers using both stdio and HTTP transport.

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README 

        


  MCP Tools






  
Swiss Army Knife for MCP Servers


  


    A comprehensive command-line interface for interacting with MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers.

    


    Discover, call, and manage tools, resources, and prompts from any MCP-compatible server.

    


    Supports multiple transport methods, output formats, and includes powerful mock and proxy server capabilities.

  



[![Blog Post](https://img.shields.io/badge/Blog-Read%20about%20MCP%20Tools-blue)](https://blog.fka.dev/blog/2025-03-27-mcp-inspector-vs-mcp-tools/)



## Table of Contents



- [Overview](#overview)

- [Difference Between the MCP Inspector and MCP Tools](https://blog.fka.dev/blog/2025-03-27-mcp-inspector-vs-mcp-tools/)

- [Installation](#installation)

  - [Using Homebrew](#using-homebrew)

  - [From Source](#from-source)

- [Getting Started](#getting-started)

- [Features](#features)

  - [Transport Options](#transport-options)

  - [Output Formats](#output-formats)

  - [Commands](#commands)

  - [Interactive Shell](#interactive-shell)

  - [Project Scaffolding](#project-scaffolding)

- [Server Aliases](#server-aliases)

- [LLM Apps Config Management](#llm-apps-config-management)

- [Server Modes](#server-modes)

  - [Mock Server Mode](#mock-server-mode)

  - [Proxy Mode](#proxy-mode)

  - [Guard Mode](#guard-mode)

- [Examples](#examples)

  - [Basic Usage](#basic-usage)

  - [Script Integration](#script-integration)

  - [Debugging](#debugging)

- [Contributing](#contributing)

- [Roadmap](#roadmap)

- [License](#license)



## Overview



MCP Tools provides a versatile CLI for working with Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers. It enables you to:



- Discover and call tools provided by MCP servers

- Access and utilize resources exposed by MCP servers

- Create mock servers for testing client applications

- Proxy MCP requests to shell scripts for easy extensibility

- Create interactive shells for exploring and using MCP servers

- Scaffold new MCP projects with TypeScript support

- Format output in various styles (JSON, pretty-printed, table)

- Guard and restrict access to specific tools and resources

- Support all transport methods (HTTP, stdio)





  MCP Tools Screenshot




## Installation



### Using Homebrew



```bash

brew tap f/mcptools

brew install mcp

```



> ❕ The binary is installed as `mcp` but can also be accessed as `mcpt` to avoid conflicts with other tools that might use the `mcp` command name.



### From Source



```bash

go install github.com/f/mcptools/cmd/mcptools@latest

```



The binary will be installed as `mcptools` but can be aliased to `mcpt` for convenience.



## Getting Started



The simplest way to start using MCP Tools is to connect to an MCP server and list available tools:



```bash

# List all available tools from a filesystem server

mcp tools npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem ~



# Call a specific tool

mcp call read_file --params '{"path":"README.md"}' npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem ~



# Open an interactive shell

mcp shell npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem ~

```



## Features



MCP Tools supports a wide range of features for interacting with MCP servers:



```

Usage:

  mcp [command]



Available Commands:

  version       Print the version information

  tools         List available tools on the MCP server

  resources     List available resources on the MCP server

  prompts       List available prompts on the MCP server

  call          Call a tool, resource, or prompt on the MCP server

  get-prompt    Get a prompt on the MCP server

  read-resource Read a resource on the MCP server

  shell         Start an interactive shell for MCP commands

  mock          Create a mock MCP server with tools, prompts, and resources

  proxy         Proxy MCP tool requests to shell scripts

  alias         Manage MCP server aliases

  configs       Manage MCP server configurations

  new           Create a new MCP project component

  help          Help about any command

  completion    Generate the autocompletion script for the specified shell



Flags:

  -f, --format string   Output format (table, json, pretty) (default "table")

  -h, --help            help for mcp

  -p, --params string   JSON string of parameters to pass to the tool (for call command) (default "{}")



Use "mcp [command] --help" for more information about a command.

