MCPShim
MCP tools as CLI commands
Use any MCP server as a standard shell command. mcpshim turns remote tools into native CLI commands your agent can call directly - no SDKs, no schema bloat, just shell.
Built for command-native MCP workflows
The daemon does discovery, auth, and capability management. The CLI stays thin and predictable.
MCP tools become CLI commands
Every remote MCP tool is exposed as a standard shell command with flags that map to tool parameters. Call them from any script, agent, or pipeline.
Dynamic tool discovery
The daemon discovers server capabilities automatically. The CLI surfaces them as callable commands without manual wrapper code.
Flags become MCP args
CLI flags are translated on the fly into MCP tool parameters so calls feel like native shell commands.
Config-driven registration
Config is the source of truth for server registration. Add servers by URL, set auth headers, reload, and keep everything deterministic.
Auth handled for you
OAuth flows, API keys, and header-based auth are centralized in the daemon. Your commands just work.
Agent-ready and composable
Avoid loading huge MCP schemas into model context. Register tools once, invoke only what the agent needs as simple CLI calls.
How it works
mcpshim sits between your agent and remote MCP servers. The daemon holds connections; the CLI exposes every tool as a standard command.
Define your MCP servers
Add remote servers by URL in a YAML config. Set auth headers, aliases, and environment variables.
Start the daemon
Run mcpshimd to connect to all servers and expose a single Unix socket for the CLI.
Call tools from the shell
Use mcpshim call or generated wrapper scripts - flags become MCP arguments automatically.
What agents can do with mcpshim
From tool orchestration to context-budget control, mcpshim gives your AI the MCP infrastructure it needs to operate efficiently.
Agent tool orchestration
Let your AI agent discover and call remote MCP tools as standard CLI commands instead of embedding entire server SDKs.
Context-efficient tool use
Stop loading hundreds of MCP tool definitions into model context. Call tools by name from the shell - the agent only sees what it invokes.
Unified MCP gateway
Route multiple remote MCP servers through one daemon with centralized auth, history, and config - every tool exposed as a CLI command.
Works with every AI agent
Copilot, Claude, Gemini, Codex - it doesn't matter. If your agent can run a command, it can use any MCP server.
GitHub Copilot
Give Copilot access to remote MCP tools as local commands so it can call APIs, search knowledge bases, and trigger workflows.
Claude
Let Claude invoke remote MCP tools through thin shell commands - no SDK bloat in context, just call what it needs.
Gemini
Connect Gemini to your MCP servers so it can discover tools, run queries, and chain actions across services.
Codex
Equip Codex with MCP-backed commands to fetch data, run operations, and report results without context overhead.
OpenCode
Let OpenCode reach remote MCP tools as lightweight shell commands - discover, call, and chain actions without context bloat.
Any Agent
mcpshim is agent-agnostic. Any AI that can run a shell command or read from a Unix socket gets instant MCP access.
mcpshim exposes MCP tools as standard CLI commands. Any AI agent that supports tool-use, function calling, or shell execution can call them directly - zero custom integration code.
Get started in seconds
Let your AI agent set things up, or install manually with Go.
1. Give your agent the install skill
Run this command to download the MCPShim install skill. Then ask your agent to follow the instructions inside.
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mcpshim/skills/refs/heads/master/mcpshim-install/SKILL.md -o MCPSHIM_INSTALL.md2. Ask your agent to install MCPShim
Paste something like this into your agent's chat:
“Read MCPSHIM_INSTALL.md and follow the instructions to install mcpshim, configure it with the MCP servers I need, start the daemon, and verify with mcpshim status.”
Your agent will install the binaries, create the config, start the daemon, and verify everything is working - autonomously.
One daemon, every MCP server
Your agent doesn't need to manage connections, auth tokens, or capability schemas. mcpshim handles all of that so your CLI commands just work.
- Persistent connections to all configured MCP servers
- SQLite-backed call history and OAuth token storage
- Config-driven server registration with hot reload
- JSON IPC protocol over Unix domain socket
- Wrapper scripts for short aliases (mcpshim script --install)
Give your agent a voice too
MCPShim gives your agent tools. Pantalk gives it a voice - letting AI agents send, receive, and stream messages across Slack, Discord, Telegram, and 7 more platforms. Together they form a complete agent infrastructure stack.
Build with us
mcpshim is open source. Follow development on GitHub, report issues, or contribute improvements.