MCP Manager Skill

Overview

Natural language interface to MCP Manager CLI tool for managing Model Context Protocol server configurations. Users interact conversationally: "enable the filesystem MCP", "add a database server", "show me all my MCPs".

Activation

Activates on MCP keywords within 3-message window or explicit invocation: /mcp-manager

Commands

1. List MCPs

Display all configured MCP servers with status.

• "List all my MCPs" / "Show me my MCP servers"
• CLI: python3 -m mcp-manager.cli list

2. Enable MCP

Activate a disabled MCP server.

• "Enable the filesystem MCP" / "Turn on puppeteer"
• CLI: python3 -m mcp-manager.cli enable <server-name>

3. Disable MCP

Deactivate an MCP server without removing it. Requires confirmation.

• "Disable the puppeteer MCP" / "Turn off github"
• CLI: python3 -m mcp-manager.cli disable <server-name>

4. Add MCP

Add new MCP server interactively (collects name, command, args, env vars).

• "Add a new MCP server" / "Configure a database MCP"
• CLI: python3 -m mcp-manager.cli add <name> <command> [args...] --env KEY=VALUE

5. Remove MCP

Delete MCP server configuration completely. Requires confirmation with warning.

• "Remove the puppeteer MCP" / "Delete the old-server"
• CLI: python3 -m mcp-manager.cli remove <server-name>

6. Show MCP

Display detailed information for specific MCP server.

• "Show me the filesystem MCP" / "Details for github server"
• CLI: python3 -m mcp-manager.cli show <server-name>

7. Validate MCPs

Check all MCP configurations for errors.

• "Validate my MCP configuration" / "Check for MCP errors"
• CLI: python3 -m mcp-manager.cli validate

8. Export MCPs

Export configurations to JSON file for backup.

• "Export my MCP configuration" / "Back up my MCPs"
• CLI: python3 -m mcp-manager.cli export [output-file]

9. Import MCPs

Import configurations from JSON file.

• "Import MCPs from backup.json" / "Restore my MCPs"
• CLI: python3 -m mcp-manager.cli import <input-file> [--merge]

Usage Examples

Example 1: List and Enable

User: "List all my MCPs"

[Executes: cd .claude/scenarios && python3 -m mcp-manager.cli list]

Response: "You have 3 MCP servers configured: ✓ filesystem (enabled) - Local filesystem access ✓ github (enabled) - GitHub API integration ✗ puppeteer (disabled) - Browser automation"

Follow-up: "Turn on puppeteer"

[Executes: python3 -m mcp-manager.cli enable puppeteer]

"✓ Successfully enabled 'puppeteer' MCP server."

Example 2: Add New Server

User: "Add a new MCP for database access"

Interactive Collection:

1. Name: "postgres-local"
2. Command: "node /opt/mcp-servers/postgres/index.js"
3. Args: "--port 5432 --host localhost"
4. Env: "DATABASE_URL=postgresql://localhost:5432/mydb"

[Executes: python3 -m mcp-manager.cli add postgres-local "node /opt/mcp-servers/postgres/index.js" --port 5432 --host localhost --env "DATABASE_URL=postgresql://localhost:5432/mydb"]

"✓ Successfully added 'postgres-local' MCP server. Server is currently disabled. Enable with: 'enable postgres-local'"

Example 3: Remove Server

User: "Remove the puppeteer MCP"

Confirmation: "⚠️ WARNING: You're about to remove 'puppeteer' MCP server. This will delete the configuration completely. This action cannot be undone. Are you sure? (yes/no)"

[User confirms: "yes"]

[Executes: python3 -m mcp-manager.cli remove puppeteer]

"✓ Successfully removed 'puppeteer' MCP server."

Tool Invocation

All commands execute from .claude/scenarios/ directory:

cd .claude/scenarios && python3 -m mcp-manager.cli <command> [args]

Key Commands:

• list - List all MCPs
• enable <name> - Enable server
• disable <name> - Disable server
• add <name> <cmd> [args...] --env KEY=VAL - Add server
• remove <name> - Remove server
• show <name> - Show details
• validate - Validate all configurations
• export [file] - Export to JSON
• import <file> [--merge] - Import from JSON

Output Handling:

• Success: Exit code 0, stdout with ✓ prefix
• Error: Non-zero exit code, stderr with ❌ prefix
• Redact sensitive info (tokens, passwords) in responses

Error Handling

Common Errors:

1. CLI Not Found: Offer installation instructions (see README)
2. Server Not Found: List available servers, suggest alternatives
3. Server Already Exists: Suggest show/remove/rename
4. Permission Denied: Check file/directory permissions
5. Malformed settings.json: Validate JSON, offer backup restore
6. Invalid Command: Show common command patterns

For detailed error scenarios and troubleshooting, see .claude/scenarios/mcp-manager/README.md

Best Practices

• Always confirm destructive operations (disable, remove)
• Validate server names before executing
• Redact sensitive information in responses
• Provide clear error messages with actionable next steps
• Show current state before and after changes

See Also

• Full documentation: .claude/scenarios/mcp-manager/README.md
• Tool creation guide: .claude/scenarios/mcp-manager/HOW_TO_CREATE_YOUR_OWN.md
• MCP Protocol: https://modelcontextprotocol.io/
• Claude Code Settings: .claude/settings.json

Version: 1.0.0 | Updated: 2025-11-24 | Maintainer: amplihack team