```



### Transport Options



MCP Tools supports multiple transport methods for communicating with MCP servers:



#### Stdio Transport



Uses stdin/stdout to communicate with an MCP server via JSON-RPC 2.0. This is useful for command-line tools that implement the MCP protocol.



```bash

mcp tools npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem ~

```



#### HTTP SSE Transport



Uses HTTP and Server-Sent Events (SSE) to communicate with an MCP server via JSON-RPC 2.0. This is useful for connecting to remote servers that implement the MCP protocol.



```bash

mcp tools http://127.0.0.1:3001



# Example: Use the everything sample server

# docker run -p 3001:3001 --rm -it tzolov/mcp-everything-server:v1

```



_Note:_ HTTP SSE currently supports only MCP protocol version 2024-11-05.



### Output Formats



MCP Tools supports three output formats to accommodate different needs:



#### Table Format (Default)



```bash

mcp tools npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem ~

```



The default format now displays tools in a colorized man-page style:



```

read_file(path:str)

     Read the complete contents of a file from the file system.

read_multiple_files(paths:str[])

     Read the contents of multiple files simultaneously.

list_dir(path:str)

     Lists the contents of a directory.

write_file(path:str, content:str)

     Writes content to a file.

grep_search(pattern:str, [excludePatterns:str[]])

     Search files with pattern.

edit_file(edits:{newText:str,oldText:str}[], path:str)

     Edit a file with multiple text replacements

```



Key features of the format:

- Function names are displayed in bold cyan

- Required parameters are shown in green (e.g., `path:str`)

- Optional parameters are shown in yellow brackets (e.g., `[limit:int]`)

- Array types are indicated with `[]` suffix (e.g., `str[]`)

- Object types show their properties in curly braces (e.g., `{prop1:type1,prop2:type2}`)

- Nested objects are displayed recursively (e.g., `{notifications:{enabled:bool,sound:bool}}`)

- Type names are shortened for readability (e.g., `str` instead of `string`, `int` instead of `integer`)

- Descriptions are indented and displayed in gray

- Parameter order is consistent, with required parameters listed first



#### JSON Format (Compact)



```bash

mcp tools --format json npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem ~

```



#### Pretty JSON Format (Indented)



```bash

mcp tools --format pretty npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem ~

```



### Commands



MCP Tools includes several core commands for interacting with MCP servers:



#### List Available Tools



```bash

mcp tools npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem ~

```



#### List Available Resources



```bash

mcp resources npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem ~

```



#### List Available Prompts



```bash

mcp prompts npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem ~

```



#### Call a Tool



```bash

mcp call read_file --params '{"path":"/path/to/file"}' npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem ~

```



#### Call a Resource



```bash

mcp call resource:test://static/resource/1 npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-everything -f json | jq ".contents[0].text"

```



or



```bash

mcp read-resource test://static/resource/1 npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-everything -f json | jq ".contents[0].text"

```



#### Call a Prompt



```bash

mcp get-prompt simple_prompt npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-everything -f json | jq ".messages[0].content.text"

```



#### Viewing Server Logs



When using client commands that make calls to the server, you can add the `--server-logs` flag to see the server logs related to your request:



```bash

# View server logs when listing tools

mcp tools --server-logs npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem ~

```



Output:

```

[>] Secure MCP Filesystem Server running on stdio

[>] Allowed directories: [ '/Users/fka/' ]

read_file(path:str)

     Read the complete contents of a file from the file system.

read_multiple_files(paths:str[])

     Read the contents of multiple files simultaneously.

... and the other tools available on this server

```



This can be helpful for debugging or understanding what's happening on the server side when executing these commands.



### Interactive Shell



The interactive shell mode allows you to run multiple MCP commands in a single session:



```bash

mcp shell npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem ~

```



This opens an interactive shell with the following capabilities:



```

mcp tools shell

connected to: npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /Users/fka



mcp > Type '/h' for help or '/q' to quit

mcp > tools

read_file(path:str, [limit:int], [offset:int])

     Reads a file from the filesystem



list_dir(path:str)

     Lists directory contents



grep_search(pattern:str, [excludePatterns:str[]])

     Search files with pattern



edit_file(edits:{newText:str,oldText:str}[], path:str)

     Edit a file with multiple text replacements



# Direct tool calling is supported

mcp > read_file {"path":"README.md"}

...content of README.md...



# Calling a tool with complex object parameters

mcp > edit_file {"path":"main.go","edits":[{"oldText":"foo","newText":"bar"}]}

...result of edit operation...



# Get help

mcp > /h

MCP Shell Commands:

  tools                      List available tools

  resources                  List available resources

  prompts                    List available prompts

  call  [--params '{...}']  Call a tool, resource, or prompt

  format [json|pretty|table] Get or set output format

Special Commands:

  /h, /help                  Show this help

  /q, /quit, exit            Exit the shell

