Mcps

MCP CLI Manager - Manage MCP servers and call tools

Security Scan

The skill is internally consistent with its stated purpose (a CLI wrapper around the 'mcps' tool); its install, required binaries, and instructions align with managing MCP servers — nothing obviously incoherent or malicious was found.

Purpose & Capability

Name/description, required binary (mcps), and the npm install spec (@maplezzk/mcps) align with a CLI manager for MCP servers. Examples referencing PostgreSQL, GitLab, HTTP, SSE servers are consistent with a general-purpose MCP manager.

Instruction Scope

SKILL.md instructs the agent to run mcps commands and to manage ~/.mcps/mcp.json; that is within the skill's purpose. Note: examples show env-var substitution (e.g., ${DATABASE_URL}, ${GITLAB_TOKEN}) and file-based JSON params — when mcps is run it may read the config file and any env vars available to the agent, which could expose secrets if present. The skill does not itself instruct the agent to read unrelated system files.

Install Mechanism

Installation is via an npm package (@maplezzk/mcps) which produces the expected 'mcps' binary. npm installs are a common, expected mechanism for Node CLIs; they can execute code during install, so verify package provenance before installing globally.

Credentials

The skill declares no required environment variables (none required by the registry metadata), which is consistent. However, practical use expects service-specific secrets (DB connection strings, GITLAB_TOKEN, etc.) stored in env vars or the config file. These are proportionate to the functionality but require caution — mcps will forward env values to servers and may read ~/.mcps/mcp.json.

Persistence & Privilege

The skill does not request permanent presence (always: false) and contains no instructions to modify other skills or system-wide agent settings. Default autonomous invocation is enabled (normal); nothing here escalates privileges beyond a typical CLI tool.

Assessment

This skill appears to be what it says: a CLI manager that installs the 'mcps' binary via npm and runs mcps commands. Before installing or using it: 1) Verify the npm package and GitHub repository (author, stars, recent commits) to ensure you trust the publisher. 2) Prefer installing in an isolated environment (container or non-global install) if you’re unsure. 3) Be careful with ~/.mcps/mcp.json and environment variables — do not store or expose production secrets (DATABASE_URL, GITLAB_TOKEN, etc.) unless you trust the tool and the environment; mcps will read/forward those values when launching servers. 4) Review the package source code if you need high assurance (npm packages can run code at install and runtime). If those checks are acceptable, the skill is coherent with its purpose.

mcps - MCP CLI Manager

A powerful command-line tool for managing and calling MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers.

Installation

npm install -g @maplezzk/mcps

Configuration Examples

Adding Various MCP Servers

# Add fetch server (web scraping)
mcps add fetch --command uvx --args mcp-server-fetch

# Add PostgreSQL server
mcps add postgres --command npx --args @modelcontextprotocol/server-postgres --env POSTGRES_CONNECTION_STRING="${DATABASE_URL}"

# Add GitLab server
mcps add gitlab --command npx --args gitlab-mcp-server

# Add SSE server
mcps add remote --type sse --url http://localhost:8000/sse

# Add HTTP server
mcps add http-server --type http --url http://localhost:8000/mcp

Config File Example (~/.mcps/mcp.json)

{
  "servers": [
    {
      "name": "fetch",
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["mcp-server-fetch"]
    },
    {
      "name": "postgres",
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@modelcontextprotocol/server-postgres"],
      "env": {
        "POSTGRES_CONNECTION_STRING": "${DATABASE_URL}"
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "gitlab",
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["gitlab-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "GITLAB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "${GITLAB_TOKEN}",
        "GITLAB_API_URL": "https://gitlab.com/api/v4"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Note: Use environment variables for sensitive data (${VAR_NAME} format).

