Quickstart
This walkthrough uses the public Context7 server so you can follow the tool examples without existing MCP configuration. Add it with npx mcporter config add context7 https://mcp.context7.com/mcp if it is not already discovered from Cursor, Claude Code/Desktop, Codex, Windsurf, OpenCode, or VS Code. See Configuration for more options and the full schema.
#1. List the servers mcporter sees
npx mcporter list
You get one row per server with auth status, transport type, and tool count. Add --json for machine output, --quiet for a silent health gate, or --verbose to see which config files registered each server.
#2. Inspect a single server
npx mcporter list context7
Single-server output reads like a TypeScript header file: dimmed /** … */ doc comments above each function name(...) signature, with optional parameters summarised so the screen stays scannable. Add flags to drill in:
--brief(alias--signatures) — compact signatures only.--all-parameters— show every optional parameter inline.--schema— pretty-print the JSON schema for each tool.--json— machine-readable schema payload.--status— concise status only, without tool docs.
mcporter list shadcn.io/api/mcp.getComponents works too — bare URLs (with or without a .tool suffix or scheme) auto-resolve.
#3. Call a tool
# Colon-delimited flags (shell-friendly).
npx mcporter call context7.resolve-library-id query:'React hooks docs' libraryName:react
# Function-call style copy/pasted from `mcporter list`.
npx mcporter call 'context7.resolve-library-id(query: "React hooks docs", libraryName: "react")'
Pick the output format with --output text|markdown|json|raw. Use --save-images <dir> to persist binary content blocks. See CLI reference for the full flag list.
#4. Read MCP resources (optional)
Context7 exposes tools but not resources. If another configured server exposes resources, list or read them with:
npx mcporter resource my-resource-server # list resources
npx mcporter resource my-resource-server file:///path/to/spec.md # read a resource
Output formatting is shared with mcporter call (--output, --json, --raw).
#5. Generate a standalone CLI
When you want to share a tool with someone who shouldn't have to learn mcporter call:
npx mcporter generate-cli context7 --runtime node --bundler rolldown --bundle dist/context7.js
node dist/context7.js resolve-library-id --query 'React hooks docs' --library-name react
Add --compile <path> for a Bun-compiled binary, or --include-tools a,b,c to ship a subset. Full details in CLI generator.
#6. Emit typed clients for agents
npx mcporter emit-ts context7 --mode client --out src/context7-client.ts
You get a .d.ts interface and a createServerProxy()-backed factory. Calls return CallResult objects with .text(), .markdown(), .json(), .images(), .content() helpers — see Tool calling for the proxy API and emit-ts for the generator.
#What next
- Configuration —
mcporter.jsonschema, env interpolation, OAuth fields. - Ad-hoc connections — point at any MCP endpoint without editing config.
- Agent skills — wiring per-server skills into a coding agent.