by smithery-ai · smithery-ai/cli
The official Smithery CLI — smithery install <server> to add MCPs to your client config, plus a dev mode for building your own.
Smithery hosts a public registry of MCP servers. This CLI lets you install/uninstall against your client config, list installed servers, and scaffold a new MCP for publishing.
%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json{
"mcpServers": {
"smithery-cli": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@smithery/cli"
]
}
}
}Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config. Restart after saving.
{
"mcpServers": {
"smithery-cli": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@smithery/cli"
]
}
}
}Cursor uses the same mcpServers schema as Claude Desktop. Project config wins over global.
{
"mcpServers": {
"smithery-cli": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@smithery/cli"
]
}
}
}Click the MCP Servers icon in the Cline sidebar, then "Edit Configuration".
{
"mcpServers": {
"smithery-cli": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@smithery/cli"
]
}
}
}Same shape as Claude Desktop. Restart Windsurf to pick up changes.
{
"mcpServers": [
{
"name": "smithery-cli",
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@smithery/cli"
]
}
]
}Continue uses an array of server objects rather than a map.
{
"context_servers": {
"smithery-cli": {
"command": {
"path": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@smithery/cli"
]
}
}
}
}Add to context_servers. Zed hot-reloads on save.
claude mcp add smithery-cli -- npx -y @smithery/cliOne-liner. Verify with claude mcp list. Remove with claude mcp remove.
When to use: You're tired of hand-merging stdio configs.
Outcome: New MCP installed without config archaeology.
Debug a Smithery-installed MCP directly
| Tool | Inputs | When to call | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| CLI subcommands | (see docs) | install / uninstall / list / dev / publish | 1 call |
blindly install — review tool list firstConfig not foundPass --config-path; CLI guesses defaults but they vary by OS
| Alternative | When to use it instead | Tradeoff |
|---|---|---|
| Manual config | You like full control | More work |