mcp-sync

One CLI to manage MCP servers across every AI client you use.

Why it exists

MCP users run 3–6 clients: Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Zed, Continue, VS Code, and more. Every client has a different config location and schema. Installing a new MCP server means manually editing 6 JSON files. mcp-sync solves this by giving you a single command to sync your servers across every client simultaneously.

Installation

npm install -g mcp-sync

CLI Commands

1. List installed servers

mcp-sync list

Shows installed servers across all detected clients.

2. Add a new server

mcp-sync add filesystem --command npx --args -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /Users/me/data

Adds a new server to your canonical configuration.

3. Add directly from GitHub

mcp-sync add --from-github modelcontextprotocol/servers

Automatically scrapes the install snippet from the GitHub README.

4. Remove a server

mcp-sync remove filesystem

Removes the server from all clients.

5. Enable / Disable for specific clients

mcp-sync enable filesystem --for claude-desktop,cursor
mcp-sync disable filesystem --for windsurf

6. Sync configuration

mcp-sync sync

Ensures every enabled server is present and correctly formatted in every target client's config.

7. View config drift

mcp-sync diff

Shows the differences between your canonical config and the actual JSON files used by the clients.

8. Import / Export

mcp-sync export > mcp-servers.yaml
mcp-sync import mcp-servers.yaml

Export or import your complete server configuration for easy backup or sharing.

9. Health Checks

mcp-sync doctor

Detects broken paths, missing binaries, and authentication misconfigurations.

Programmatic API

import { clients, readConfig, addServer } from 'mcp-sync';

const all = await clients.detect(); 
const cfg = await readConfig('cursor');
await addServer({ name: 'fs', command: 'npx', args: ['-y', '@mcp/fs'] }, { targets: ['all'] });