Uni CLI Agent Substrate
Operations substrate for AI agents that use real software: 311 sites/tools, logged-in browsers, desktop apps, local tools, MCP, policy, evidence, AgentEnvelope v2, and self-repair.
What is Uni CLI Agent Substrate?
Uni CLI Agent Substrate is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to operations substrate for ai agents that use real software: 311 sites/tools, logged-in browsers, desktop apps, local tools, mcp, policy, evidence, agentenvelope v2, and self-repair.
Operations substrate for AI agents that use real software: 311 sites/tools, logged-in browsers, desktop apps, local tools, MCP, policy, evidence, AgentEnvelope v2, and self-repair.
This server falls under the Browser Automation category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- Operations substrate for AI agents that use real software: 3
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
Manual Installation
npx uni-cliConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use Uni CLI Agent Substrate
Uni-CLI is a universal computer-control platform for AI agents that unifies browser automation, desktop app control, local tools, files, OS services, and agent protocols under one governed runtime. It covers 317 websites and services, exposes operation contracts through native CLI, MCP, ACP, and Streamable HTTP, and returns every action as an AgentEnvelope v2 receipt with data, context, retryability, and evidence hooks. Developers use it to give AI agents a single, repairable control surface instead of stitching together separate browser libraries, computer-use sandboxes, and per-site wrappers.
Prerequisites
- Node.js 22.19 or higher
- An MCP-compatible client such as Claude Desktop, Claude Code, or Cursor
- npm (comes with Node.js) to install the @zenalexa/unicli package globally
- macOS for local desktop Accessibility (AX) features; other platforms supported for web and CLI operations
Install Uni-CLI globally
Install the @zenalexa/unicli package from npm so both the unicli CLI and the MCP server are available system-wide.
npm install -g @zenalexa/unicliVerify the installation
Run a quick intent search to confirm the binary is working and the operation catalog is reachable.
unicli search "find Hacker News frontpage" --limit 5Start the MCP server
Launch Uni-CLI in MCP stdio mode so your MCP client can connect and call operations as tools.
npx @zenalexa/unicli mcp serveAdd Uni-CLI to your MCP client config
Edit your claude_desktop_config.json (or equivalent) to register the MCP server. The server is launched on demand each time your client starts.
Test a real operation
Ask your AI agent to perform a web action. Uni-CLI maps the intent to the right operation, executes it through the best available substrate, and returns a structured AgentEnvelope receipt.
unicli extract https://news.ycombinator.com --max-chars 1200 -f jsonUse the delivery loop for autonomous tasks
For multi-step objectives write a spec file and run the delivery loop. Uni-CLI will assess failures, generate repair candidates, and reroute until the objective is met or exhausted.
unicli delivery run spec.json -f jsonUni CLI Agent Substrate Examples
Client configuration
Add Uni-CLI as an MCP server in Claude Desktop so the agent can call any of the 317 supported operations as tools.
{
"mcpServers": {
"uni-cli": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["@zenalexa/unicli", "mcp", "serve"]
}
}
}Prompts to try
Example prompts to explore Uni-CLI's intent-to-action capabilities through your MCP client.
- "Search for 'deploy incident' messages on Slack and return the top 5 results as JSON"
- "Extract the main article text from https://example.com and summarise it"
- "Download the arxiv paper 1706.03762 to my ~/papers folder"
- "Take a screenshot of the Calculator app on macOS and describe what is visible"
- "Find all Uni-CLI operations related to GitHub and list them"Troubleshooting Uni CLI Agent Substrate
unicli command not found after npm install -g
Ensure your npm global bin directory is on your PATH. Run `npm bin -g` to find the directory, then add it to your shell profile (e.g., export PATH="$(npm bin -g):$PATH").
MCP server disconnects or fails to start from Claude Desktop
Check that Node.js 22.19+ is installed and that the path used in the config resolves correctly. Run `npx @zenalexa/unicli mcp serve` manually in a terminal to see any startup errors before relying on the MCP client to launch it.
An operation fails with a policy block error
Uni-CLI uses permission profiles (open, confirm, locked). Sensitive operations require confirmation mode. Run the operation with the `--policy confirm` flag or review the error envelope's `retryable` and `policy_block` fields for guidance.
Frequently Asked Questions about Uni CLI Agent Substrate
What is Uni CLI Agent Substrate?
Uni CLI Agent Substrate is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that operations substrate for ai agents that use real software: 311 sites/tools, logged-in browsers, desktop apps, local tools, mcp, policy, evidence, agentenvelope v2, and self-repair. It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install Uni CLI Agent Substrate?
Follow the installation instructions on the Uni CLI Agent Substrate GitHub repository. Clone the repo, install dependencies, and add the server config to your AI client.
Which AI clients work with Uni CLI Agent Substrate?
Uni CLI Agent Substrate works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is Uni CLI Agent Substrate free to use?
Yes, Uni CLI Agent Substrate is open source and available under the Apache-2.0 license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
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