Advanced Examples

Real-world usage scenarios and advanced configurations for MCP Server Manager.

Multi-Project Setup with Profiles

Manage different server configurations for different projects using profiles.

Scenario: Web Developer with Multiple Projects

bash

# Create profiles for different project types
mcpsm profile create frontend
mcpsm profile create backend
mcpsm profile create fullstack

# Add servers to frontend profile
mcpsm profile add frontend filesystem
mcpsm profile add frontend github

# Add servers to backend profile
mcpsm profile add backend postgres
mcpsm profile add backend redis
mcpsm profile add backend docker

# Fullstack gets everything
mcpsm profile add fullstack filesystem
mcpsm profile add fullstack github
mcpsm profile add fullstack postgres
mcpsm profile add fullstack docker

# Switch between profiles as needed
mcpsm profile use frontend    # When working on React app
mcpsm profile use backend     # When working on API
mcpsm profile use fullstack   # When working on everything

Remote Server Configuration

HTTP Server with Bearer Token

bash

mcpsm add stripe \
  --type http \
  --url "https://mcp.stripe.com" \
  --token "sk_live_..."

SSE Server with OAuth

bash

mcpsm add company-api \
  --type sse \
  --url "https://api.company.com/mcp/sse" \
  --oauth

Then authenticate:

bash

mcpsm auth login company-api

Custom Headers

For servers requiring custom headers, edit the config directly:

bash

mcpsm config

json

{
  "remoteServers": [
    {
      "id": "custom-api",
      "name": "Custom API",
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://api.example.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "X-API-Key": "your-api-key",
        "X-Custom-Header": "value"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Tool Filtering for Token Optimization

Reduce context token usage by disabling unnecessary tools.

View token usage by tool

bash

mcpsm tokens --detailed

Output:

Server: filesystem (4,250 tokens)
  ├─ read_file       1,200 tokens  ✓ enabled
  ├─ write_file      1,100 tokens  ✓ enabled
  ├─ list_directory    800 tokens  ✓ enabled
  ├─ search_files      750 tokens  ✗ disabled
  └─ get_file_info     400 tokens  ✓ enabled

Disable high-token tools you don't need

bash

# Disable specific tools
mcpsm tools disable filesystem search_files
mcpsm tools disable github list_commits

# Or use TUI for visual selection
mcpsm
# Press T to open tools screen

Create a minimal tool set

bash

# Disable all tools first
mcpsm tools disable filesystem --all

# Enable only what you need
mcpsm tools enable filesystem read_file
mcpsm tools enable filesystem write_file
mcpsm tools enable filesystem list_directory

Automation and CI/CD Integration

Export configuration for backup

bash

# Export to JSON file
mcpsm export -o ~/backups/mcp-config-$(date +%Y%m%d).json

# Export in Claude format
mcpsm export --format claude -o claude-config.json

Import on a new machine

bash

# From backup file
mcpsm import ~/backups/mcp-config-20240115.json

# From existing client
mcpsm import --from claude
mcpsm import --from cursor

CI/CD Pipeline Script

bash

#!/bin/bash
# setup-mcp.sh - Run on new development machines

# Install mcpsm
npm install -g mcp-server-manager

# Import standard config from URL or local file
mcpsm import ./team-mcp-config.json

# Enable required clients
mcpsm clients enable claude
mcpsm clients enable cursor

# Sync to all enabled clients
mcpsm clients sync

# Test all servers
mcpsm test

# Start daemon with auto-startup
mcpsm start
mcpsm startup enable

JSON Output for Scripts

bash

# List servers as JSON
mcpsm list --json | jq '.servers[].name'

# Check specific server status
mcpsm test filesystem --json | jq '.status'

# Get client sync status
mcpsm clients --json | jq '.[] | select(.enabled == true)'

Daemon and Gateway Configuration

Running as Background Service

bash

# Start daemon
mcpsm start

# Enable auto-start on boot
mcpsm startup enable

# View live logs
mcpsm logs -f

# Check status
mcpsm status

Custom Port Configuration

bash

# Change gateway port
mcpsm port 9000

# Verify the change
mcpsm settings get port

Using with Multiple Claude Desktop Windows

The daemon allows multiple Claude Desktop windows to share the same MCP servers:

Start the daemon: mcpsm start
All Claude windows connect to the same gateway
Server state is shared across windows

