#733 by GitHub stars

philschmid/mcp-cli

Interface for MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers via CLI. Use when you need to interact with external tools, APIs, or data sources through MCP servers.

Engineering

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Verified commit d77672a1ce800ec3fec1f43829909badb2ffbd32

1.3kGitHub stars

2stars in 7 days

1skill in this repository

0commits in 30 days

Heat

2.2

Star growth, last 7 daysAhead of 51% of tracked repositories
Star growth, last 24 hoursAhead of 5% of tracked repositories
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Commits, last 30 daysAhead of 0% of tracked repositories
Accounts asking about it through MCP, last 7 daysNot available
Hot votes this weekAhead of 0% of tracked repositories

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Individual skills in this repository

mcp-cli /

How it works

mcp-cli

When your agent uses it

Interface for MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers via CLI. Use when you need to interact with external tools, APIs, or data sources through MCP servers.

What it loads into context

Frontmatter

39 tokens

Always available to the agent

SKILL.md

905 tokens

When the skill is activated

Reference documents

5,438 tokens

Loaded on request

Token counts are estimates. Scripts run separately; they are not counted as reference context.

The playbook

Commands
Workflow
Examples
Advanced Chaining
Options
Common Errors
Exit Codes

Scripts executed separately

install.sh
package.json
scripts/generate-system-instructions.ts
scripts/release.sh
src/client.ts
src/commands/call.ts
src/commands/grep.ts
src/commands/info.ts
src/commands/list.ts
src/config.ts
src/daemon-client.ts
src/daemon.ts
src/errors.ts
src/index.ts
src/output.ts
src/version.ts
tests/cli-errors.test.ts
tests/client.test.ts
tests/config.test.ts
tests/errors.test.ts
tests/filter.test.ts
tests/grep.test.ts
tests/integration/cli.test.ts
tests/output.test.ts

Files

.github/workflows/ci.ymlasset1,098 bytes
.github/workflows/release.ymlasset2,568 bytes
.gitignoreasset392 bytes
CHANGELOG.mddoc2,263 bytes
LICENSEasset1,056 bytes
README.mddoc21,749 bytes
SKILL.mdcore3,336 bytes
SKILL.mdcore3,336 bytes
SKILL.mdcore3,336 bytes
biome.jsonasset710 bytes
bun.lockasset21,533 bytes
comparison.jpegasset797,577 bytes
install.shruns4,973 bytes
mcp_servers.jsonasset329 bytes
package.jsonruns2,060 bytes
scripts/generate-system-instructions.tsruns3,147 bytes
scripts/release.shruns2,876 bytes
src/client.tsruns12,911 bytes
src/commands/call.tsruns4,833 bytes
src/commands/grep.tsruns5,508 bytes
src/commands/info.tsruns2,732 bytes
src/commands/list.tsruns3,683 bytes
src/config.tsruns15,276 bytes
src/daemon-client.tsruns8,824 bytes
src/daemon.tsruns10,029 bytes
src/errors.tsruns12,266 bytes
src/index.tsruns13,731 bytes
src/output.tsruns5,992 bytes
src/version.tsruns136 bytes
tests/cli-errors.test.tsruns14,229 bytes
tests/client.test.tsruns7,397 bytes
tests/config.test.tsruns7,019 bytes
tests/errors.test.tsruns9,493 bytes
tests/filter.test.tsruns6,297 bytes
tests/grep.test.tsruns5,405 bytes
tests/integration/cli.test.tsruns11,785 bytes
tests/output.test.tsruns4,798 bytes
tsconfig.jsonasset555 bytes

Read SKILL.md


# MCP-CLI

Access MCP servers through the command line. MCP enables interaction with external systems like GitHub, filesystems, databases, and APIs.

## Commands

| Command | Output |
|---------|--------|
| `mcp-cli` | List all servers and tools |
| `mcp-cli info <server>` | Show server tools and parameters |
| `mcp-cli info <server> <tool>` | Get tool JSON schema |
| `mcp-cli grep "<pattern>"` | Search tools by name |
| `mcp-cli call <server> <tool>` | Call tool (reads JSON from stdin if no args) |
| `mcp-cli call <server> <tool> '<json>'` | Call tool with arguments |

View the complete source on GitHub

Skills included

mcp-cli

Repository facts

License: MIT
Created: Jan 8, 2026
Last pushed: Feb 5, 2026
Forks: 161
Open issues: 15
Project activity: Slowing

Rank over the last 12 weeks

Now #733 · best #480 · down 150 in 30 days

#721 on Nov 1
#726 on Nov 2
#729 on Nov 3
#732 on Nov 4
#731 on Nov 5
#733 since Nov 6