```



### Project Scaffolding



MCP Tools provides a scaffolding feature to quickly create new MCP servers with TypeScript:



```bash

mkdir my-mcp-server

cd my-mcp-server



# Create a project with specific components

mcp new tool:calculate resource:file prompt:greet



# Create a project with a specific SDK (currently only TypeScript/ts supported)

mcp new tool:calculate --sdk=ts



# Create a project with a specific transport type

mcp new tool:calculate --transport=stdio

mcp new tool:calculate --transport=sse

```



The scaffolding creates a complete project structure with:



- Server setup with chosen transport (stdio or SSE)

- TypeScript configuration with modern ES modules

- Component implementations with proper MCP interfaces

- Automatic wiring of imports and initialization



After scaffolding, you can build and run your MCP server:



```bash

# Install dependencies

npm install



# Build the TypeScript code

npm run build



# Test the server with MCP Tools

mcp tools node build/index.js

```



Project templates are stored in either:

- Local `./templates/` directory

- User's home directory: `~/.mcpt/templates/`

- Homebrew installation path (`/opt/homebrew/Cellar/mcp/v#.#.#/templates`)



When installing via Homebrew, templates are automatically installed to your home directory. But if you use source install, you need to run `make install-templates`.



## Server Aliases



MCP Tools allows you to save and reuse server commands with friendly aliases:



```bash

# Add a new server alias

mcp alias add myfs npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem ~/



# List all registered server aliases

mcp alias list



# Remove a server alias

mcp alias remove myfs



# Use an alias with any MCP command

mcp tools myfs

mcp call read_file --params '{"path":"README.md"}' myfs

```



Server aliases are stored in `$HOME/.mcpt/aliases.json` and provide a convenient way to work with commonly used MCP servers without typing long commands repeatedly.



## LLM Apps Config Management



MCP Tools provides a powerful configuration management system that helps you work with MCP server configurations across multiple applications:



> 🚧 This works only on macOS for now.



```bash

# Scan for MCP server configurations across all supported applications

mcp configs scan



# List all configurations (alias for configs view --all)

mcp configs ls



# View specific configuration by alias

mcp configs view vscode



# Add or update a server in a configuration

mcp configs set vscode my-server npm run mcp-server

mcp configs set cursor my-api https://api.example.com/mcp --headers "Authorization=Bearer token"



# Add to multiple configurations at once

mcp configs set vscode,cursor,claude-desktop my-server npm run mcp-server



# Remove a server from a configuration

mcp configs remove vscode my-server



# Create an alias for a custom config file

mcp configs alias myapp ~/myapp/config.json



# Synchronize and merge configurations from multiple sources

mcp configs sync vscode cursor --output vscode --default interactive



# Convert a command line to MCP server JSON configuration format

mcp configs as-json mcp proxy start

# Output: {"command":"mcp","args":["proxy","start"]}



# Convert a URL to MCP server JSON configuration format

mcp configs as-json https://api.example.com/mcp --headers "Authorization=Bearer token"

# Output: {"url":"https://api.example.com/mcp","headers":{"Authorization":"Bearer token"}}

```



Configurations are managed through a central registry in `$HOME/.mcpt/configs.json` with predefined aliases for:

- VS Code and VS Code Insiders

- Windsurf

- Cursor

- Claude Desktop and Claude Code



The system automatically displays server configurations in a colorized format grouped by source, showing command-line or URL information, headers, and environment variables.



`mcp configs scan` command looks for MCP server configurations in:

- Visual Studio Code

- Visual Studio Code Insiders

- Windsurf

- Cursor

- Claude Desktop



Example Output:

```

VS Code Insiders

  GitHub (stdio):

    docker run -i --rm -e GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server



Claude Desktop

  Proxy (stdio):

    mcp proxy start



  My Files (stdio):

    npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem ~/

```



### Bonus



Add official GitHub MCP Server to Windsurf, Cursor and VS Code at once:



```bash

mcp configs set windsurf,cursor,vscode GitHub \

  --env "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN=github_pat_xxx" \

  docker run -i --rm -e GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server

```





  MCP Configs Screenshot




## Server Modes



MCP Tools can operate as both a client and a server, with two server modes available:



