Model Context Protocol (MCP) is gaining traction as a practical, protocol-driven approach to tool invocation, data exploration, and even scripting with remote services. At the heart of this ecosystem is MCP Tools, a command-line interface that streamlines interactions with MCP servers—whether they’re real, mocked, or completely script-based.
Unlike traditional CLI tools that are tightly coupled with backend APIs or static workflows, MCP Tools introduces a protocol-centric interface where tools, resources, and prompts can be queried, called, and extended—all with a few shell commands. It’s especially appealing to developers who want composability, scripting friendliness, and a way to bridge shell environments with structured toolchains.
What sets MCP Tools apart is its support for multiple transport layers: it works equally well over standard input/output streams (ideal for local testing or piping through Unix tools), and over HTTP with Server-Sent Events for persistent remote connections. This flexibility means you can prototype locally with mock servers and move to networked deployments without rewriting logic.
Real Tools or Mock? Your Choice.
MCP Tools supports two server modes: mock and proxy.
- Mock mode lets developers simulate full MCP servers by declaring tools, prompts, and resources on the fly. You can define a greeting tool or a dynamic prompt template, and MCP Tools will handle the protocol-level implementation, complete with structured input/output and logging.
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Proxy mode bridges shell scripts with the MCP protocol. Developers register any executable or inline shell snippet as an MCP tool. Inputs are passed as environment variables, and outputs are streamed back as tool results. For example:
mcp proxy tool greet_user "Greets someone" "name:string" -e 'echo "Hello, $name!"'This command registers a simple inline shell command as a tool. The proxy server then exposes it as an MCP endpoint—ready for structured, typed invocations.
Discoverability and Introspection
A standout feature is how discoverable everything is. Tools, prompts, and resources are listed with type annotations, descriptions, and even default parameter hints. The CLI outputs are color-coded and human-friendly by default (table mode), but can switch to JSON or pretty-printed JSON for scripting purposes.
For example:
mcp tools npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem ~
Yields output like:
read_file(path:str, [limit:int], [offset:int]) Reads a file from the filesystem
edit_file(edits:{newText:str,oldText:str}[], path:str) Edit a file with multiple replacements
Types are clear, and optional arguments are in yellow brackets—making it feel more like reading well-documented functions than CLI flags.
Project Scaffolding Built-In
Developers looking to build custom MCP-compatible tools can generate full server templates using mcp new. These projects come pre-wired with TypeScript support, selected transport mode (stdio or SSE), and sensible directory layouts. After scaffolding, it’s a simple npm install && npm run build to get a working server, complete with MCP handshake support.
MCP Tools encourages standardization by auto-wiring MCP interfaces and tool definitions into these projects. It’s not just boilerplate—it’s a reproducible interface contract with built-in documentation and discoverability.
Aliases, Debugging, and Integration
Every server you interact with can be stored under an alias, simplifying repetitive tasks. Logs for both mock and proxy modes are streamed to ~/.mcpt/logs, making debugging dead-simple. Whether you’re building shell pipelines, developing a custom protocol-aware server, or just trying things out in an interactive shell, there’s support.
And speaking of interactive mode: mcp shell opens an MCP-aware REPL, allowing you to call tools, list resources, and change formats without restarting the CLI. Think of it like a domain-specific shell for protocol-native interfaces.
Lightweight, Extensible, and Linux-Friendly
The entire system is built around CLI-first principles. Install via Homebrew or Go, and you’re off—no daemons, no config bloat, no complex frameworks. The official documentation is hosted on GitHub and actively maintained.
For developers, sysadmins, and data engineers looking to unify tool execution, script orchestration, and resource querying into a single, composable system—MCP Tools is a solid choice that feels right at home in a terminal.