Set up the Cloider MCP server in your AI client

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The Cloider MCP server is the cloider mcp command of the cloider CLI. Every MCP client sets it up the same way: it starts the command cloider with the argument mcp and talks to it over stdin and stdout (the stdio transport). This page shows the exact configuration for each popular client, then the variants for several accounts, read only access and fewer tools.

Client formats change

Client configuration formats change from time to time. The snippets below follow each client's documented standard format. If a snippet no longer works, check the client's MCP documentation for its current format; the command (cloider) and arguments (["mcp"]) stay the same.

At a glance

Client	Where the server is configured	Format
Claude Code	claude mcp add, or .mcp.json in a project	mcpServers
Claude Desktop	claude_desktop_config.json	mcpServers
Cursor	~/.cursor/mcp.json or .cursor/mcp.json	mcpServers
VS Code with GitHub Copilot	.vscode/mcp.json or the user mcp.json	servers
Windsurf	~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json	mcpServers
OpenAI Codex CLI	codex mcp add, or ~/.codex/config.toml	[mcp_servers.*] (TOML)
Gemini CLI	~/.gemini/settings.json or .gemini/settings.json	mcpServers
Zed	Zed settings.json	context_servers
Cline	cline_mcp_settings.json	mcpServers
Continue	.continue/mcpServers/*.yaml	mcpServers (YAML)
Any other client	Its MCP settings	command cloider, args ["mcp"]

Before you begin

1. Install the CLI and check that it is on your PATH:

   curl -fsSL https://cloider.com/install.sh | sh
   cloider version

   On Windows, run irm https://cloider.com/install.ps1 | iex in PowerShell. See Install the CLI.

2. Log in, so the server has an API token to act with:

   cloider login
   cloider whoami

   Choose the account the agent should work in, and Read or Read & Write access. See CLI authentication.

3. Find the full path of the binary, for clients that don't start from your shell (Claude Desktop and some editors don't read your shell's PATH):

   which cloider        # macOS and Linux
   where cloider        # Windows

   If a client says it can't start cloider, use this full path as the command.

Claude Code

Add the server with one command:

claude mcp add cloider -- cloider mcp

Everything after -- is the command Claude Code runs. Check it:

claude mcp list

Output

cloider: cloider mcp - ✓ Connected

Inside a Claude Code session, /mcp shows the server, its status and its tools.

Scopes. By default the server is added for you, in the current project only. --scope user adds it for all your projects, and --scope project writes it to .mcp.json in the project, so everyone who works on the repository gets it:

claude mcp add --scope project cloider -- cloider mcp

.mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cloider": {
      "command": "cloider",
      "args": ["mcp"]
    }
  }
}

A project .mcp.json doesn't contain any token: each developer's server uses their own cloider login.

Claude Desktop

1. Open Settings, Developer, and click Edit Config. This opens claude_desktop_config.json:

   OS	Path
   macOS	~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
   Windows	%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

2. Add the server. Claude Desktop doesn't read your shell's PATH, so use the full path from which cloider:

   claude_desktop_config.json

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "cloider": {
         "command": "/usr/local/bin/cloider",
         "args": ["mcp"]
       }
     }
   }

   On Windows, write the path with double backslashes, for example "C:\\Users\\you\\bin\\cloider.exe".

3. Quit Claude Desktop completely and start it again. The Cloider tools appear under the tools (search and tools) menu in a new chat.

Cursor

Add the server to ~/.cursor/mcp.json for every project, or to .cursor/mcp.json in one project:

~/.cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cloider": {
      "command": "cloider",
      "args": ["mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Then open Cursor Settings, MCP (or Tools & Integrations) and check that cloider is enabled and shows its tools. The tools are used by Cursor's agent in the chat.

VS Code with GitHub Copilot

VS Code runs MCP tools from GitHub Copilot Chat in agent mode. Add the server to .vscode/mcp.json in your workspace, or to your user configuration with the command MCP: Open User Configuration. VS Code uses a servers key and a type:

.vscode/mcp.json

{
  "servers": {
    "cloider": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "cloider",
      "args": ["mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Or from a terminal:

code --add-mcp '{"name":"cloider","command":"cloider","args":["mcp"]}'

Open Copilot Chat, switch to Agent mode, and click the tools icon to see and toggle the Cloider tools. VS Code asks before running a tool unless you allow it.

Windsurf

Open Windsurf Settings, Cascade, MCP Servers and choose to edit the raw configuration, or edit the file directly:

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cloider": {
      "command": "cloider",
      "args": ["mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Refresh the server list in Cascade's MCP panel after saving.

OpenAI Codex CLI

Add the server with the Codex CLI:

codex mcp add cloider -- cloider mcp

Or add it to Codex's configuration file:

~/.codex/config.toml

[mcp_servers.cloider]
command = "cloider"
args = ["mcp"]

Start a new codex session, and /mcp lists the server's tools.

Gemini CLI

Add the server to your user settings (~/.gemini/settings.json) or to a project's .gemini/settings.json:

~/.gemini/settings.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cloider": {
      "command": "cloider",
      "args": ["mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Start gemini, and /mcp lists the configured servers and their tools.

Zed

Zed calls MCP servers context servers. Open your settings (zed: open settings) and add:

settings.json

{
  "context_servers": {
    "cloider": {
      "source": "custom",
      "command": "cloider",
      "args": ["mcp"],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

The tools are available in Zed's Agent Panel.

