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Start a tool’s MCP server. By default tool run launches the server using its native transport (stdio or HTTP). Use --expose to bridge between transports — for example, expose a stdio-based server over HTTP so a web client can connect, or expose an HTTP server over stdio for a local agent.

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Synopsis

tool run [tool] [--expose <TRANSPORT>] [-p <port>] [--host <address>]
         [-k KEY=VALUE]... [--config-file <path>] [--no-save] [-y] [-v]

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Options

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tool
string
Tool reference (namespace/name) or local path to run. Defaults to . (current directory).
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--expose
string
Transport type to expose the server on: stdio or http. When omitted, the server runs using its native transport with no bridging.
  • --expose http — wraps a stdio-based server in an HTTP/SSE layer
  • --expose stdio — wraps an HTTP-based server in a stdio layer
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-p / --port
number
Port to bind when using --expose http. Default: 3000.
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--host
string
Bind address when using --expose http. Default: 127.0.0.1. Use 0.0.0.0 (or 0 as shorthand) to listen on all interfaces.
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-k / --config
string
Pass a configuration value as KEY=VALUE. Repeatable. Values are used by the server at runtime (e.g., API keys, tokens).
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--config-file
string
Path to a JSON file containing configuration values. Merged with any -k flags.
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--no-save
boolean
Do not persist config values for future runs. By default, provided values are saved so you don’t need to repeat them.
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-y / --yes
boolean
Skip all interactive prompts. If required config is missing and cannot be inferred, the command will exit with an error.
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-v / --verbose
boolean
Show verbose output including startup details and transport negotiation.

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Examples

# Run tool in current directory (native transport)
tool run

# Run an installed tool
tool run appcypher/bash

# Expose a stdio tool over HTTP (bridge to HTTP)
tool run . --expose http

# Custom port for HTTP expose mode
tool run . --expose http -p 8080

# Bind to all network interfaces
tool run . --expose http --host 0

# Pass a config value inline
tool run . -k API_KEY=xxx

# Load config from a file
tool run . --config-file creds.json

# Verbose output
tool run . -v

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Transport bridging

tool run can act as a proxy between transport types. This is useful when your MCP client only supports one transport but the server uses another.
Server transport--expose valueResult
stdiohttpstdio server is wrapped in an HTTP/SSE endpoint
httpstdioHTTP server is wrapped in a stdio pipe
When no --expose flag is given, the server runs with its native transport and no proxying occurs.

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Connecting your MCP client

After tool run starts, connect your MCP client to the running server:
  • Stdio transport — the client spawns tool run as a subprocess and communicates over stdin/stdout.
  • HTTP transport — the client connects to http://<host>:<port> (default http://127.0.0.1:3000).
Use tool host add <host> to automatically register a tool with your MCP client instead of configuring the connection manually.

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