MCP Client

What is MCP Client?

MCP Client is a CLI tool for interacting with Anthropic’s Claude model using Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers. It runs on any platform that supports Python and uv, and is intended for developers who want to extend Claude’s capabilities with custom MCP tools.

How to use MCP Client?

Install by cloning the repository and running uv sync. Create a JSON configuration file that defines MCP servers (e.g., brave-search) and save it to ~/.config/mcp-client/config.json, ~/.mcp-client.json, or ./config.json. Set the ANTHROPIC_API_KEY environment variable, then run uv run mcpllm chat to start an interactive session or uv run mcpllm chat --query "..." for single queries.

Key features of MCP Client

• Connect to multiple MCP servers defined in a configuration file
• Interactive chat with Claude using available MCP tools
• Stream Claude’s responses in real-time
• Support for both interactive and single-query modes
• Rich terminal output with clear formatting

Use cases of MCP Client

• Ask Claude a question with web search via a configured Brave Search server
• Build custom tool integrations for Claude without modifying the client
• Automate single queries in scripts or CI/CD pipelines
• Quickly test multiple MCP server configurations interactively

FAQ from MCP Client

What is MCP Client and how does it differ from Claude’s web interface?

MCP Client is a command-line tool that lets you connect Claude to external MCP servers for tool use, unlike the web interface which has no server-side tool integration.

Which models and platforms does MCP Client support?

It supports Anthropic’s Claude models (e.g., claude-3-5-sonnet-20241022) and runs on any OS where Python and uv are available.

How does MCP Client support MCP servers?

You define MCP servers in a JSON configuration file; the client connects to them and exposes their tools to Claude during chat or query sessions.

What is the pricing or licensing for MCP Client?

The project is open source under the MIT license; you only pay for Anthropic API usage.

Are there any known limits or required environment variables?

The only required environment variable is ANTHROPIC_API_KEY. If not set, the client will fail to authenticate with Anthropic’s API.