Cline

In VS Code, open the Cline panel, click MCP Servers, then Configure (or Configure MCP Servers), which opens cline_mcp_settings.json:

cline_mcp_settings.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cloider": {
      "command": "cloider",
      "args": ["mcp"],
      "disabled": false,
      "autoApprove": []
    }
  }
}

autoApprove lists tool names Cline may run without asking. Keep destructive tools out of it, see Safety and permissions.

Continue

Continue reads MCP servers from YAML files in .continue/mcpServers/ in your workspace:

.continue/mcpServers/cloider.yaml

name: Cloider
version: 0.0.1
schema: v1
mcpServers:
  - name: cloider
    command: cloider
    args:
      - mcp

MCP tools are used in Continue's Agent mode.

Any other client

Every client that supports local (stdio) MCP servers needs the same three things:

Setting	Value
Transport	stdio (sometimes called "command" or "local")
Command	cloider, or its full path
Arguments	mcp, plus any flags below

Most clients take this JSON:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cloider": {
      "command": "cloider",
      "args": ["mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Variants

The flags below go in the arguments. --profile is a global flag of the CLI and can go before or after mcp.

Several accounts with --profile

Log in to each account with its own CLI profile, then add one server per account:

cloider login --profile acme
cloider login --profile client

claude mcp add cloider-acme -- cloider --profile acme mcp
claude mcp add cloider-client -- cloider --profile client mcp

JSON clients

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cloider-acme": {
      "command": "cloider",
      "args": ["--profile", "acme", "mcp"]
    },
    "cloider-client": {
      "command": "cloider",
      "args": ["--profile", "client", "mcp"]
    }
  }
}

The agent sees two sets of tools with the same names, one per server, and whoami on each tells it which account it is in. Name the servers clearly, and tell the agent which one to use.

Read only

Offer only the 51 tools that change nothing:

claude mcp add cloider -- cloider mcp --read-only

{ "mcpServers": { "cloider": { "command": "cloider", "args": ["mcp", "--read-only"] } } }

For a guarantee that holds whatever the client does, also log the profile in with a read only token:

cloider login --profile agent --read-only
claude mcp add cloider-readonly -- cloider --profile agent mcp --read-only

Fewer tools with --toolsets

Some clients limit how many tools they load, and a shorter list helps the model choose. Offer only the toolsets you need: account, clusters, databases, buckets, registry, apps, domains and support.

claude mcp add cloider -- cloider mcp --toolsets apps,databases,domains

{ "mcpServers": { "cloider": { "command": "cloider", "args": ["mcp", "--toolsets", "apps,databases,domains"] } } }

An unknown toolset fails at start with unknown toolset "...", pick from account, clusters, databases, buckets, registry, apps, domains, support.

A token instead of a login

On a machine without cloider login, such as a CI runner or a container, give the server a token through the environment or a file. Most clients take an env object:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cloider": {
      "command": "cloider",
      "args": ["mcp", "--token-file", "/run/secrets/cloider-token"]
    }
  }
}

"env": {"CLOIDER_TOKEN": "..."} works too, but writes the token into the client's configuration file in plain text. Prefer a token file or a profile, and never commit a configuration with a token in it.

Verify

Ask the agent:

Prompt

Use the cloider tools: which account am I in, and can this token change anything?

It should call whoami and answer with your account, your role and whether the token can only read. If the tools don't appear, see below.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Cause	Fix
The server fails to start, spawn cloider ENOENT or "command not found"	The client doesn't see the CLI on its PATH	Use the full path from which cloider as the command
Tools appear, but every call fails with not logged in, run `cloider login` or set CLOIDER_TOKEN	The CLI isn't logged in for the profile the server uses	Run cloider login (or cloider login --profile <name>) and restart the client
This API token is read only!	The login is read only	Log in again with Read & Write access, or keep it read only on purpose
The client shows no tools after editing the file	The client reads its configuration at start	Restart the client, or reload the server from its MCP panel
JSON parse error in the client	A trailing comma or a missing brace	Validate the file, for example with python3 -m json.tool < file.json
Too many tools for the client	The client caps the number of tools	Use --toolsets
Running cloider mcp in a terminal seems to hang	It is waiting for an MCP client on stdin	That is expected. Press Ctrl-C. Your client starts it by itself

Next steps

• Tools reference: every tool and its parameters
• Safety and permissions: recommended setups for production accounts
• Example prompts
• Using the docs with AI coding agents

Frequently asked questions

How do I add the Cloider MCP server to Claude Code?

Install the cloider CLI, run cloider login, then run claude mcp add cloider -- cloider mcp. Check it with claude mcp list, or /mcp inside a session.

What is the Cloider MCP config for Claude Desktop or Cursor?

Add {"mcpServers": {"cloider": {"command": "cloider", "args": ["mcp"]}}} to claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. Claude Desktop needs the full path of the cloider binary as the command.

How do I use the Cloider MCP server in VS Code?

Add {"servers": {"cloider": {"type": "stdio", "command": "cloider", "args": ["mcp"]}}} to .vscode/mcp.json, then use GitHub Copilot Chat in agent mode.

Can I connect the MCP server to several Cloider accounts?

Yes. Log in to each account with its own CLI profile, then add one server per account, each started as cloider --profile <name> mcp.

How do I make the Cloider MCP server read only?

Add --read-only to its arguments: cloider mcp --read-only. For a hard guarantee, also log the profile it uses in with cloider login --read-only, so the API refuses every change.