# Using npm
npm install -g mcp-add
# Using pnpm
pnpm add -g mcp-add
# Using yarn
yarn global add mcp-add
Or run directly with npx:
npx mcp-add
Usage
Interactive Mode
Simply run mcp-add without arguments to enter interactive mode:
mcp-add
You'll be prompted for:
Server name
Server type (stdio, http, or sse)
Command (for stdio) or URL (for remote)
Environment variables or headers
Configuration scope (global or project)
Which clients to configure
OAuth client credentials when a selected remote client needs static registration
Semi-Interactive Mode
Provide some arguments via command line and let the tool prompt for the rest:
# Provide name and type, prompt for the rest
mcp-add --name my-server --type stdio
# Provide everything except clients selection
mcp-add \
--name filesystem \
--type stdio \
--command "npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /tmp" \
--scope global
# Provide name and let the tool ask for everything else
mcp-add -n my-server
This is useful when you want to quickly specify known values but interactively choose from options like client selection.
Adding a -c or -u will automatically infer the type.
Non-Interactive Mode
Provide all required arguments via command line flags for fully automated usage:
# Local server example
mcp-add \
--name my-server \
--type stdio \
--command "npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /tmp" \
--scope global \
--clients "claude,cursor,vscode"
# Remote server example
mcp-add \
--name my-remote-server \
--type http \
--url "https://mcp.example.com/mcp" \
--client-id "your-static-client-id" \
--client-secret "your-static-client-secret" \
--headers "Authorization=Bearer token123" \
--scope project \
--clients "claude code,cursor"
Required flags for non-interactive mode:
--name, --type, --scope, --clients
--command (for stdio servers) or --url (for remote servers)
Command Line Options
Option
Alias
Description
--name
-n
Server name (alphanumeric, hyphens, underscores)
--type
-t
Server type: stdio, http, or sse
--command
-c
Full command to run (stdio servers only)
--env
-e
Environment variables as KEY=value,KEY2=value2
--url
-u
Server URL (remote servers only)
--headers
-H
HTTP headers as Key=value,Key2=value2
--client-id
-
Static OAuth client ID for supported remote clients
--client-secret
-
Static OAuth client secret for supported remote clients
--scope
-s
Config scope: global or project
--clients
-C
Comma-separated list of clients
--help
-h
Show help
--version
-v
Show version
--client-id and --client-secret are currently applied only to remote claude code and cursor configurations.
Examples
Add a filesystem MCP server to Claude Desktop
mcp-add \
--name filesystem \
--type stdio \
--command "npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /home/user/documents" \
--scope global \
--clients claude
Add a GitHub MCP server with environment variables
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/paoloricciuti/mcp-add.git
cd mcp-add
# Install dependencies
pnpm install
# Run locally
pnpm start
# Type check
pnpm run check
# Lint
pnpm run lint
# Format
pnpm run format
