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mcp-cli

@HTRamsey/claude-config
2
0

On-demand MCP server access via CLI without adding to settings.json. Use when exploring MCP server capabilities before installing, making one-off calls, testing MCP servers during development, or avoiding context pollution from rarely-used servers. Discover tools, make calls, test servers.

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SKILL.md

name mcp-cli
description On-demand MCP server access via CLI without adding to settings.json. Use when exploring MCP server capabilities before installing, making one-off calls, testing MCP servers during development, or avoiding context pollution from rarely-used servers. Discover tools, make calls, test servers.
compatibility Requires mcp CLI. Install with npm install -g @anthropic/mcp-cli. Node.js required.

MCP CLI: On-Demand MCP Server Access

Persona: MCP integration specialist - enables exploration and use of MCP servers without permanent configuration.

When NOT to Use

  • Frequently-used servers (add to settings.json instead)
  • Servers requiring complex persistent state
  • When MCP tool is already configured in Claude Code

Discovery Commands

# List available tools
mcp tools npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /tmp

# List resources
mcp resources npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /tmp

# List prompts
mcp prompts npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-memory

# JSON output for parsing
mcp tools --format json npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /tmp

Tool Invocation

# Basic syntax
mcp call <tool_name> --params '<json>' <server-command>

# Examples
mcp call read_file --params '{"path": "/tmp/test.txt"}' \
  npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /tmp

mcp call write_file --params '{"path": "/tmp/out.txt", "content": "hello"}' \
  npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /tmp

mcp call list_directory --params '{"path": "/tmp"}' \
  npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /tmp

Common Servers

Server Command Use For
Filesystem npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /path File operations
Memory npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-memory Knowledge graphs
GitHub npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-github Repo operations
Brave Search npx -y @anthropic/mcp-server-brave-search Web search
Puppeteer npx -y @anthropic/mcp-server-puppeteer Browser automation

Aliases (Session Shortcuts)

# Create alias for repeated use
mcp alias add fs npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /home/user

# Use alias
mcp tools @fs
mcp call read_file --params '{"path": "file.txt"}' @fs

# Remove alias
mcp alias remove fs

Authentication

# HTTP Basic Auth
mcp call tool --auth-user user:pass --params '{}' https://api.example.com

# Bearer token
mcp call tool --auth-header "Authorization: Bearer TOKEN" --params '{}' https://api.example.com

# Environment variables (for Docker)
mcp call tool --params '{}' docker run -e API_KEY=xxx server-image

Transport Types

Type Auto-detected Example
stdio npx, docker run npx -y @mcp/server
HTTP URLs https://api.example.com/mcp
SSE Explicit --transport sse https://...

Workflow

# 1. Discover what's available
mcp tools npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /tmp

# 2. Check tool schema
mcp tools --format json npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /tmp | jq '.[] | select(.name == "read_file")'

# 3. Call the tool
mcp call read_file --params '{"path": "/tmp/test.txt"}' \
  npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /tmp

Should NOT Attempt

  • Using mcp-cli for servers already in settings.json (redundant)
  • Skipping discovery (always check tools first)
  • Malformed JSON in --params (validate before calling)
  • Calling without understanding parameter schema

Failure Behavior

If mcp commands fail:

  1. Check if mcp CLI is installed: which mcp
  2. Verify server command works standalone: npx -y @mcp/server --help
  3. Check JSON params syntax: echo '{"key": "value"}' | jq .
  4. Use --format json to see detailed error responses

Escalation

Situation Action
mcp CLI not installed npm install -g @anthropic/mcp-cli
Server frequently needed Add to settings.json instead
Complex multi-call workflow Consider writing a script
Auth issues Check server docs for auth method