Preset Commands

Preset commands provide a powerful system for managing server configurations dynamically. Create named presets that define server selection criteria, then use them to switch server contexts without reconfiguring your MCP clients.

Overview

Preset commands allow you to:

• Create named configurations for different server contexts (development, production, testing)
• Switch server contexts dynamically using URL query parameters
• Share team configurations through preset URLs
• Maintain flexible server selection with tag-based filtering

Quick Reference

# Smart interactive mode (auto-detects existing presets)
1mcp preset                              # Create new or edit existing
1mcp preset edit development              # Edit existing preset

# Command-line preset creation
1mcp preset create dev --filter "web,api,database"
1mcp preset create prod --filter "web AND database AND monitoring"

# Preset management
1mcp preset list                        # List all presets
1mcp preset show development            # Show detailed preset info
1mcp preset url development             # Generate client URL
1mcp preset test development            # Test server matching
1mcp preset delete old-preset           # Remove preset

Core Concepts

Presets

A preset is a saved configuration that defines which servers should be available in a specific context. Each preset contains:

• Name: Unique identifier for the preset
• Strategy: How tags should be matched (OR, AND, or Advanced)
• Tag Query: The filtering criteria for server selection
• Description: Optional human-readable description

Tag-Based Filtering

Servers can be tagged in your configuration, and presets use these tags to determine which servers to include:

{
  "myserver": {
    "command": "node",
    "args": ["server.js"],
    "tags": ["web", "api", "development"]
  }
}

Dynamic Switching

Once created, presets can be used via URL query parameters:

• http://localhost:3050/mcp?preset=development - Use development servers
• http://localhost:3050/mcp?preset=production - Use production servers
• http://localhost:3050/mcp - Use all servers (no preset)

Commands

Smart Interactive Mode (no subcommand)

Smart interactive mode that auto-detects existing presets and offers options to create new or edit existing ones.

1mcp preset                              # Auto-detects and offers options

edit

Edit existing preset interactively with visual server selection.

1mcp preset edit development              # Edit existing preset

create

Command-line preset creation using filter expressions.

1mcp preset create dev --filter "web,api,database"
1mcp preset create prod --filter "web AND database AND monitoring"

list

Display all available presets in a formatted table.

1mcp preset list

show

Display detailed information about a specific preset.

1mcp preset show development

url

Generate the client URL for a preset.

1mcp preset url development

test

Test a preset against your current server configuration.

1mcp preset test development

delete

Remove a preset from your configuration.

1mcp preset delete old-staging

Usage Workflows

Interactive Workflow (TUI-based)

Best for users who prefer visual selection and exploration:

1. Smart interactive mode: 1mcp preset - Auto-detects existing presets
2. Direct editing: 1mcp preset edit development - Edit existing presets
3. Visual server selection with three-state checkboxes
4. Choose strategy (OR/AND/Advanced) with live preview
5. Save and get URL for client configuration

Command-Line Workflow

Best for automation and quick preset creation:

1. Create preset: 1mcp preset create dev --filter "web,api"
2. Generate URL: 1mcp preset url dev
3. Configure client with generated URL
4. Test preset: 1mcp preset test dev
5. List presets: 1mcp preset list

Team Sharing Workflow

Share preset configurations across team members:

1. Create team presets:

   1mcp preset create team-dev --filter "web,api,database"
   1mcp preset create team-prod --filter "web,database,monitoring"

2. Share URLs with team:

   1mcp preset url team-dev
   # Share: http://localhost:3050/mcp?preset=team-dev

3. Team members configure clients with shared URLs

4. Switch contexts by changing URL parameters

Advanced Usage

Complex Filter Expressions

Create sophisticated server selection rules:

# Multi-environment with exclusions
1mcp preset create secure-dev --filter "(web OR api) AND development AND NOT experimental"

# Cross-functional team preset
1mcp preset create fullstack --filter "(frontend AND web) OR (backend AND api) OR (database AND persistence)"

# Environment-specific with monitoring
1mcp preset create prod-monitored --filter "production AND (web OR api) AND monitoring"

Smart Interactive Mode

The most powerful approach for preset management:

# Smart mode - auto-detects existing presets and offers options
1mcp preset

# When no subcommand is provided:
# 1. Shows config directory path
# 2. Detects existing presets
# 3. Offers menu: Edit existing, Create new, or Cancel
# 4. Loads existing preset for editing or creates new one
# 5. Interactive server selection with TUI
# 6. Automatic saving with generated URL

URL Configuration Examples

Use presets in different MCP client configurations:

Claude Desktop (claude_desktop_config.json):

Use the stdio proxy to connect Claude Desktop to a running 1MCP HTTP server and apply the preset:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "1mcp-development": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@1mcp/agent", "proxy", "--preset", "development"]
    }
  }
}

Cursor/VS Code:

{
  "mcp.servers": {
    "1mcp-production": {
      "url": "http://localhost:3050/mcp?preset=production"
    }
  }
}

Preset Management Best Practices

1. Use descriptive names: web-dev, prod-api, staging-full
2. Add descriptions for complex presets
3. Test presets before sharing: 1mcp preset test <name>
4. Regular cleanup: Remove unused presets
5. Document team presets in shared documentation

Integration

Server Tagging

Tag your servers for effective preset filtering:

{
  "webserver": {
    "command": "mcp-server-web",
    "tags": ["web", "frontend", "development"]
  },
  "database": {
    "command": "mcp-server-db",
    "tags": ["database", "persistence", "production"]
  },
  "monitoring": {
    "command": "mcp-server-monitor",
    "tags": ["monitoring", "observability", "production"]
  }
}

HTTP Middleware

Presets work through built-in HTTP middleware that:

1. Extracts ?preset=name from request URLs
2. Resolves preset to tag query using PresetManager
3. Filters available servers based on tag matching
4. Falls back to all servers if preset not found

Client Configuration

Configure your MCP clients once with preset URLs, then switch contexts by changing the preset parameter without client restart.

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Preset not found: Check preset name spelling with 1mcp preset list

No servers match: Use 1mcp preset test <name> to see matching results

Invalid filter expression: Check filter syntax - use quotes for complex expressions

URL not working: Verify server is running and preset exists

Debug Commands

# List all presets
1mcp preset list

# Show detailed preset info
1mcp preset show <name>

# Test preset matching
1mcp preset test <name>

# Check server configuration
1mcp mcp status