❯ mcptocli

MCP to CLI

Stop Wrestling with JSON. Give Your AI the CLI Tools It Actually Understands.

Turn any MCP server (GitHub, Notion, Figma) into a native shell command in 30 seconds. Perfect for coding agents, terminal junkies, and automation scripts.

AI coding agents struggle with complex JSON tool calling—but they write shell commands perfectly. mcptocli instantly converts verbose MCP servers into clean, scriptable CLI tools with auto-generated flags, standard I/O, and tab completion.

Build better AI agents. Automate your workflow. Ditch the JSON wrappers.

1. Register Once. Run Anywhere.

Register any MCP server by name. One command, done forever.

Terminal
mcp add time 'uvx mcp-server-time'
added server "time"
exposed as "mcp-time" (~/.local/share/mcptocli/bin/mcp-time)


now use it:
  mcp time tools
  mcp time shell
2. Auto-Generated Flags & Help.

Every server describes its tools. Inspect any of them to get flags, types, and usage.

Terminal
mcp time tools
Tools (2):


  convert-time      Convert time between timezones.
  get-current-time  Get current time in a specific timezone.


Inspect:  mcp tools time <tool>
Invoke:   mcp time <tool> [args...]
3. Use it

Call any tool like a normal shell command. Flags are generated from the schema.

Terminal
mcp time get-current-time --timezone America/New_York
2025-03-29T10:30:00-04:00

Why mcptocli

Add once, use forever

Register an MCP server by name. It becomes a first-class shell command — with flags, help, and tab completion generated from the schema.

Works with any MCP server

Local stdio servers, remote HTTP endpoints, OAuth-protected services — mcptocli handles the transport so you don’t have to.

Zero-Latency Responses

Keep servers running for instant responses. Share a single server across terminals, Claude Desktop, and notebooks.

Built for Unix Pipelines (stdout/stderr).

-o json gives you stable, parseable output on stdout. Diagnostics go to stderr. Exit codes are meaningful.

Get started

Installation →
Install on macOS, Linux, or Windows in one command
Quick Start →
Add your first server and call a tool in 30 seconds
Using Tools →
Discover, inspect, and call MCP tools
Command Reference →
Every command, flag, and option