MCP Management

MCP Management

Manage Pi MCP servers with pi-mcp-adapter.

Use this skill when:

• adding a new MCP server
• updating an existing MCP server
• migrating away from MCPorter
• documenting MCP setup for Pi
• debugging ~/.pi/agent/mcp.json
• deciding whether to use proxy mode or direct tools
• configuring OAuth for remote MCP servers
• importing configs from other tools (Cursor, Claude Desktop, VS Code, etc.)
• working with MCP UI integrations

Preferred Architecture

Going forward, use:

• pi install npm:pi-mcp-adapter
• global config: ~/.pi/agent/mcp.json
• optional project config: .pi/mcp.json
• secrets in shell env, preferably ~/.zshrc.local

Do not store long-lived tokens directly in MCP config if environment variables can be used instead.

How It Works

• One mcp proxy tool in context (~200 tokens) instead of hundreds
• Servers are lazy by default — connect on first tool call, not at startup
• Tool metadata cached to disk (~/.pi/agent/mcp-cache.json) so search/list/describe work without live connections
• Idle servers disconnect after 10 minutes (configurable), reconnect automatically on next use
• npx-based servers resolve to direct binary paths, skipping the ~143 MB npm parent process
• Specific tools can be promoted from proxy to first-class Pi tools via directTools config

Auth and Secrets

Put auth in:

~/.zshrc.local

Prefer appending exports with echo:

echo 'export COOLIFY_BASE_URL="https://coolify.example.com"' >> ~/.zshrc.local
echo 'export COOLIFY_ACCESS_TOKEN="your-coolify-token"' >> ~/.zshrc.local

echo 'export PROXMOX_HOST="pve1"' >> ~/.zshrc.local
echo 'export PROXMOX_PORT="8006"' >> ~/.zshrc.local
echo 'export PROXMOX_USER="root@pam"' >> ~/.zshrc.local
echo 'export PROXMOX_TOKEN_NAME="skill"' >> ~/.zshrc.local
echo 'export PROXMOX_TOKEN_VALUE="your-proxmox-token"' >> ~/.zshrc.local
echo 'export PROXMOX_SSL_MODE="insecure"' >> ~/.zshrc.local
echo 'export PROXMOX_ALLOW_ELEVATED="true"' >> ~/.zshrc.local

Reload shell state after editing:

source ~/.zshrc.local

Note: repeated echo >> ~/.zshrc.local commands create duplicate entries. When updating an existing variable, remove or replace the old line first.

Then reference those values from MCP config with ${VAR} interpolation.

Install Adapter

pi install npm:pi-mcp-adapter

Restart Pi after install.

Config File

Create or edit:

~/.pi/agent/mcp.json

Basic shape:

{
  "settings": {
    "toolPrefix": "server",
    "idleTimeout": 10
  },
  "mcpServers": {}
}

Project-Specific Config

Add .pi/mcp.json in any project root for project-scoped MCP servers. These are only available when Pi is launched from that project directory.

Precedence: project config > global config > imported configs. A project server with the same name as a global one overrides it entirely.

Same format as global config:

// <project-root>/.pi/mcp.json
{
  "settings": {
    "idleTimeout": 5
  },
  "mcpServers": {
    "project-db": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-postgres"],
      "env": {
        "POSTGRES_CONNECTION_STRING": "${PROJECT_DB_URL}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Use cases:

• Database servers scoped to a specific project's DB
• Project-specific API servers (e.g., a staging API MCP)
• Overriding global server settings per-project
• Sharing MCP config with teammates via version control (keep secrets in env vars, not the file)

Tip: commit .pi/mcp.json to the repo so teammates get the same MCP setup. Secrets stay in each person's ~/.zshrc.local.

Server Config Options

Add a Server

Example: Coolify

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "coolify": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@masonator/coolify-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "COOLIFY_BASE_URL": "${COOLIFY_BASE_URL}",
        "COOLIFY_ACCESS_TOKEN": "${COOLIFY_ACCESS_TOKEN}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Example: Chrome DevTools

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "chrome-devtools": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "chrome-devtools-mcp@latest"]
    }
  }
}

Example: Proxmox

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "proxmox": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@bldg-7/proxmox-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "PROXMOX_HOST": "${PROXMOX_HOST}",
        "PROXMOX_PORT": "${PROXMOX_PORT}",
        "PROXMOX_USER": "${PROXMOX_USER}",
        "PROXMOX_TOKEN_NAME": "${PROXMOX_TOKEN_NAME}",
        "PROXMOX_TOKEN_VALUE": "${PROXMOX_TOKEN_VALUE}",
        "PROXMOX_SSL_MODE": "${PROXMOX_SSL_MODE}",
        "PROXMOX_ALLOW_ELEVATED": "${PROXMOX_ALLOW_ELEVATED}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Example: HTTP server with bearer auth (Supabase)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "supabase": {
      "url": "https://mcp.supabase.com/mcp?project_ref=${SUPABASE_PROJECT_REF}&features=docs,account,database,debugging,development,functions,branching,storage",
      "auth": "bearer",
      "bearerTokenEnv": "SUPABASE_ACCESS_TOKEN",
      "directTools": true
    }
  }
}

Lifecycle Modes

{
  "lifecycle": "lazy",
  "idleTimeout": 10
}

Use lazy for most servers. Use keep-alive only when a server needs to remain warm.

Direct Tools

By default, servers are exposed through the single mcp proxy tool. This is usually best.

