MCP Servers

MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers give Chronos Code extra tools: your issue tracker, a database, internal documentation search, a browser, and more. Any MCP server that runs as a local command, or is reachable over HTTPS, can be used.

Add a server

A local command:

chronos-code mcp add github --command github-mcp-server --arg stdio

A remote server over HTTPS:

chronos-code mcp add docs --url https://mcp.example.com/sse

By default, the server is saved in .mcp.json in the current folder, so you can commit it and share it with your team. Add --scope user to save it in ~/.chronos-code/mcp.json instead, and use it in every project.

Then check that it works:

chronos-code mcp test github

Use it

Start Chronos Code and run /mcp to see your servers and their status. If a server is listed as waiting for approval, connect it:

/mcp connect github

After that, its tools are available to the agent. Just ask:

Look up issue #482 and fix the bug it describes

To connect servers at startup, or in a headless run, pass --mcp-connect <name> (repeatable): chronos-code run --mcp-connect github "...".

Each call to an MCP tool asks for your approval, like edits and shell commands do. Press a to allow a server's tool for the rest of the session.

Servers you already have

Chronos Code also picks up MCP servers you've configured for other tools:

• .mcp.json (project)
• .cursor/mcp.json
• .vscode/mcp.json
• .claude/mcp.json
• ~/.chronos-code/mcp.json (personal)

If two files define a server with the same name, the first one in this list wins.

The .mcp.json format

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github": {
      "transport": "stdio",
      "command": "github-mcp-server",
      "args": ["stdio", "--token", "${GITHUB_TOKEN}"]
    },
    "docs": {
      "transport": "sse",
      "url": "https://mcp.example.com/sse?key=${DOCS_API_KEY}"
    }
  }
}

Credentials

Anything that looks like a token or password must be written as a ${VARIABLE} reference, and set in your environment before starting Chronos Code. Servers with a pasted-in secret are refused, so secrets can't end up in your repository by accident. mcp list and mcp test hide credential values in their output.

Only local commands (stdio) and HTTPS servers (sse) are supported.

Managing servers

Command	What it does
chronos-code mcp list	Show configured servers (secrets hidden)
chronos-code mcp test <name>	Connect, list the server's tools, and disconnect
chronos-code mcp remove <name>	Remove a server
/mcp (in the app)	Show status and tool counts
/mcp connect <name>	Connect a server that is waiting for approval

If one server fails to start, the others and the rest of Chronos Code keep working.

Turning MCP off

To ignore all MCP configuration, for example in CI:

# config.yaml
mcp:
  discovery_enabled: false

To block specific servers in a project, list them in security.yaml:

mcp:
  denied_servers: ["browser"]