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MCP Syntax Reference by tomevault-io

Name: MCP Syntax Reference
Author: tomevault-io

MCP Syntax Reference

Teaches Claude the correct syntax for all Claude Code 'claude mcp add' command variants, covering HTTP, SSE, and stdio transports, scope options, authentication patterns, and command generation rules for MCP server installation. Use when this capability is needed.

tomevault-io d74488d 2 files · 4.5 KB Updated Sep 17, 2026

File contents

MCP Command Syntax Reference

This skill provides Claude with complete, authoritative knowledge of how to construct valid claude mcp add commands for Claude Code.

Transport Types

HTTP (Recommended)

claude mcp add --transport http <name> <url>

SSE (Deprecated — prefer HTTP)

claude mcp add --transport sse <name> <url>

Stdio (Local / npm packages)

claude mcp add --transport stdio <name> [--env KEY=value ...] -- <command> [args...]

The -- separator is mandatory. --env flags and --scope must appear before --.

Optional Flags (HTTP, SSE, Stdio)

--scope [local|project|user] — configuration scope (default: local)
--header "<key>: <value>" — HTTP/SSE only, repeatable
--env <KEY>=<value> — set environment variable, repeatable; for stdio must precede --

Scope Semantics

Scope	Where stored	Who sees it
`local`	User settings, per-project	Only the current user, current project
`project`	`.mcp.json` in repo root	Everyone who clones the repo
`user`	User settings, global	Only the current user, all projects

Precedence (highest to lowest): local → project → user → enterprise

Authentication Patterns

OAuth — add the server URL, then run /mcp inside Claude Code to authenticate.

API Key via env — --env API_KEY=value; use placeholder names like YOUR_API_KEY when the actual value is unknown.

Bearer token via header — --header "Authorization: Bearer <token>" for HTTP/SSE.

Command Generation Rules

Normalise the server name: lowercase, replace spaces and non-alphanumeric characters with hyphens. Example: "My API" → my-api.
Transport selection: HTTP > SSE > Stdio. Use stdio for packages run via npx, node, or a local binary.
Env flag placement: for stdio, all --env flags must come before --.
OAuth servers: output only the claude mcp add command; note that the user must authenticate afterwards with /mcp.
API key placeholders: use descriptive uppercase names (YOUR_AIRTABLE_API_KEY) so the user knows exactly what to replace.
Scope default: omit --scope unless the user specifies a preference (default is local).
Windows stdio: on non-WSL Windows, npx commands require a cmd /c prefix after --.

Management Commands

claude mcp list                      # list configured servers
claude mcp get <name>                # show details
claude mcp remove <name>             # delete a server
claude mcp add-json <name> '<json>'  # add from JSON blob
claude mcp add-from-claude-desktop   # import from Claude Desktop (macOS/WSL)
claude mcp reset-project-choices     # reset .mcp.json approval state

JSON Config Formats

HTTP:

{ "type": "http", "url": "https://...", "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer token" } }

Stdio:

{ "type": "stdio", "command": "/path/to/bin", "args": ["--flag"], "env": { "KEY": "value" } }

Variable Expansion in .mcp.json

${VAR} — value of environment variable VAR
${VAR:-default} — VAR if set, otherwise "default"

Supported in: command, args, env, url, headers

Environment Variables for Tuning

MCP_TIMEOUT=<ms> — server startup timeout (e.g. 10000 for 10 s)
MAX_MCP_OUTPUT_TOKENS=<n> — max output tokens per response (default 25 000; warning at 10 000)

Source: danielrosehill/Claude-Rudder — distributed by TomeVault.

---name: mcp-syntax-referencedescription: Teaches Claude the correct syntax for all Claude Code 'claude mcp add' command variants, covering HTTP, SSE, and stdio transports, scope options, authentication patterns, and command generation rules for MCP server installation. Use when this capability is needed.---# MCP Command Syntax ReferenceThis skill provides Claude with complete, authoritative knowledge of how to construct valid `claude mcp add` commands for Claude Code.## Transport Types### HTTP (Recommended)```claude mcp add --transport http <name> <url>```### SSE (Deprecated — prefer HTTP)```claude mcp add --transport sse <name> <url>```### Stdio (Local / npm packages)```claude mcp add --transport stdio <name> [--env KEY=value ...] -- <command> [args...]```The `--` separator is mandatory. `--env` flags and `--scope` must appear before `--`.## Optional Flags (HTTP, SSE, Stdio)- `--scope [local|project|user]` — configuration scope (default: `local`)- `--header "<key>: <value>"` — HTTP/SSE only, repeatable- `--env <KEY>=<value>` — set environment variable, repeatable; for stdio must precede `--`## Scope Semantics| Scope | Where stored | Who sees it ||-------|-------------|-------------|| `local` | User settings, per-project | Only the current user, current project || `project` | `.mcp.json` in repo root | Everyone who clones the repo || `user` | User settings, global | Only the current user, all projects |Precedence (highest to lowest): local → project → user → enterprise## Authentication Patterns**OAuth** — add the server URL, then run `/mcp` inside Claude Code to authenticate.**API Key via env** — `--env API_KEY=value`; use placeholder names like `YOUR_API_KEY` when the actual value is unknown.**Bearer token via header** — `--header "Authorization: Bearer <token>"` for HTTP/SSE.## Command Generation Rules1. **Normalise the server name**: lowercase, replace spaces and non-alphanumeric characters with hyphens. Example: "My API" → `my-api`.2. **Transport selection**: HTTP > SSE > Stdio. Use stdio for packages run via `npx`, `node`, or a local binary.3. **Env flag placement**: for stdio, all `--env` flags must come before `--`.4. **OAuth servers**: output only the `claude mcp add` command; note that the user must authenticate afterwards with `/mcp`.5. **API key placeholders**: use descriptive uppercase names (`YOUR_AIRTABLE_API_KEY`) so the user knows exactly what to replace.6. **Scope default**: omit `--scope` unless the user specifies a preference (default is `local`).7. **Windows stdio**: on non-WSL Windows, `npx` commands require a `cmd /c` prefix after `--`.## Management Commands```bashclaude mcp list # list configured serversclaude mcp get <name> # show detailsclaude mcp remove <name> # delete a serverclaude mcp add-json <name> '<json>' # add from JSON blobclaude mcp add-from-claude-desktop # import from Claude Desktop (macOS/WSL)claude mcp reset-project-choices # reset .mcp.json approval state```## JSON Config FormatsHTTP:```json{ "type": "http", "url": "https://...", "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer token" } }```Stdio:```json{ "type": "stdio", "command": "/path/to/bin", "args": ["--flag"], "env": { "KEY": "value" } }```## Variable Expansion in .mcp.json- `${VAR}` — value of environment variable VAR- `${VAR:-default}` — VAR if set, otherwise "default"Supported in: `command`, `args`, `env`, `url`, `headers`## Environment Variables for Tuning- `MCP_TIMEOUT=<ms>` — server startup timeout (e.g. `10000` for 10 s)- `MAX_MCP_OUTPUT_TOKENS=<n>` — max output tokens per response (default 25 000; warning at 10 000)---> Source: [danielrosehill/Claude-Rudder](https://github.com/danielrosehill/Claude-Rudder) — distributed by [TomeVault](https://tomevault.io).

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