Automic VaultAutomic Vault

brew

Install mcphost with Homebrew, Nix, zypper

CLI host for LLMs to interact with tools via MCP. Version 0.34.0 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.

Install commandSecurity notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install mcphost

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#mcphost

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/mc/mcphost/package.nix · source: api.github.com

openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install mcphost

openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · mcphost · source: download.opensuse.org

overview

Package summary

CLI host for LLMs to interact with tools via MCP

Commands and aliases

  • mcphost

history

Project history and usage

MCPHost is a command-line host application that lets large language models use external tools through the Model Context Protocol. In package terms it is a local, installable MCP client/host: the user configures MCP servers once, chooses a model provider, and interacts with tools from a terminal.

Project history

The project was created publicly on GitHub in December 2024, soon after MCP became a common protocol for connecting tools to LLM clients. Its README describes MCPHost as a CLI that supports interactive chat, non-interactive prompts, YAML-based scripts, configurable MCP servers, hooks, multiple model providers, and multiple MCP transports.

MCPHost's configuration story evolved around home-directory YAML or JSON files. The current README says it prefers `.mcphost.yml` or `.mcphost.json`, while retaining `.mcp.yml` and `.mcp.json` for backwards compatibility, which reflects the fast-moving naming conventions of early MCP tooling.

Adoption history

By July 2026, GitHub metadata showed about 1.6k stars and more than 200 forks, enough to make it one of the better-known standalone terminal hosts for MCP workflows. Its release history on GitHub starts with v0.4.3 in January 2025 and reaches v0.34.0 by February 2026.

The project's adoption comes from users who want a model-and-tool terminal rather than a specific desktop app. The README documents providers such as Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Ollama, and OpenAI-compatible endpoints, which helped it fit mixed local and hosted model setups.

How it is used

A typical user installs `mcphost`, places MCP server definitions in `~/.mcphost.yml` or a compatible JSON/YAML file, and starts an interactive session with `mcphost`. The same binary can also run one-shot prompts with `-p`, choose models with `--model`, override provider URLs and API keys with flags, or execute script files with YAML front matter.

For MCP configuration, the README documents local, remote, and builtin server types mapped to stdio, streamable HTTP, and in-process transports. It also supports environment-variable substitution in config files, which is the documented way to keep API keys out of committed configuration.

Why package nerds care

MCPHost is package-nerd interesting because it packages the host side of MCP as a single CLI rather than requiring a GUI client. That makes it useful in shell scripts, CI jobs, demos, and reproducible examples where a Homebrew or Nix install is easier to explain than editor-specific setup.

Its backwards-compatible config filenames also show a common early-ecosystem pattern: tools stabilized around MCP names while retaining older generic `.mcp` files so existing users did not have to rewrite local setups.

Timeline

  • 2024-12: GitHub repository created.
  • 2025-01: v0.4.3 release published.
  • 2025: README documents preferred `.mcphost` config files plus backwards-compatible `.mcp` config files.
  • 2026-02: v0.34.0 release published.

Related projects

  • MCPHost is related to MCP server packages such as MCP Toolbox for Databases and to inspection/interaction tools such as mcptools. It also overlaps with MCP-aware coding clients and agent CLIs, but its niche is hosting model conversations and MCP servers directly from the terminal.

security posture

Risk level: green

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

Risk classifier

green risk · low confidence · appliance

Why

  • narrow executable package without higher-risk signals

Signals

  • metadata:no-higher-risk-signals

Install behavior

  • No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
  • Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
  • Build metadata lists 1 build dependencies.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

local files

Configuration and credential file locations

These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.

Configuration files

Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.