Multi-Client Synchronization

Sync specific servers to specific clients

bash

# Enable clients
mcpsm clients enable claude
mcpsm clients enable cursor
mcpsm clients enable windsurf

# Sync all servers to all enabled clients
mcpsm clients sync

# Or sync to specific client
mcpsm clients sync claude

Different configurations per client

Use profiles combined with manual sync:

bash

# Set up work profile
mcpsm profile use work
mcpsm clients sync cursor

# Set up personal profile
mcpsm profile use personal
mcpsm clients sync claude

Local Development Servers

Filesystem server with specific paths

bash

mcpsm add project-files \
  --type stdio \
  --command "npx" \
  --args "-y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /Users/me/projects"

Multiple filesystem servers for different directories

bash

# Documents
mcpsm add docs \
  --type stdio \
  --command "npx" \
  --args "-y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem ~/Documents"

# Code
mcpsm add code \
  --type stdio \
  --command "npx" \
  --args "-y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem ~/Code"

# Downloads (disabled by default)
mcpsm add downloads \
  --type stdio \
  --command "npx" \
  --args "-y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem ~/Downloads"
mcpsm disable downloads

GitHub server with personal token

bash

mcpsm add github \
  --type stdio \
  --command "npx" \
  --args "-y @modelcontextprotocol/server-github" \
  --env "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN=ghp_..."

Health Monitoring

Regular health checks

bash

# Run comprehensive health check
mcpsm doctor

# Test all servers
mcpsm test

# View server status with token counts
mcpsm list --tokens

Create a monitoring script

bash

#!/bin/bash
# monitor-mcp.sh

# Test servers
result=$(mcpsm test --json)

# Check for failures
failures=$(echo $result | jq '[.[] | select(.status == "failed")] | length')

if [ "$failures" -gt 0 ]; then
  echo "MCP Server Alert: $failures server(s) failed"
  echo $result | jq '.[] | select(.status == "failed")'
  # Send notification, write to log, etc.
fi

Tips and Best Practices

1. Start with minimal servers

Only add servers you actually need. More servers = more tokens = higher costs.

2. Use profiles

Group servers by context. Switch profiles instead of enabling/disabling individual servers.

3. Monitor token usage

Run mcpsm tokens regularly to see which servers and tools consume the most tokens.

4. Keep daemon running

Use mcpsm startup enable to ensure the gateway is always available.

5. Export regularly

Back up your configuration: mcpsm export -o backup.json

6. Test before syncing

Always run mcpsm test before syncing to clients to catch broken servers.

Advanced Examples ​

Multi-Project Setup with Profiles ​

Scenario: Web Developer with Multiple Projects ​

Remote Server Configuration ​

HTTP Server with Bearer Token ​

SSE Server with OAuth ​

Custom Headers ​

Tool Filtering for Token Optimization ​

View token usage by tool ​

Disable high-token tools you don't need ​

Create a minimal tool set ​

Automation and CI/CD Integration ​

Export configuration for backup ​

Import on a new machine ​

CI/CD Pipeline Script ​

JSON Output for Scripts ​

Daemon and Gateway Configuration ​

Running as Background Service ​

Custom Port Configuration ​

Using with Multiple Claude Desktop Windows ​

Multi-Client Synchronization ​

Sync specific servers to specific clients ​

Different configurations per client ​

Local Development Servers ​

Filesystem server with specific paths ​

Multiple filesystem servers for different directories ​

GitHub server with personal token ​

Health Monitoring ​

Regular health checks ​

Create a monitoring script ​

Tips and Best Practices ​

1. Start with minimal servers ​

2. Use profiles ​

3. Monitor token usage ​

4. Keep daemon running ​

5. Export regularly ​

6. Test before syncing ​

Advanced Examples

Multi-Project Setup with Profiles

Scenario: Web Developer with Multiple Projects

Remote Server Configuration

HTTP Server with Bearer Token

SSE Server with OAuth

Custom Headers

Tool Filtering for Token Optimization

View token usage by tool

Disable high-token tools you don't need

Create a minimal tool set

Automation and CI/CD Integration

Export configuration for backup

Import on a new machine

CI/CD Pipeline Script

JSON Output for Scripts

Daemon and Gateway Configuration

Running as Background Service

Custom Port Configuration

Using with Multiple Claude Desktop Windows

Multi-Client Synchronization

Sync specific servers to specific clients

Different configurations per client

Local Development Servers

Filesystem server with specific paths

Multiple filesystem servers for different directories

GitHub server with personal token

Health Monitoring

Regular health checks

Create a monitoring script

Tips and Best Practices

1. Start with minimal servers

2. Use profiles

3. Monitor token usage

4. Keep daemon running

5. Export regularly

6. Test before syncing