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Installation

add-mcp is designed to work via npx, so you don’t need to install it globally. This ensures you’re always using the latest version without managing package updates.

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System requirements

Before using add-mcp, ensure your system meets the following requirements:
  • Node.js: Version 18 or higher
  • npm: Comes with Node.js (version 8.0+ recommended)
  • Supported OS: macOS, Linux, or Windows

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Verify your setup

1

Check Node.js version

Verify you have Node.js 18 or higher installed:
node --version
You should see output like v18.0.0 or higher.
If you don’t have Node.js installed, download it from nodejs.org or use a version manager like nvm.
2

Test npx

Verify npx is available (it comes with npm):
npx --version
You should see a version number like 8.0.0 or higher.
3

Run add-mcp

Test that add-mcp works by running it without arguments:
npx add-mcp
You should see the add-mcp banner and help information:
█████╗ ██████╗ ██████╗       ███╗   ███╗ ██████╗██████╗ 
██╔══██╗██╔══██╗██╔══██╗      ████╗ ████║██╔════╝██╔══██╗
███████║██║  ██║██║  ██║█████╗██╔████╔██║██║     ██████╔╝
██╔══██║██║  ██║██║  ██║╚════╝██║╚██╔╝██║██║     ██╔═══╝ 
██║  ██║██████╔╝██████╔╝      ██║ ╚═╝ ██║╚██████╗██║     
╚═╝  ╚═╝╚═════╝ ╚═════╝       ╚═╝     ╚═╝ ╚═════╝╚═╚     

Add MCP servers to your favorite coding agents

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No installation required

add-mcp doesn’t require a global installation. Every time you run npx add-mcp, npx will:
  1. Download the latest version of add-mcp (or use cached version)
  2. Execute the command
  3. Clean up temporary files
This approach has several benefits:
  • Always up-to-date: You automatically get the latest features and bug fixes
  • No version conflicts: Each project can use different versions if needed
  • Zero maintenance: No need to manually update the CLI
  • Clean environment: No global packages cluttering your system
If you prefer to install add-mcp globally for faster execution, you can do so with:
npm install -g add-mcp
Then use add-mcp instead of npx add-mcp in all commands.

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Check available agents

To see which coding agents are supported and detected on your system: 
npx add-mcp list-agents
This will display a table showing:
  • All supported agents
  • Whether they support project-level config
  • Whether they support global config
  • Available aliases for each agent

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Next steps

Now that you’ve verified add-mcp is working, you’re ready to install your first MCP server:

Quickstart

Follow the quickstart guide to install your first MCP server

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