38 earlier periods

#512 on Aug 1
#497 on Aug 6
#478 on Aug 9
#494 on Aug 12
#500 on Aug 13
#480 on Aug 15
#505 on Aug 19
#504 on Aug 21
#486 on Aug 22
#510 on Aug 23
#509 on Aug 24
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#522 on Sep 7
#541 on Sep 8
#534 on Sep 10
#530 on Sep 11
#526 on Sep 13
#546 on Sep 14
#543 on Sep 17
#546 on Sep 18
#562 on Oct 4
#583 on Oct 6
#612 on Oct 8
#584 on Oct 10
#611 on Oct 17
#633 on Oct 19
#700 on Oct 25
#709 on Oct 28
#711 on Oct 29
#714 on Oct 30
#720 on Oct 31

Before you install

Network or broad shell

Automated signals, not a guarantee

Checked Nov 3, 2026

Not fully analyzed: some files were too long, unreadable or missing. This never lowers the level.

Show 2 notes

SKILL.md:1 Analysis incomplete: Referenced executable target unavailable; not analyzed
SKILL.md:1 Analysis incomplete: Referenced executable target unavailable; not analyzed

No broad tool permissions
9 dangerous shell commandsin 4 files: install.sh:3 README.md:24 scripts/release.sh:63 and 1 more
71 network referencesin 10 files: tests/config.test.ts:71 README.md:3 install.sh:2 and 7 more
No hidden or obfuscated text
No instruction overrides
24 executable scriptsin 24 files: install.sh:1 package.json:1 scripts/generate-system-instructions.ts:1 and 21 more
5 references to secretsin 3 files: tests/config.test.ts:65 .gitignore:22 README.md:288
No requests to vote in Hot

Show all 109 signals by file

`.gitignore`

Access to secretsline 22
```
[Credential-related source omitted]
```

`README.md`

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A lightweight, Bun-based CLI for interacting with [MCP (Model Context Protocol)](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/) servers.

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curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/philschmid/mcp-cli/main/install.sh | bash

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curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/philschmid/mcp-cli/main/install.sh | bash

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# requires bun install bun install -g https://github.com/philschmid/mcp-cli

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bun install -g https://github.com/philschmid/mcp-cli

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},     "deepwiki": {       "url": "https://mcp.deepwiki.com/mcp"

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"deepwiki": {       "url": "https://mcp.deepwiki.com/mcp"     }

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```
"url": "https://mcp.deepwiki.com/mcp"
```
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```
[Credential-related source omitted]
```

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},     "remote-server": {       "url": "https://mcp.example.com",

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"remote-server": {       "url": "https://mcp.example.com",       "headers": {

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```
"url": "https://mcp.example.com",
```
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```
- [Bun](https://bun.sh/) >= 1.0.0
```

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bun install https://github.com/philschmid/mcp-cli

`biome.json`

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{   "$schema": "https://biomejs.dev/schemas/1.9.4/schema.json",

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"$schema": "https://biomejs.dev/schemas/1.9.4/schema.json",

`install.sh`

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```
#!/bin/bash
```

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# Install script for mcp-cli # Usage: curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/philschmid/mcp-cli/main/install.sh | bash

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# Usage: curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/philschmid/mcp-cli/main/install.sh | bash

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# Usage: curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/philschmid/mcp-cli/main/install.sh | bash

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```
rm -f "$TMP_FILE"
```
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```
rm -f "$TMP_CHECKSUM"
```

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# Installation directory - prefer ~/.local/bin (no sudo needed)

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DOWNLOAD_URL="https://github.com/$GITHUB_REPO/releases/latest/download/$BINARY"

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CHECKSUM_URL="https://github.com/$GITHUB_REPO/releases/latest/download/checksums.txt"

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echo -e "${BLUE}Downloading...${NC}" TMP_FILE=$(mktemp) if ! curl -fsSL "$DOWNLOAD_URL" -o "$TMP_FILE"; then

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TMP_FILE=$(mktemp) if ! curl -fsSL "$DOWNLOAD_URL" -o "$TMP_FILE"; then     echo -e "${RED}Failed to download binary. Check if releases exist at:${NC}"

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if ! curl -fsSL "$DOWNLOAD_URL" -o "$TMP_FILE"; then

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echo -e "${RED}Failed to download binary. Check if releases exist at:${NC}"     echo "  https://github.com/$GITHUB_REPO/releases"     exit 1

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echo "  https://github.com/$GITHUB_REPO/releases"

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TMP_CHECKSUM=$(mktemp) if curl -fsSL "$CHECKSUM_URL" -o "$TMP_CHECKSUM" 2>/dev/null; then

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if curl -fsSL "$CHECKSUM_URL" -o "$TMP_CHECKSUM" 2>/dev/null; then

Dangerous shell operationline 136

echo -e "${YELLOW}Requires sudo to install to $INSTALL_DIR${NC}"

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sudo mv "$TMP_FILE" "$INSTALL_DIR/mcp-cli"

`mcp_servers.json`

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],       "env": {         "npm_config_registry": "https://registry.npmjs.org"

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"env": {         "npm_config_registry": "https://registry.npmjs.org"       }

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"npm_config_registry": "https://registry.npmjs.org"

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},     "deepwiki": {       "url": "https://mcp.deepwiki.com/mcp"

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"deepwiki": {       "url": "https://mcp.deepwiki.com/mcp"     }

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```
"url": "https://mcp.deepwiki.com/mcp"
```

