NCP
Natural Context Provider (NCP). Your MCPs, supercharged. Find any tool instantly, load on demand, run on schedule, ready for any client. Smart loading saves tokens and energy.
What is NCP?
NCP is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to natural context provider (ncp). your mcps, supercharged. find any tool instantly, load on demand, run on schedule, ready for any client. smart loading saves tokens and energy.
Natural Context Provider (NCP). Your MCPs, supercharged. Find any tool instantly, load on demand, run on schedule, ready for any client. Smart loading saves tokens and energy.
This server falls under the Developer Tools category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- find
- code
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
NPM
npx -y @portel/ncpManual Installation
npx -y @portel/ncpConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use NCP
NCP (Natural Context Provider) is a unified MCP orchestration layer that consolidates all your installed MCP servers behind two or three AI-facing tools, eliminating choice paralysis when dozens of tools are loaded at once. It uses semantic search to surface the right tool on demand rather than flooding the model context with every available tool upfront, which can reduce token consumption by up to 97%. NCP also ships with a built-in scheduler, MCP management tools, and a skills system, making it a meta-server that manages and coordinates your entire MCP ecosystem.
Prerequisites
- Node.js 18 or higher installed
- npm or npx available on your PATH
- An MCP client such as Claude Desktop, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible client
- Existing MCP servers you want NCP to manage (optional but recommended)
Install NCP globally
Install the @portel/ncp package globally via npm so the 'ncp' command is available system-wide.
npm install -g @portel/ncpImport your existing MCP configurations
Run the import command to bring in MCP servers you have already configured in Claude Desktop or other clients.
ncp config importAdd NCP to your MCP client configuration
Update your MCP client config to point to NCP as the single entry point. NCP will proxy all tool discovery and execution behind its unified interface.
{
"mcpServers": {
"ncp": {
"command": "ncp"
}
}
}Verify the installation
Confirm NCP is installed and working correctly by checking the version and listing available tools.
ncp --version
ncp list --depth 2Enable the Photon Runtime (optional)
The Photon Runtime enables advanced scheduling and analytics features. Enable it via the environment variable or in ~/.ncp/settings.json.
ncp config
# Toggle enablePhotonRuntime, enable_schedule_mcp, enable_mcp_management as neededAdd additional MCP servers through NCP
Use the 'ncp add' command to register new MCP servers so NCP can discover and expose their tools through its unified interface.
ncp add filesystem npx @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem ~/DocumentsNCP Examples
Client configuration
Minimal claude_desktop_config.json to run NCP as a single unified MCP entry point. Optionally enable the Photon Runtime for scheduling features.
{
"mcpServers": {
"ncp": {
"command": "ncp",
"env": {
"NCP_ENABLE_PHOTON_RUNTIME": "true"
}
}
}
}Prompts to try
Example prompts demonstrating how NCP's semantic tool discovery and execution work through an AI client.
- "Find me a tool that can read files from the filesystem"
- "I need to send an email — what tools are available?"
- "Search for any tool related to database queries"
- "Schedule a daily backup of my documents folder at 2am"
- "Show me analytics on which MCP tools I use most"Troubleshooting NCP
The 'ncp' command is not found after installation
Ensure npm's global bin directory is on your PATH. Run 'npm config get prefix' to find the global prefix, then add '<prefix>/bin' to your PATH environment variable.
NCP does not expose tools from my existing MCP servers
Run 'ncp config import' to import existing client configurations, or manually add servers with 'ncp add <name> <command>'. Then validate with 'ncp config validate'.
High token usage despite using NCP
Make sure you are using the 'find' and 'code' tools rather than browsing all available tools. Disable unused internal MCPs (analytics, scheduling) in ~/.ncp/settings.json by setting their enable flags to false.
Frequently Asked Questions about NCP
What is NCP?
NCP is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that natural context provider (ncp). your mcps, supercharged. find any tool instantly, load on demand, run on schedule, ready for any client. smart loading saves tokens and energy. It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install NCP?
Install via npm with the command: npx -y @portel/ncp. Then add the server configuration to your AI client's JSON config file (e.g., claude_desktop_config.json or .cursor/mcp.json).
Which AI clients work with NCP?
NCP works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is NCP free to use?
Yes, NCP is open source and available under the NOASSERTION license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
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