### Mock Server Mode



The mock server mode creates a simulated MCP server for testing clients without implementing a full server:



```bash

# Create a mock server with a simple tool

mcp mock tool hello_world "A simple greeting tool"



# Create a mock server with multiple entity types

mcp mock tool hello_world "A greeting tool" \

       prompt welcome "A welcome prompt" "Hello {{name}}, welcome to {{location}}!" \

       resource docs://readme "Documentation" "Mock MCP Server\nThis is a mock server"

```



Features of the mock server:



- Full initialization handshake

- Tool listing with standardized schema

- Tool calling with simple responses

- Resource listing and reading

- Prompt listing and retrieval with argument substitution

- Detailed request/response logging to `~/.mcpt/logs/mock.log`



#### Using Prompt Templates



For prompts, any text in `{{double_braces}}` is automatically detected as an argument:



```bash

# Create a prompt with name and location arguments

mcp mock prompt greeting "Greeting template" "Hello {{name}}! Welcome to {{location}}."

```



When a client requests the prompt, it can provide values for these arguments which will be substituted in the response.



### Proxy Mode



The proxy mode allows you to register shell scripts or inline commands as MCP tools, making it easy to extend MCP functionality without writing code:



```bash

# Register a shell script as an MCP tool

mcp proxy tool add_operation "Adds a and b" "a:int,b:int" ./examples/add.sh



# Register an inline command as an MCP tool

mcp proxy tool add_operation "Adds a and b" "a:int,b:int" -e 'echo "total is $a + $b = $(($a+$b))"'



# Unregister a tool

mcp proxy tool --unregister add_operation



# Start the proxy server

mcp proxy start

```



Running `mcp tools localhost:3000` with the proxy server will show the registered tools with their parameters:



```

add_operation(a:int, b:int)

     Adds a and b



count_files(dir:str, [include:str[]])

     Counts files in a directory with optional filters

```



This new format clearly shows what parameters each tool accepts, making it easier to understand how to use them. Arrays are denoted with `[]` suffix (e.g., `str[]`), and type names are shortened for better readability.



#### How It Works



1. Register a shell script or inline command with a tool name, description, and parameter specification

2. Start the proxy server, which implements the MCP protocol

3. When a tool is called, parameters are passed as environment variables to the script/command

4. The script/command's output is returned as the tool response



#### Example Scripts and Commands



**Adding Numbers (add.sh):**



```bash

#!/bin/bash

# Get values from environment variables

if [ -z "$a" ] || [ -z "$b" ]; then

  echo "Error: Missing required parameters 'a' or 'b'"

  exit 1

fi



# Perform the addition

result=$(($a + $b))

echo "The sum of $a and $b is $result"

```



**Inline Command Example:**



```bash

# Simple addition

mcp proxy tool add_op "Adds given numbers" "a:int,b:int" -e 'echo "total is $a + $b = $(($a+$b))"'



# Customized greeting

mcp proxy tool greet "Greets a user" "name:string,greeting:string,formal:bool" -e '

if [ "$formal" = "true" ]; then

  title="Mr./Ms."

  echo "${greeting:-Hello}, ${title} ${name}. How may I assist you today?"

else

  echo "${greeting:-Hello}, ${name}! Nice to meet you!"

fi

'



# File operations

mcp proxy tool count_lines "Counts lines in a file" "file:string" -e "wc -l < \"$file\""

```



#### Configuration and Logging



- Tools are registered in `~/.mcpt/proxy_config.json`

- The proxy server logs all requests and responses to `~/.mcpt/logs/proxy.log`

- Use `--unregister` to remove a tool from the configuration



### Guard Mode



The guard mode allows you to restrict access to specific tools, prompts, and resources based on pattern matching. This is useful for security purposes when:



- Restricting potentially dangerous operations (file writes, deletions, etc.)