Promote selected tools directly only when that improves usability enough to justify extra context cost (~150-300 tokens per tool).

{
  "directTools": true
}

or selectively:

{
  "directTools": ["search_repositories", "get_file_contents"]
}

Global default with per-server override:

{
  "settings": {
    "directTools": true
  },
  "mcpServers": {
    "huge-server": {
      "directTools": false
    }
  }
}

Per-server directTools overrides the global setting.

Direct tools register from the metadata cache (~/.pi/agent/mcp-cache.json), so no server connections needed at startup. On the first session after adding directTools to a new server, tools fall back to proxy-only and the cache populates in the background. Restart Pi and they'll be available. To force: /mcp reconnect <server> then restart.

Use direct tools sparingly. For servers with 75+ tools, stick with proxy or pick specific tools with a string[].

Import Existing Configs

Already have MCP set up in another tool? Import it:

{
  "imports": ["cursor", "claude-code", "claude-desktop"],
  "mcpServers": {}
}

Supported sources: cursor, claude-code, claude-desktop, vscode, windsurf, codex

OAuth Authentication

For servers that require OAuth 2.1:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "my-oauth-server": {
      "url": "https://example.com/mcp",
      "auth": "oauth"
    }
  }
}

Run /mcp-auth <server> to initiate the OAuth flow. See OAUTH.md in the pi-mcp-adapter repo for details.

MCP UI Integration

MCP servers can ship interactive UIs. When a tool has a _meta.ui.resourceUri, the adapter opens it in Glimpse (native macOS window) if installed, otherwise falls back to the browser.

• Session reuse: calling the same tool again pushes new results to the existing window
• Bidirectional messaging: UI can send prompts/intents back to the agent
• Tool consent: gates whether UIs can call MCP tools (never/once-per-server/always)

Retrieve UI messages:

mcp({ action: "ui-messages" })

Set viewer preference via env: MCP_UI_VIEWER=browser or MCP_UI_VIEWER=glimpse.

Usage Reference

Note: args is a JSON string, not an object.

Search includes both MCP tools and Pi tools (from extensions). Pi tools appear first with [pi tool] prefix. Space-separated words are OR'd. Tool names are fuzzy-matched on hyphens and underscores.

Commands

Common Workflows

Add a server

IMPORTANT: Always ask the user whether they want the MCP server added:

• Globally (~/.pi/agent/mcp.json) — available in all projects
• Locally (.pi/mcp.json in current project) — scoped to this project only

Prompt with something like:

"Do you want this MCP server available globally or just for this project?"

Then proceed:

1. Identify package / launch command
2. If auth is required, append to ~/.zshrc.local using echo 'export ...' >> ~/.zshrc.local
3. Run source ~/.zshrc.local
4. Add mcpServers.<name> entry to:
   • ~/.pi/agent/mcp.json (global), or
   • .pi/mcp.json in project root (local)
5. Restart Pi
6. Verify from Pi using /mcp or tool discovery

Guidance for the prompt:

• Suggest local if the server is project-specific (project DB, staging API, project-scoped service)
• Suggest global if the server is general-purpose (browser tools, search, general APIs)
• If unsure, default to asking

Update a server

1. Adjust args, env, url, or lifecycle settings
2. Keep secrets in env, not inline JSON
3. Restart Pi
4. Reconnect or verify behavior

Migrate from MCPorter

1. Identify legacy generated CLI skills or ~/.mcporter/mcporter.json
2. Preserve useful standalone skills only if they still help
3. Install pi-mcp-adapter
4. Move MCP server config to ~/.pi/agent/mcp.json
5. Move secrets into ~/.zshrc.local
6. Remove old MCPorter config and package if no longer used
7. Update docs to describe the new path

Import from another tool

1. Add "imports": ["cursor"] (or whichever source) to ~/.pi/agent/mcp.json
2. Imported servers are merged — local mcpServers entries override imports
3. Restart Pi

Skill vs MCP Server

Use a skill when:

• the agent needs domain guidance, workflows, examples, or scripts
• you want routing logic or opinionated procedures
• the capability is mostly documentation + commands

Use an MCP server when:

• there is a real external tool API or service
• you need structured remote tool calls
• the tool surface is dynamic or too large to hand-maintain as scripts

Often you want both:

• MCP server for tool access
• skill for guidance on when and how to use it

Documentation Rules

When documenting MCP setup:

• prefer pi-mcp-adapter, not MCPorter
• mention ~/.pi/agent/mcp.json
• mention ~/.zshrc.local for auth
• show ${VAR} interpolation in examples
• avoid committing secrets into repo docs or config snippets
• say when a legacy skill is standalone vs MCP-backed

Troubleshooting

Server not available

• Confirm pi-mcp-adapter is installed
• Confirm ~/.pi/agent/mcp.json is valid JSON
• Restart Pi
• Verify command/package exists

Auth failures

• Confirm vars exist in shell
• Run source ~/.zshrc.local
• Restart Pi from a shell that has those vars

Too many tools / context bloat

• Prefer proxy mode
• Avoid directTools: true on huge servers
• Expose only the few direct tools that are worth it

Direct tools not showing up

• Cache needs to populate first — run /mcp reconnect <server> then restart Pi
• Check ~/.pi/agent/mcp-cache.json for cached metadata

OAuth issues

• Run /mcp-auth <server> to initiate flow
• Ensure the server's url is correct and auth is set to "oauth"