`package.json`

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```
Executable file
```

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"repository": {     "type": "git",     "url": "https://github.com/philschmid/mcp-cli"

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"type": "git",     "url": "https://github.com/philschmid/mcp-cli"   },

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"url": "https://github.com/philschmid/mcp-cli"

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},   "bugs": {     "url": "https://github.com/philschmid/mcp-cli/issues"

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"bugs": {     "url": "https://github.com/philschmid/mcp-cli/issues"   },

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"url": "https://github.com/philschmid/mcp-cli/issues"

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},   "homepage": "https://github.com/philschmid/mcp-cli#readme",   "engines": {

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"homepage": "https://github.com/philschmid/mcp-cli#readme",

`scripts/generate-system-instructions.ts`

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```
#!/usr/bin/env bun
```

`scripts/release.sh`

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```
#!/bin/bash
```
Dangerous shell operationline 63
```
rm -f package.json.bak
```

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echo "" echo "Monitor the release at:" echo "  https://github.com/philschmid/mcp-cli/actions"

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echo "  https://github.com/philschmid/mcp-cli/actions"

`src/client.ts`

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```
Executable file
```

`src/commands/call.ts`

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```

`src/commands/grep.ts`

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Executable file
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`src/commands/info.ts`

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`src/commands/list.ts`

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```
Executable file
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`src/config.ts`

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```
Executable file
```

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message: `Server "${serverName}" missing required field`,           details: `Must have either "command" (for stdio) or "url" (for HTTP)`,           suggestion: `Add "command": "npx ..." for local servers or "url": "https://..." for remote

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details: `Must have either "command" (for stdio) or "url" (for HTTP)`,           suggestion: `Add "command": "npx ..." for local servers or "url": "https://..." for remote servers`,         }),

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suggestion: `Add "command": "npx ..." for local servers or "url": "https://..." for remote servers`,

`src/daemon-client.ts`

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Executable file
```

`src/daemon.ts`

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`src/errors.ts`

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Executable file
```

`src/index.ts`

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```
#!/usr/bin/env bun
```

`src/output.ts`

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Executable file
```

`src/version.ts`

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```

`tests/cli-errors.test.ts`

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`tests/client.test.ts`

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```
Executable file
```

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test('identifies HTTP server configs', () => {       const httpConfig: HttpServerConfig = {         url: 'https://mcp.example.com',

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```
[Credential-related source omitted]
```
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```
url: 'https://mcp.example.com',
```

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test('handles minimal HTTP config', () => {       const minimalHttp: HttpServerConfig = {         url: 'https://example.com',

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const minimalHttp: HttpServerConfig = {         url: 'https://example.com',       };

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```
url: 'https://example.com',
```

`tests/config.test.ts`

Executable scriptline 1
```
Executable file
```

Dangerous shell operationline 6

import { mkdtemp, writeFile, rm } from 'node:fs/promises';

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```
[Credential-related source omitted]
```

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mcpServers: {             test: {               url: 'https://example.com',

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```
[Credential-related source omitted]
```
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```
url: 'https://example.com',
```
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```
[Credential-related source omitted]
```
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```
[Credential-related source omitted]
```

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mixed: {               command: 'echo',               url: 'https://example.com',

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command: 'echo',               url: 'https://example.com',             },

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```
url: 'https://example.com',
```

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alpha: { command: 'a' },             beta: { command: 'b' },             gamma: { url: 'https://example.com' },

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beta: { command: 'b' },             gamma: { url: 'https://example.com' },           },

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```
gamma: { url: 'https://example.com' },
```

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describe('type guards', () => {     test('isHttpServer identifies HTTP config', () => {       expect(isHttpServer({ url: 'https://example.com' })).toBe(true);

