mcp setup

Configure an already installed backend without writing JSON. This command supports CodeGraph, Code Review Graph, and Serena. Use mcp install to browse and install registry servers.

Setup is a convenience for generating server configuration. To customize or share automatic preparation, configure preparation.definition in mcp.json using a referenced recipe. Setup preserves existing custom recipes, inputs, activation choices, disables, and permissions, including with --force. The three maintained examples do not supply verified native preparation recipes.

Synopsis

Choose a maintained example interactively:

1mcp mcp setup

Select an example directly:

1mcp mcp setup --known codegraph
1mcp mcp setup --known code-review-graph
1mcp mcp setup --known serena

Options

Option	Behavior
--interactive, -i	Prompt for missing prerequisites and confirm configuration when selecting an example directly.
--known <id>	Select codegraph, code-review-graph, or serena; omit to choose interactively.
--executable <path>	Use an installed executable at this path instead of discovering it on PATH.
--checkout <absolute-path>	Configure a static checkout target. Omit for a reusable checkout-bound template.
--name <name>	Set the local configuration name; defaults to the example ID.
--dry-run	Validate and preview without saving or launching a backend.
--force	Explicitly reconfigure an existing example while preserving unrelated settings and overrides. Equivalent setup is already a no-op.

The command also accepts global configuration selectors such as --config and --config-dir.

Examples

Preview a reusable template with an explicit executable:

1mcp mcp setup --known codegraph --executable /absolute/bin/codegraph --dry-run

Preview a fixed checkout target:

1mcp mcp setup --known serena --checkout /absolute/project --name project-serena --dry-run

Remove --dry-run to save. By default, the template uses the checkout selected and authorized by the project-context workflow. The setup command's working directory does not bind that template. Later, select a checkout with 1mcp inspect serena --project /absolute/project.

Results and limitations

Successful setup reports configuration changes and reload observation, but does not report native readiness. Repeating equivalent setup leaves the configuration unchanged. Meaningful reconfiguration requires --force; static/template name collisions fail rather than silently moving a target. Existing overrides, secret references, disables, and preparation restrictions are preserved.

Install backend executables and language dependencies first. Missing prerequisites produce guidance; setup does not download dependencies, initialize indexes, complete onboarding, or grant checkout access. It does not enable automatic preparation or prove source freshness. If a runtime is running, saving a static backend can start it through normal configuration reload; native startup retains its own behavior.

Tested versions

The setup examples were tested on macOS 26.6.2 arm64 with Node.js 26.4.0, CodeGraph 1.6.2, Code Review Graph 2.3.9, and Serena 2.0.0 (individual-tools interface). The Serena TypeScript example used TypeScript 5.9.3 and typescript-language-server 5.1.3. Other versions, platforms, languages, and large repositories are outside this tested scope. These setup checks do not establish automatic preparation support.

See also

• Backend preparation — current support, supplied recipes, and preparation progress.
• Project checkouts — target selection and authorization.
• mcp install — registry installation.