Quick Start

# 1. Add an MCP server
mcps add fetch --command uvx --args mcp-server-fetch

# 2. Start the daemon
mcps start

# 3. Check status
mcps status

# 4. List available tools
mcps tools fetch

# 5. Call a tool
mcps call fetch fetch url="https://example.com"

Command Reference

Server Management

Command	Description
mcps ls	List all configured servers
mcps add <name> --command <cmd> --args <args>	Add a new server
mcps rm <name>	Remove a server
mcps update [name]	Update server configuration
mcps update <name> --disabled true	Disable a server

Daemon Control

Command	Description
mcps start [--verbose]	Start daemon (verbose mode for debugging)
mcps stop	Stop daemon
mcps restart [server]	Restart daemon or specific server
mcps status	Check daemon status

Tool Invocation

Command	Description
mcps tools <server> [--simple]	List available tools
mcps call <server> <tool> [args...]	Call a tool

Tool Invocation: Parameter Passing

Default Mode (Auto JSON Parsing)

# String values are sent as-is
mcps call fetch fetch url="https://example.com"

# Numbers and booleans are auto-parsed
mcps call fetch fetch max_length=5000 follow_redirects=true
# Sends: { "max_length": 5000, "follow_redirects": true }

# JSON objects (use single quotes outside)
mcps call my-server createUser user='{"name": "Alice", "age": 30}'

--raw Mode (Keep Values as Strings)

# Use --raw for SQL IDs, codes, or strings that should not be parsed
mcps call my-db createOrder --raw order_id="12345" sku="ABC-001"
# Sends: { "order_id": "12345", "sku": "ABC-001" }

# SQL with special characters
mcps call alibaba-dms createDataChangeOrder --raw \
  database_id="123" \
  script="DELETE FROM table WHERE id = 'xxx';" \
  logic="true"

--json Mode (Complex Parameters)

# From JSON string
mcps call my-server createUser --json '{"name": "Alice", "age": 30}'

# From file
mcps call my-server createUser --json params.json

Real-World Usage Examples

Scenario 1: Web Scraping and Search

# Fetch webpage content
mcps call fetch fetch url="https://example.com" max_length=5000

# Deep fetch (follow links)
mcps call fetch fetch url="https://example.com" follow_redirects=true max_depth=2

# Filtered fetch
mcps call fetch fetch url="https://news.example.com" include_tags='["article", "p"]' exclude_tags='["script", "style"]'

Scenario 2: Database Query

# Query data (auto-parsed parameters)
mcps call postgres query sql="SELECT * FROM users WHERE active = true LIMIT 10"

# Keep parameters as strings (use --raw)
mcps call postgres query --raw sql="SELECT * FROM orders WHERE id = '12345'"

Scenario 3: Complex Parameter Passing

# JSON object parameters
mcps call my-server createUser user='{"name": "Alice", "age": 30, "tags": ["admin", "user"]}'

# Load JSON from file
mcps call my-server createUser --json user.json

# Mixed parameters (some auto-parsed, some raw)
mcps call my-server update --raw id="123" data='{"name": "Updated"}'

Scenario 4: Server Management

# View all server configurations
mcps ls

# Check active connections
mcps status

# Restart a single server
mcps restart postgres

# Restart all servers
mcps restart

# Disable a server (without removing config)
mcps update my-server --disabled true

# Remove a server
mcps rm my-server

Scenario 5: Tool Filtering and Search

# Show only tool names (simple mode)
mcps tools postgres --simple

# Filter tools by keyword
mcps tools postgres --tool query --tool describe

# Find tools containing "create"
mcps tools postgres --tool create

Configuration

• Config file: ~/.mcps/mcp.json
• Environment variables:
  • MCPS_CONFIG_DIR: Config directory
  • MCPS_PORT: Daemon port (default: 4100)
  • MCPS_VERBOSE: Verbose logging mode

FAQ

Q: How to check server status?

mcps status  # Check active connections
mcps ls      # Check all configurations (including disabled)

Q: Server connection failed?

mcps start --verbose  # View detailed logs
mcps restart my-server  # Restart specific server

Q: How to quickly find tools?

mcps tools my-server --tool keyword  # Filter by keyword
mcps tools my-server --simple        # Show names only

Q: Special characters in parameters (e.g., SQL)?

# Use --raw to keep string format
mcps call alibaba-dms createDataChangeOrder --raw \
  database_id="123" \
  script="DELETE FROM table WHERE id = 'xxx';" \
  logic="true"

Q: Daemon starts slowly?

• First start loads all servers, 10-15 seconds is normal
• Subsequent starts are faster (~2 seconds)
• Use mcps ls to check config without starting daemon