Mcporter

mcporter

Use mcporter to discover, call, and manage MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers and tools directly from the terminal.

Prerequisites

Requires Node.js:

# No install needed (runs via npx)
npx mcporter list

# Or install globally
npm install -g mcporter

Quick Start

# List MCP servers already configured on this machine
mcporter list

# List tools for a specific server with schema details
mcporter list <server> --schema

# Call a tool
mcporter call <server.tool> key=value

Discovering MCP Servers

mcporter auto-discovers servers configured by other MCP clients (Claude Desktop, Cursor, etc.) on the machine. To find new servers to use, browse registries like mcpfinder.dev or mcp.so, then connect ad-hoc:

# Connect to any MCP server by URL (no config needed)
mcporter list --http-url https://some-mcp-server.com --name my_server

# Or run a stdio server on the fly
mcporter list --stdio "npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem" --name fs

Calling Tools

# Key=value syntax
mcporter call linear.list_issues team=ENG limit:5

# Function syntax
mcporter call "linear.create_issue(title: \"Bug fix needed\")"

# Ad-hoc HTTP server (no config needed)
mcporter call https://api.example.com/mcp.fetch url=https://example.com

# Ad-hoc stdio server
mcporter call --stdio "bun run ./server.ts" scrape url=https://example.com

# JSON payload
mcporter call <server.tool> --args '{"limit": 5}'

# Machine-readable output (recommended for Hermes)
mcporter call <server.tool> key=value --output json

Auth and Config

# OAuth login for a server
mcporter auth <server | url> [--reset]

# Manage config
mcporter config list
mcporter config get <key>
mcporter config add <server>
mcporter config remove <server>
mcporter config import <path>

Config file location: ./config/mcporter.json (override with --config).

Daemon

For persistent server connections:

mcporter daemon start
mcporter daemon status
mcporter daemon stop
mcporter daemon restart

Code Generation

# Generate a CLI wrapper for an MCP server
mcporter generate-cli --server <name>
mcporter generate-cli --command <url>

# Inspect a generated CLI
mcporter inspect-cli <path> [--json]

# Generate TypeScript types/client
mcporter emit-ts <server> --mode client
mcporter emit-ts <server> --mode types

Notes

• Use --output json for structured output that's easier to parse
• Ad-hoc servers (HTTP URL or --stdio command) work without any config — useful for one-off calls
• OAuth auth may require interactive browser flow — use terminal(command="mcporter auth <server>", pty=true) if needed

Safe Terminal Workflow

Prefer an already connected native MCP tool when it meets the request. MCPorter is useful for terminal automation, protocol diagnosis, and repeatable scripts; it is not a reason to install another integration for an already supported task. Tool names above are illustrative, not a promise that a server exports them. Map the terminal example to the actual host's tool schema rather than assuming a tool literally named terminal exists.

1. Identify the approved server and the configuration source that registered it.
2. Inspect configuration before connecting: discovery can launch a local stdio process, inherit credentials, or contact a remote system.
3. Confirm executable, package version, working directory, and allowed roots.
4. List the selected server's schema; do not guess tools or required arguments.
5. Choose one read-only operation with a bounded result to verify the connection.
6. Perform a mutation only when the user authorized its exact resource and scope.
7. Read back the changed object through a separate read operation when available.

Common Patterns: Evidence Record

server: approved configuration name and transport
configuration source: project, home, or explicitly reviewed import
operation: discovered tool name and read/write classification
arguments: schema-validated values with credentials redacted
result: protocol error state plus application result
verification: target resource read-back, or explicit unavailable status

Use mcporter config list to inspect configuration and mcporter list <server> --schema for a selected, trusted server. Replace <server> with an observed name, not a copied example. Review configuration imports instead of assuming every server configured by another client is trusted.

Acceptance and Recovery

• A zero shell exit status alone does not prove the tool succeeded; inspect MCP error content, isError when returned, and the application's result fields.
• Never retry a timed-out write blindly: it may already have committed. Read the resource or use a server-supported idempotency key before retrying.
• Do not put tokens in command-line arguments, screenshots, or saved evidence.
• Authentication, config changes, package execution, and daemon startup each require task scope; a request to inspect tools does not authorize all four.
• Keep ad-hoc discovery ephemeral; do not persist servers without authorization.
• Failure to connect is a blocker to report, not permission to weaken TLS checks, expand filesystem access, or choose a different account.

The primary MCPorter documentation defines current flags and import behavior. Check local --help for the installed version before using examples in automation.