- Limiting the capabilities of AI assistants or applications 

- Providing read-only access to sensitive systems

- Creating sandboxed environments for testing or demonstrations



> **Note:** Guard mode currently only works with STDIO transport (command execution) and not HTTP transport.



```bash

# Allow only file reading operations, deny file modifications

mcp guard --allow 'tools:read_* --deny tools:write_*,create_*,delete_*' npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem ~



# Permit only a single specific tool

mcp guard --allow 'tools:search_files' npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem ~



# Restrict by both tool type and prompt type

mcp guard --allow 'tools:read_*,prompts:system_*' --deny tools:execute_* npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem ~



# Using with aliases

mcp guard --allow 'tools:read_*' fs  # Where 'fs' is an alias for a filesystem server

```



#### How It Works



The guard command works by:

1. Creating a proxy that sits between the client and the MCP server

2. Intercepting and filtering all requests to `tools/list`, `prompts/list`, and `resources/list`

3. Preventing calls to tools, prompts, or resources that don't match the allowed patterns

4. Blocking requests for filtered resources, tools and prompts

6. Passing through all other requests and responses unchanged



#### Pattern Matching



Patterns use simple glob syntax with `*` as a wildcard:



- `tools:read_*` - Matches all tools starting with "read_"

- `tools:*file*` - Matches any tool with "file" in the name

- `prompts:system_*` - Matches all prompts starting with "system_"



For each entity type, you can specify:

- `--allow 'pattern1,pattern2,...'` - Only allow entities matching these patterns

- `--deny 'pattern1,pattern2,...'` - Remove entities matching these patterns



If no allow patterns are specified, all entities are allowed by default (except those matching deny patterns).



#### Application Integration



You can use the guard command to secure MCP configurations in applications. For example, to restrict a file system server to only allow read operations, change:



```json

"filesystem": {

  "command": "npx",

  "args": [

    "-y",

    "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem",

    "/Users/fka/Desktop"

  ]

}

```



To:



```json

"filesystem": {

  "command": "mcp",

  "args": [

    "guard", "--deny", "tools:write_*,create_*,move_*,delete_*",

    "npx", "-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem",

    "/Users/fka/Desktop"

  ]

}

```



This provides a read-only view of the filesystem by preventing any modification operations.



You can also use aliases with the guard command in configurations:



```json

"filesystem": {

  "command": "mcp",

  "args": [

    "guard", "--allow", "tools:read_*,list_*,search_*",

    "fs"  // Where 'fs' is an alias for the filesystem server

  ]

}

```



This makes your configurations even more concise and easier to maintain.



#### Logging



- Guard operations are logged to `~/.mcpt/logs/guard.log`

- The log includes all requests, responses, and filtering decisions

- Use `tail -f ~/.mcpt/logs/guard.log` to monitor activity in real-time



## Examples



### Basic Usage



List tools from a filesystem server:



```bash

mcp tools npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem ~

```



Call a tool with pretty JSON output:



```bash

mcp call read_file --params '{"path":"README.md"}' --format pretty npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem ~

```



Use the guard mode to filter available tools:



```bash

# Only allow file search functionality

mcp guard --allow tools:search_files npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem ~



# Create a read-only environment

mcp guard --deny tools:write_*,delete_*,create_*,move_* npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem ~

```



### Script Integration



Using the proxy mode with a simple shell script:



```bash

# 1. Create a simple shell script for addition

cat > add.sh << 'EOF'

#!/bin/bash

# Get values from environment variables

if [ -z "$a" ] || [ -z "$b" ]; then

  echo "Error: Missing required parameters 'a' or 'b'"

  exit 1

fi

result=$(($a + $b))

echo "The sum of $a and $b is $result"

EOF



# 2. Make it executable

chmod +x add.sh



# 3. Register it as an MCP tool

mcp proxy tool add_numbers "Adds two numbers" "a:int,b:int" ./add.sh



# 4. In one terminal, start the proxy server

mcp proxy start



# 5. In another terminal, you can call it as an MCP tool

mcp call add_numbers --params '{"a":5,"b":3}' --format pretty

```



### Debugging



Tailing the logs to debug your proxy or mock server:



```bash

# For the mock server logs

tail -f ~/.mcpt/logs/mock.log



# For the proxy server logs

tail -f ~/.mcpt/logs/proxy.log



# To watch all logs in real-time (on macOS/Linux)

find ~/.mcpt/logs -name "*.log" -exec tail -f {} \;

```



## Contributing



We welcome contributions! Please see our [Contributing Guidelines](CONTRIBUTING.md) for details on how to submit pull requests, report issues, and contribute to the project.



## Roadmap



The following features are planned for future releases:



- Authentication: Support for secure authentication mechanisms



## License



This project is licensed under the MIT License.



## Thanks



Thanks to [Fatih Taskiran](https://bsky.app/profile/fatih.co) for the logo design.