MCP Install

The universal install button for MCP servers — one button, every client. Live at install.apicommons.org. An API Commons tool.

The "Run in Postman" button, for MCP. A provider configures their server once and gets a single button that installs it in every major and niche MCP client — one-click deep links where clients support them (Cursor, VS Code, Visual Studio, LM Studio, Goose), ready-to-run CLI commands (Claude Code, Gemini CLI, Codex CLI), per-OS config snippets (Claude Desktop, Windsurf, Zed, Cline, Continue, Warp, Kiro, and more), and web connector walkthroughs (Claude, ChatGPT, Copilot coding agent).

The pieces

1. The open client install registry — /clients.json

The load-bearing artifact: a machine-readable registry of how every MCP client installs a server — deep-link builders, CLI command templates, config file paths per OS, root keys and snippet shapes, connector steps. Validated by /clients.schema.json.

Anyone can build on it — badge generators, docs sites, directories, CLIs. Adding a client is (almost always) a pure data PR to public/clients.json. No code change unless the client invented a genuinely new mechanism.

2. The hosted chooser — install.apicommons.org/?…

What the button links to. Resolves the server definition, detects the visitor's OS, and renders every client's install path. Three ways to carry the server:

Parameter	Carries	Use when
?name=io.github.acme/acme-mcp	Official MCP Registry name	You publish server.json to the registry (best — installs stay current)
?server=https://…/server.json	URL of a self-hosted server.json	You host the manifest yourself
?config=<base64url>	Inline definition	Quick start, no manifest anywhere yet

3. The embeddable web component — /button.js

The dynamic in-page button with the client picker, self-contained, no framework:

<script src="https://install.apicommons.org/button.js" async></script>
<mcp-install-button name="io.github.acme/acme-mcp"></mcp-install-button>

Attributes: name / server / config (one of, as above), label, clients (comma-separated ids to limit the menu), theme="light", color="#hex" (accent color for the button — readable text color and hover are derived automatically), registry (override the clients.json URL — point it at your fork).

4. The generator

The home page. Fill the form (or import from the MCP Registry / a server.json), then copy the button as a plain link, Markdown, HTML, the web component, or a row of per-client deep-link badges.

Deep-link builders

The registry names a builder per deep-link client; the formats are:

Builder	Format
cursor	https://cursor.com/en/install-mcp?name={key}&config={base64 JSON}
vscode	https://vscode.dev/redirect/mcp/install?name={key}&config={URI-encoded JSON}
vscode-insiders	same, on insiders.vscode.dev, plus &quality=insiders
visual-studio	https://vs-open.link/mcp-install?{URI-encoded JSON incl. name}
lmstudio	lmstudio://add_mcp?name={key}&config={base64 JSON}
goose	goose://extension?cmd=…&arg=…&id=…&name=…&description=… (or url=…&type=streamable_http)

Remote-only servers still reach stdio-only clients via an auto-generated mcp-remote bridge command, clearly labeled.

Security posture

• The button carries a pointer (registry name or server.json URL) whenever possible, not an inline config — the chooser shows users exactly what they're about to install, from a canonical source.
• Never put real secrets in a button. Use <PLACEHOLDER> values for env vars and headers; clients prompt users or OAuth.
• Nothing executes from the page: every output is a link the user's client confirms, or text the user copies deliberately.

Add a client

PR public/clients.json with an entry that validates against public/clients.schema.json:

• category: the best mechanism the client offers — deeplink, cli, config, or connector.
• transports: which of stdio / http / sse the client speaks.
• Then whichever of deeplink (a named builder), cli (command templates with {name} {command} {args} {url} {envFlags} {headerFlags} {jsonWithName} tokens), config (format, rootKey, snippet style, per-OS paths), and connector (steps) apply — a client may have several.

Develop

npm install
npm run dev      # app at localhost:5173
npm run build    # dist/ = app + clients.json + button.js

Vanilla TypeScript + Vite, no runtime dependencies. Deploys to GitHub Pages on push to main.

License

Apache-2.0. Free, open tooling from API Commons; expert services behind it from API Evangelist.