MCP Client
An MCP Server that's also an MCP Client. Useful for letting Claude develop and test MCPs without needing to reset the application.
What is MCP Client?
MCP Client is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to mcp server that's also an mcp client. useful for letting claude develop and test mcps without needing to reset the application.
An MCP Server that's also an MCP Client. Useful for letting Claude develop and test MCPs without needing to reset the application.
This server falls under the Developer Tools category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- An MCP Server that's also an MCP Client. Useful for letting
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
Manual Installation
npx mcp-clientConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use MCP Client
MCP Client Server is a middleware tool that sits between Claude and the MCP servers you are building — it acts as an MCP server toward Claude while simultaneously acting as an MCP client toward any server under test. This dual role lets developers deploy, call, test, and debug MCP servers on the fly without restarting Claude Desktop or re-registering servers. It is most useful during active MCP server development when you need rapid iteration without application restarts.
Prerequisites
- Node.js 18 or later with npm
- An MCP-compatible client such as Claude Desktop or Claude Code
- The MCP server source code you want to test available on disk
- TypeScript knowledge is helpful but not required for basic usage
Clone the repository
Clone the mcp-client-server repository to your local machine where Claude Desktop or Claude Code is running.
git clone https://github.com/willccbb/mcp-client-server.git
cd mcp-client-serverInstall dependencies and build
Install the Node.js dependencies and compile the TypeScript source to the dist/ directory.
npm install
npm run buildRegister with Claude Desktop
Add the built server to your Claude Desktop configuration using the absolute path to the compiled entry point.
Deploy a server under test via Claude
With Claude, use the mcp_test_deploy_server tool to spin up an MCP server from a source path. Environment variables can be passed using shell-style substitution syntax.
Iterate without restarts
Call individual tools on the deployed server, run automated test suites, view logs, and stop the server — all from within a Claude conversation. When your server is ready, register it with Claude directly and remove the test client wrapper.
# Run the CLI test runner directly for non-Claude testing
node dist/test-runner.jsMCP Client Examples
Client configuration
Add this entry to claude_desktop_config.json so Claude Desktop can use the MCP test client. Adjust the path to match where you cloned the repository.
{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp-test": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/absolute/path/to/mcp-client-server/dist/index.js"]
}
}
}Prompts to try
These prompts exercise the six tools exposed by the MCP test client from inside a Claude conversation.
- "Deploy the MCP server at /path/to/my-server with API_KEY set to my-key."
- "Call the 'get_weather' tool on my-server with city set to 'London'."
- "Run the full test suite against my-server and show me the results."
- "Show me the last 50 log lines from my-server."
- "List all currently deployed servers."
- "Stop the my-server deployment."Troubleshooting MCP Client
Claude cannot find the mcp-test tools after adding the config
Restart Claude Desktop after editing claude_desktop_config.json. Verify the path in 'args' is the absolute path to dist/index.js and that 'npm run build' completed without errors.
Server deployment fails with 'spawn error' or 'ENOENT'
Confirm the source_path passed to mcp_test_deploy_server is an absolute path to a directory containing a valid package.json or built entry point. The tool spawns a child process, so the path must resolve correctly from the host environment.
Frequently Asked Questions about MCP Client
What is MCP Client?
MCP Client is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that mcp server that's also an mcp client. useful for letting claude develop and test mcps without needing to reset the application. It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install MCP Client?
Follow the installation instructions on the MCP Client GitHub repository. Clone the repo, install dependencies, and add the server config to your AI client.
Which AI clients work with MCP Client?
MCP Client works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is MCP Client free to use?
Yes, MCP Client is open source and available under the MIT license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
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