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test('isHttpServer identifies HTTP config', () => {       expect(isHttpServer({ url: 'https://example.com' })).toBe(true);       expect(isHttpServer({ command: 'echo' })).toBe(false);

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expect(isHttpServer({ url: 'https://example.com' })).toBe(true);

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test('isStdioServer identifies stdio config', () => {       expect(isStdioServer({ command: 'echo' })).toBe(true);       expect(isStdioServer({ url: 'https://example.com' })).toBe(false);

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expect(isStdioServer({ command: 'echo' })).toBe(true);       expect(isStdioServer({ url: 'https://example.com' })).toBe(false);     });

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expect(isStdioServer({ url: 'https://example.com' })).toBe(false);

`tests/errors.test.ts`

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Executable file
```

`tests/filter.test.ts`

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```

`tests/grep.test.ts`

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Executable file
```

`tests/integration/cli.test.ts`

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```
Executable file
```

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args: ['-y', '@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem', tempDir],             env: {               npm_config_registry: 'https://registry.npmjs.org',

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env: {               npm_config_registry: 'https://registry.npmjs.org',             },

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npm_config_registry: 'https://registry.npmjs.org',

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mcpServers: {           deepwiki: {             url: 'https://mcp.deepwiki.com/mcp',

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deepwiki: {             url: 'https://mcp.deepwiki.com/mcp',           },

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```
url: 'https://mcp.deepwiki.com/mcp',
```

`tests/output.test.ts`

Executable scriptline 1
```
Executable file
```

How the signals fit together

Facts from a static read of the files at the pinned commit. They describe what the code does, not why.

Some files could not be read; the facts below still hold.

Signal confidence: 4 facts

Dangerous shell operation in code of documentationREADME.md:24Low confidence
Network access in code of documentationREADME.md:24Low confidence
Network access in code of documentationREADME.md:31Low confidence
Network access in code of documentationREADME.md:547Low confidence

Works with

Agent compatibility, from the files in this repository
Agent	Status	Evidence	Install to
Claude Code	Compatible	Standard SKILL.md SKILL.md	`.claude/skills/<skill-name>/`
Codex	Compatible	Standard SKILL.md SKILL.md	`.agents/skills/<skill-name>/`
Cursor	Compatible	Standard SKILL.md SKILL.md	`.cursor/skills/<skill-name>/`
Gemini CLI	Compatible	Standard SKILL.md SKILL.md	`.gemini/skills/<skill-name>/`
GitHub Copilot	Compatible	Standard SKILL.md SKILL.md	`.github/skills/<skill-name>/`
OpenCode	Compatible	Standard SKILL.md SKILL.md	`.opencode/skills/<skill-name>/`

Native The repository ships a manifest, folder or frontmatter field for this agent.
Compatible A standard SKILL.md that this agent can read.
Unknown No evidence either way.

Derived automatically from paths, manifests and frontmatter. Not tested on each agent.

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philschmid/mcp-cli

History

SKILL.md

Share this page

Heat

Stars over time

Individual skills in this repository

How it works

mcp-cli

Frontmatter

SKILL.md

Reference documents

The playbook

Scripts executed separately

Files

Skills included

Repository facts

Rank over the last 12 weeks

Before you install

.gitignore

README.md

biome.json

install.sh

mcp_servers.json

package.json

scripts/generate-system-instructions.ts

scripts/release.sh

src/client.ts

src/commands/call.ts

src/commands/grep.ts

src/commands/info.ts

src/commands/list.ts

src/config.ts

src/daemon-client.ts

src/daemon.ts

src/errors.ts

src/index.ts

src/output.ts

src/version.ts

tests/cli-errors.test.ts

tests/client.test.ts

tests/config.test.ts

tests/errors.test.ts

tests/filter.test.ts

tests/grep.test.ts

tests/integration/cli.test.ts

tests/output.test.ts

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Add this badge to your README

`SKILL.md`

`.gitignore`

`README.md`

`biome.json`

`install.sh`

`mcp_servers.json`

`package.json`

`scripts/generate-system-instructions.ts`

`scripts/release.sh`

`src/client.ts`

`src/commands/call.ts`

`src/commands/grep.ts`

`src/commands/info.ts`

`src/commands/list.ts`

`src/config.ts`

`src/daemon-client.ts`

`src/daemon.ts`

`src/errors.ts`

`src/index.ts`

`src/output.ts`

`src/version.ts`

`tests/cli-errors.test.ts`

`tests/client.test.ts`

`tests/config.test.ts`

`tests/errors.test.ts`

`tests/filter.test.ts`

`tests/grep.test.ts`

`tests/integration/cli.test.ts`

`tests/output.test.ts`