Unix
~/.mcphost.yml~/.mcphost.json~/.mcp.yml~/.mcp.json
Windows
%USERPROFILE%\.mcphost.yml%USERPROFILE%\.mcphost.json%USERPROFILE%\.mcp.yml%USERPROFILE%\.mcp.json

executables

Installed executables

CommandKindExposureNote
mcphostcliglobal executable

freshness

Version and freshness

These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.

page generated2026-07-08
manager version0.34.0
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamcurrent
latest detectedv0.34.0

https://github.com/mark3labs/mcphost

  • infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package keybrew:mcphost
Version0.34.0
Package managerHomebrew
Package manager pagehttps://formulae.brew.sh/formula/mcphost
Homepagehttps://github.com/mark3labs/mcphost
Repositoryhttps://github.com/mark3labs/mcphost
Upstream docshttps://github.com/mark3labs/mcphost#readme
LicenseMIT
Source archivehttps://github.com/mark3labs/mcphost/archive/refs/tags/v0.34.0.tar.gz
Build dependenciesgo
Bottleavailable (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-installnot defined
Servicenone declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source DatabaseHomebrew formula API
Taphomebrew/core
Full Namemcphost
Version Scheme0
Revision0
Head VersionHEAD
Bottle Stable Root URLhttps://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecatedno
Disabledno
Keg Onlyno
URL Keys
  • head
  • stable

source database matches

Other package-manager records

Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.

Nix95%

mcphost

nix profile install nixpkgs#mcphost
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Mcphost
nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/mc/mcphost/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
zypper95%

mcphost 0.34.0-8.1

A CLI host application for the Model Context Protocol (MCP)

https://github.com/mark3labs/mcphost

sudo zypper install mcphost
  • License: MIT and Apache-2.0 AND BSD-2-Clause AND BSD-3-Clause
  • Category: Unspecified
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: mcphost
  • 1 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Mcphost
openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: mcphost from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst
zypper95%

mcphost-bash-completion 0.34.0-8.1

Bash Completion for mcphost

https://github.com/mark3labs/mcphost

sudo zypper install mcphost-bash-completion
  • License: MIT and Apache-2.0 AND BSD-2-Clause AND BSD-3-Clause
  • Category: System/Shells
  • Architecture: noarch
  • Source Package: mcphost
  • 2 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Mcphost
openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: mcphost-bash-completion from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst
zypper95%

mcphost-fish-completion 0.34.0-8.1

Fish Completion for mcphost

https://github.com/mark3labs/mcphost

sudo zypper install mcphost-fish-completion
  • License: MIT and Apache-2.0 AND BSD-2-Clause AND BSD-3-Clause
  • Category: System/Shells
  • Architecture: noarch
  • Source Package: mcphost
  • 1 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Mcphost
openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: mcphost-fish-completion from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst
zypper95%

mcphost-zsh-completion 0.34.0-8.1

ZSH Completion for mcphost

https://github.com/mark3labs/mcphost

sudo zypper install mcphost-zsh-completion
  • License: MIT and Apache-2.0 AND BSD-2-Clause AND BSD-3-Clause
  • Category: System/Shells
  • Architecture: noarch
  • Source Package: mcphost
  • 1 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Mcphost
openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: mcphost-zsh-completion from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

Related tools

  • goBuild dependency declared by Homebrew.

Same workflow

  • mcpmShares av.db curated category or tags: ai, ai-tools, cli, developer-tools, mcp.
  • neo4j-mcpShares av.db curated category or tags: ai, ai-tools, cli, developer-tools, mcp.
  • mcptoolsShares av.db curated category or tags: ai, cli, developer-tools, mcp.
  • slack-mcp-serverShares av.db curated category or tags: ai, cli, developer-tools, mcp.
  • context7-mcpShares av.db curated category or tags: ai, cli, developer-tools, llm, mcp.
  • gitea-mcp-serverShares av.db curated category or tags: ai, ai-tools, cli, developer-tools, mcp.

source trail

Generated from repository data

This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.

Used sources

  • Geiger risk classifier
  • Nucleus package database
  • av.db category and tag curation
  • cross-ecosystem install command graph
  • curated configuration and credential file locations
  • curated package history
  • external package-manager database matches
  • package relationship graph
  • package version freshness
  • package-page enrichment