Install MCP MCP server

Install MCP is a meta-MCP server that lets AI agents install, configure, and manage other MCP servers on your behalf. Rather than manually editing JSON or using complex command-line installations, you can simply ask your AI assistant to handle everything.

Installation

Our installer automatically sets up uv (the fast Python package manager) and configures everything for you.

macOS/Linux

curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ddfourtwo/install-mcp/main/install.sh | bash

Windows

powershell -c "irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ddfourtwo/install-mcp/main/install.ps1 | iex"

What Happens During Installation

• Installs uv if not present (blazing fast Python package manager)
• Adds uv to your PATH permanently
• Downloads and configures install-mcp
• Sets up the server to use uvx for instant startup
• Configures all your MCP clients automatically

Getting Started

After installation:

1. Restart your MCP client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, etc.)
2. Ask your AI: "Can you test the install-mcp server?"
3. You're ready to install any MCP server!

Usage Examples

Once installed, just ask your AI assistant:

Installing Servers

"Install the GitHub MCP server for me"
"Can you set up the Slack MCP server?"
"I need the filesystem MCP server installed"

Managing Configurations

"Show me all my installed MCP servers"
"Export my MCP setup so I can share it"
"Configure the GitHub server in all my MCP clients"

Handling Secrets

"Collect the API key for the OpenAI server"
"Update the GitHub token for my GitHub MCP server"

How It Works

Install MCP acts as a package manager for MCP servers:

1. Installation: Handles git cloning, npm installs, and dependency management
2. Configuration: Maintains a central config file that syncs to all MCP clients
3. Secret Management: Securely collects and stores API keys in a central .env file
4. Client Updates: Automatically updates Claude Desktop, Cursor, and other MCP clients

Directory Structure

~/mcp-servers/
├── install-mcp/          # This meta-server
├── mcp-servers-config.json  # Central configuration
├── .env                  # Central secrets (secure)
├── github/              # Example: GitHub MCP server
├── slack/               # Example: Slack MCP server
└── ...                  # Other installed servers

Available AI Commands

Your AI assistant can use these tools:

Command	Description
list_mcp_servers()	Show all installed servers and their status
execute_in_mcp_directory()	Run installation commands
collect_secrets()	Securely collect API keys via web interface
add_server_to_central_config()	Add server to central configuration
configure_mcp_clients()	Apply config to all MCP clients
export_mcp_setup()	Export complete setup for sharing

Supported Server Types

Install MCP can handle various MCP server types:

NPM Packages

# Servers published to npm
Command: npx -y @organization/package-name@latest

GitHub Repositories (Node.js)

# Servers with package.json
1. Clone repository
2. Run npm install
3. Run npm build (if needed)
4. Configure with: node path/to/server.js

GitHub Repositories (Python)

# Servers with requirements.txt
1. Clone repository  
2. Run pip install -r requirements.txt
3. Configure with: python3 path/to/server.py

Pre-built Executables

# Standalone binaries
Configure with direct path to executable

Troubleshooting

MCP client not recognizing the server?

• Ensure you've restarted your MCP client after installation
• Check that the install path is correct: ~/mcp-servers/install-mcp/
• Verify Python 3.11+ is installed: python3 --version

Secrets not working?

• Check the central .env file: ~/mcp-servers/.env
• Ensure secrets are properly namespaced (e.g., GITHUB_GITHUB_TOKEN)
• Verify file permissions: ls -la ~/mcp-servers/.env (should be -rw-------)

Can't install a specific server?

• Run list_mcp_servers() to check current status
• Ensure you have the required tools (git, npm, python3)
• Check the server's specific requirements in its README

How to install this MCP server

For Claude Code

To add this MCP server to Claude Code, run this command in your terminal:

claude mcp add-json "install-mcp" '{"command":"python3","args":["~/mcp-servers/install-mcp/server/meta_mcp.py"]}'

See the official Claude Code MCP documentation for more details.

For Cursor

There are two ways to add an MCP server to Cursor. The most common way is to add the server globally in the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file so that it is available in all of your projects.

If you only need the server in a single project, you can add it to the project instead by creating or adding it to the .cursor/mcp.json file.

Adding an MCP server to Cursor globally

To add a global MCP server go to Cursor Settings > Tools & Integrations and click "New MCP Server".

When you click that button the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file will be opened and you can add your server like this:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "install-mcp": {
            "command": "python3",
            "args": [
                "~/mcp-servers/install-mcp/server/meta_mcp.py"
            ]
        }
    }
}

Adding an MCP server to a project

To add an MCP server to a project you can create a new .cursor/mcp.json file or add it to the existing one. This will look exactly the same as the global MCP server example above.

How to use the MCP server

Once the server is installed, you might need to head back to Settings > MCP and click the refresh button.

The Cursor agent will then be able to see the available tools the added MCP server has available and will call them when it needs to.

You can also explicitly ask the agent to use the tool by mentioning the tool name and describing what the function does.

For Claude Desktop

To add this MCP server to Claude Desktop:

1. Find your configuration file:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
• Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

2. Add this to your configuration file:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "install-mcp": {
            "command": "python3",
            "args": [
                "~/mcp-servers/install-mcp/server/meta_mcp.py"
            ]
        }
    }
}

3. Restart Claude Desktop for the changes to take effect