# MCP servers

> Connect local or remote Model Context Protocol servers and make their tools, prompts, and resources
> available to your agents.

## Inspect connected servers

Type `/extensions/mcp` to open the read-only MCP browser.

1. Select a server and press Enter to inspect its tools and prompts.
2. Select a tool to inspect its input schema.
3. Select a prompt and press `i` to invoke it.
4. Press `r` to refresh connection state, or `e` to show the exact settings file and server entry to
   edit.

The browser distinguishes connected, declared, lost, and unavailable servers, so it is the quickest
place to confirm that a configuration is live.

## Configure servers

Add an `mcpServers` map to `~/.clarvis/settings.json` for personal servers or
`.clarvis/settings.json` for project-specific servers. Each map key becomes the server name:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "workspace-tools": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "bun",
      "args": ["run", "tooling/local-mcp.ts"],
      "env": {
        "SERVICE_TOKEN": "${SERVICE_TOKEN}"
      },
      "resources": true
    },
    "remote-docs": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.example.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${MCP_TOKEN}"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

Replace the example command and URL with servers you control. Keep credentials in environment
variables: `${NAME}` references are resolved when Clarvis connects, so secrets do not need to be
stored in `settings.json`.

### Choose the transport

- `stdio` requires `command`. It may also use `args`, `env`, `shared`, and `resources`; it must not
  use `url` or `headers`.
- `http` and `sse` require a well-formed `http://` or `https://` URL. They may use `headers` and
  `resources`; they must not use `command`, `args`, `env`, or `shared`.
- Omitting `type` selects `stdio`.

Set `shared: true` only when one long-lived stdio process can safely serve overlapping runs. A shared
connection does not support MCP elicitation, so do not use it for a server that authenticates by
asking the operator a question.

Resource support is on by default. When a server advertises resources, Clarvis adds
`<server>.list_resources` and `<server>.read_resource`; set `resources: false` to suppress them.

## Reference a server from an agent

Tools use the name `<server>.<tool>`. For example, a `search` tool from `remote-docs` is
`remote-docs.search`.

Servers contributed by a plugin receive the plugin namespace:

```text
quality-kit:checks.lint
```

Here `quality-kit` is the plugin, `checks` is the server, and `lint` is the tool. Use that full name
in agent tool lists and hook match patterns.

::: warning Workspace trust applies
An unapproved repository may declare MCP servers, but Clarvis withholds them instead of launching or
connecting to them. Type `/workspace-trust` to review the repository's executable configuration.
Approval is for the workspace, not for an individual server.
:::

## See also

- [Hooks](/guide/hooks)
- [Plugins](/guide/plugins)
- [Extensions reference](/reference/extensions)

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[Canonical HTML](https://clarvis.dev/guide/mcp-servers)

[Documentation index](https://clarvis.dev/llms.txt)