How do I install MCP Discovery MCP Server?

Follow the setup instructions on the MCP Discovery GitHub repository, then add the server configuration to your AI client.

What category is MCP Discovery MCP Server?

MCP Discovery is categorized under Developer Tools. Browse more servers in these categories on MCPgee.

MCP Discovery

Name: Mcp Discovery MCP Server
Author: rust-mcp-stack

v1.0.0•Developer Tools•stable

A command-line tool written in Rust for discovering and documenting MCP Server capabilities.

climcpmcp-clientmcp-serverrust

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What is MCP Discovery?

MCP Discovery is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to command-line tool written in rust for discovering and documenting mcp server capabilities.

A command-line tool written in Rust for discovering and documenting MCP Server capabilities.

This server falls under the Developer Tools category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.

Features

A command-line tool written in Rust for discovering and docu

Use Cases

Discover and document MCP server capabilities from CLI.

Analyze MCP server features and tools.

Catalog available MCP resources.

rust-mcp-stack

Maintainer

LicenseMIT

Languagerust

Versionv1.0.0

UpdatedMay 18, 2026

Statushealthy

Maintenanceactive

Works with

ClaudeOpenAIwindowsmacoslinux

View Source Browse All Servers

Installation

Manual Installation

npx mcp-discovery

Configuration

Configuration Details

Config File

claude_desktop_config.json

Performance

Response Metrics

Response Time< 200ms

ThroughputMedium

Resource Usage

Memory UsageLow

CPU UsageLow

How to Set Up and Use MCP Discovery

MCP Discovery is a command-line tool written in Rust that connects to any MCP server, introspects its capabilities, and produces formatted documentation covering all exposed tools, resources, and prompts. It acts as a developer utility for cataloging what an MCP server can do — useful when evaluating new servers, automating documentation pipelines, or maintaining up-to-date capability references. Output can be rendered as Markdown, HTML, plain text, JSON, or custom Handlebars templates, and an 'update' subcommand supports marker-based in-place documentation updates for keeping files current as servers evolve.

Prerequisites

Rust toolchain installed (cargo, rustc) if building from source, or a pre-built binary from the GitHub releases page
At least one MCP server available to introspect (can be any stdio-based MCP server)
Optional: Handlebars template files if you want custom output formatting

Install mcp-discovery

Install mcp-discovery using Cargo from crates.io, or download a pre-built binary from the GitHub releases page.

cargo install mcp-discovery

Verify the installation

Run mcp-discovery with the help flag to confirm it is installed and accessible.

mcp-discovery --help

Print capabilities of an MCP server

Use the 'print' subcommand (the default) to connect to an MCP server and display its tools, resources, and capabilities in the terminal. Pass the server launch command after the double-dash separator.

mcp-discovery print -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-everything

Generate a documentation file

Use the 'create' subcommand to generate a new documentation file in your preferred format. Specify the output file path and format.

mcp-discovery create -f capabilities.md -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /tmp

Update an existing documentation file in place

Add mcp-discovery-render / mcp-discovery-render-end marker comments to an existing file, then use the 'update' subcommand to inject the latest server capabilities between those markers automatically.

# In your existing docs file, add markers:
# <!-- mcp-discovery-render -->
# <!-- mcp-discovery-render-end -->

# Then run:
mcp-discovery update docs/server-capabilities.md -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-everything

MCP Discovery Examples

Client configuration

MCP Discovery is a CLI tool, not an MCP server you configure in a client. Here is an example command that generates HTML documentation for any MCP server.

{
  "example": "mcp-discovery is a CLI tool, not an MCP server client config",
  "usage": "mcp-discovery create -f capabilities.html -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-everything",
  "formats": ["markdown", "html", "text", "json", "handlebars-template"]
}

Prompts to try

Example CLI commands that demonstrate what mcp-discovery can do.

- mcp-discovery print -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /tmp
- mcp-discovery create -f capabilities.md -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-everything
- mcp-discovery create -f capabilities.html -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-github
- mcp-discovery update README.md -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-slack
- mcp-discovery print --format json -- python -m my_mcp_server

Troubleshooting MCP Discovery

mcp-discovery cannot connect to the target MCP server

Make sure the command after the double-dash (--) launches a working MCP server. Test the command independently in a terminal first. If the server requires environment variables (API keys, etc.), pass them before the command: ENV_VAR=value mcp-discovery print -- npx -y some-mcp-server.

Output file is empty or missing sections

Confirm the server actually exposes tools, resources, or prompts. Some servers only expose tools with no resources, which will result in empty sections. Use the JSON output format to inspect the raw capability data: mcp-discovery print --format json -- <server command>.

cargo install fails to build

Ensure you have a recent stable Rust toolchain: run 'rustup update stable'. If your system lacks native dependencies (OpenSSL, etc.), install them via your package manager (e.g., 'sudo apt install libssl-dev pkg-config' on Ubuntu).

Frequently Asked Questions about MCP Discovery

What is MCP Discovery?

MCP Discovery is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that command-line tool written in rust for discovering and documenting mcp server capabilities. It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.

How do I install MCP Discovery?

Follow the installation instructions on the MCP Discovery GitHub repository. Clone the repo, install dependencies, and add the server config to your AI client.

Which AI clients work with MCP Discovery?

MCP Discovery works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.

Is MCP Discovery free to use?

Yes, MCP Discovery is open source and available under the MIT license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.

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Set Up MCP Discovery in Your Editor

Choose your AI client for step-by-step setup instructions.

🖥️

Claude Desktop

macOS & Windows app

⌨️

Claude Code

CLI & terminal

📝

Cursor

AI-first code editor

💻

VS Code

GitHub Copilot MCP

🏄

Windsurf

Codeium AI editor

🔌

Cline

VS Code extension

Quick Config Preview

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-discovery": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-discovery"]
    }
  }
}

Add this to your claude_desktop_config.json or .cursor/mcp.json

Read the full setup guide →

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