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MCP CLI

GitHubOfficialFirst committed by AungMyoKyawDistributed by GitHub

  • Skill
  • Tool integration
  • Automation and integrations
  • MIT
  • No issues found
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From the author

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, list available MCP servers/tools, or call MCP tools from command line.
— the description by AungMyoKyaw

AutoGineer summary

Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author

mcp-cli provides a terminal-based interface to discover, inspect, and execute tools hosted on Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers. It allows users to bridge external systems like filesystems, databases, and APIs directly into their command-line workflows, supporting JSON-based input and output for seamless integration with other shell utilities.

What it does

  • Lists all configured MCP servers and their available tools.
  • Displays detailed tool parameters and JSON schemas.
  • Executes MCP tools directly from the command line with custom arguments.
  • Supports searching for specific tools using glob patterns.
  • Provides JSON output flags for integration with shell pipelines and tools like jq.
  • Handles complex input arguments via stdin or file redirection.

When to use it

  • When you need to interact with MCP-enabled external systems from a terminal.
  • When debugging or testing MCP tool inputs and outputs.
  • When building shell scripts that require data from MCP-connected services.
  • When you need to quickly inspect the schema of an MCP tool.

Advantages

  • Enables command-line access to diverse MCP-based data sources.
  • Supports standard shell piping for complex automation tasks.
  • Provides clear visibility into tool schemas and parameter requirements.
  • Simplifies the testing of MCP server integrations.

Usage examples

“List all available MCP servers and tools.”
The CLI outputs a list of all connected servers and the tools they expose.
“Get the JSON schema for the read_file tool in the filesystem server.”
The CLI displays the required JSON structure for calling the read_file tool.
“Call a tool with specific arguments from the command line.”
The tool executes with the provided JSON arguments and returns the result.
“Use the CLI in a shell pipeline to process data.”
The output is piped into other tools like jq to extract specific information from the tool response.

Install

  1. Download the skill as a ZIP:

    https://mp-staging.autogineer.com/agent-skills/github/mcp-cli/download

  2. Unzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:

    mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip mcp-cli.zip -d .agents/skills

Documentation by AungMyoKyaw

MCP-CLI

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

Commands

CommandOutput
mcp-cliList all servers and tool names
mcp-cli <server>Show tools with parameters
mcp-cli <server>/<tool>Get tool JSON schema
mcp-cli <server>/<tool> '<json>'Call tool with arguments
mcp-cli grep "<glob>"Search tools by name

Add -d to include descriptions (e.g., mcp-cli filesystem -d)

Workflow

  1. Discover: mcp-cli → see available servers and tools

  2. Explore: mcp-cli <server> → see tools with parameters

  3. Inspect: mcp-cli <server>/<tool> → get full JSON input schema

  4. Execute: mcp-cli <server>/<tool> '<json>' → run with arguments

Examples

# List all servers and tool names
mcp-cli

# See all tools with parameters
mcp-cli filesystem

# With descriptions (more verbose)
mcp-cli filesystem -d

# Get JSON schema for specific tool
mcp-cli filesystem/read_file

# Call the tool
mcp-cli filesystem/read_file '{"path": "./README.md"}'

# Search for tools
mcp-cli grep "*file*"

# JSON output for parsing
mcp-cli filesystem/read_file '{"path": "./README.md"}' --json

# Complex JSON with quotes (use heredoc or stdin)
mcp-cli server/tool <<EOF
{"content": "Text with 'quotes' inside"}
EOF

# Or pipe from a file/command
cat args.json | mcp-cli server/tool

# Find all TypeScript files and read the first one
mcp-cli filesystem/search_files '{"path": "src/", "pattern": "*.ts"}' --json | jq -r '.content[0].text' | head -1 | xargs -I {} sh -c 'mcp-cli filesystem/read_file "{\"path\": \"{}\"}"'

Options

FlagPurpose
-j, --jsonJSON output for scripting
-r, --rawRaw text content
-dInclude descriptions

Exit Codes

  • 0: Success

  • 1: Client error (bad args, missing config)

  • 2: Server error (tool failed)

  • 3: Network error

Files

Requirements and compatibility

Written for: GitHub Copilot

Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kiro, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Roo Code, JetBrains Junie, Factory Droid, Devin (ex-Windsurf), Mistral Vibe, OpenHands, Letta

“Works with” means the tool reads the open Agent Skills format; a skill written for one tool may use features others lack.

Needs: Needs an MCP server

Security

No issues found by our static scan· No issues found

A static scan is not a guarantee. Skills are third-party content: review a skill before you let an agent use it.

Attribution and licence

First committed by
GitHub avatar of AungMyoKyawAungMyoKyaw
Publisher
GitHub (Official)
Distributed by
GitHub
Source
github/awesome-copilot · skills/mcp-cli · commit 797337f
Licence
MIT License (redistribution allowed)
  • LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from LICENSE)
  • ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
Synced
Contributors
AungMyoKyaw

AutoGineer is not affiliated with or endorsed by AungMyoKyaw or GitHub.

Download ZIP

The ZIP holds the skill’s files, its licence files and an ATTRIBUTION.md. Download mcp-cli.zip