# mcp-cli

> 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.

- Author: Marcel Hild
- Repository: goern/mcp-cli
- Version: 20260120115047
- Stars: 0
- Forks: 0
- Last Updated: 2026-02-06
- Source: https://github.com/goern/mcp-cli
- Web: https://mule.run/skillshub/@@goern/mcp-cli~mcp-cli:20260120115047

---

---
name: mcp-cli
description: 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.
---

# MCP-CLI

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

## Commands

| Command | Output |
|---------|--------|
| `mcp-cli` | List 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 |
| `mcp-cli daemon start\|stop` | Manage persistent connections (for stateful servers) |

**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

```bash
# 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 '-' for stdin input)
mcp-cli server/tool - <<EOF
{"content": "Text with 'quotes' inside"}
EOF

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

# Complex Command chaining with xargs and jq
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

| Flag | Purpose |
|------|---------|
| `-j, --json` | JSON output for scripting |
| `-r, --raw` | Raw text content |
| `-d` | Include descriptions |

## Exit Codes

- `0`: Success
- `1`: Client error (bad args, missing config)
- `2`: Server error (tool failed)
- `3`: Network error