---
name: mcp2cli
description: Turn any MCP server or OpenAPI spec into a CLI. Use this skill when the user wants to interact with an MCP server or OpenAPI/REST API via command line, discover available tools/endpoints, call API operations, or generate a new skill from an API. Triggers include "mcp2cli", "call this MCP server", "use this API", "list tools from", "create a skill for this API", or any task involving MCP tool invocation or OpenAPI endpoint calls without writing code.
---
# mcp2cli
Turn any MCP server or OpenAPI spec into a CLI at runtime. No codegen.
## Install
```bash
# Run directly (no install needed)
uvx mcp2cli --help
# Or install
pip install mcp2cli
```
## Core Workflow
1. **Connect** to a source (MCP server or OpenAPI spec)
2. **Discover** available commands with `--list`
3. **Inspect** a specific command with `<command> --help`
4. **Execute** the command with flags
```bash
# MCP over HTTP
mcp2cli --mcp https://mcp.example.com/sse --list
mcp2cli --mcp https://mcp.example.com/sse create-task --help
mcp2cli --mcp https://mcp.example.com/sse create-task --title "Fix bug"
# MCP over stdio
mcp2cli --mcp-stdio "npx @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /tmp" --list
mcp2cli --mcp-stdio "npx @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /tmp" read-file --path /tmp/hello.txt
# OpenAPI spec (remote or local, JSON or YAML)
mcp2cli --spec https://petstore3.swagger.io/api/v3/openapi.json --list
mcp2cli --spec ./openapi.json --base-url https://api.example.com list-pets --status available
```
## CLI Reference
```
mcp2cli [global options] <subcommand> [command options]
Source (mutually exclusive, one required):
--spec URL|FILE OpenAPI spec (JSON or YAML, local or remote)
--mcp URL MCP server URL (HTTP/SSE)
--mcp-stdio CMD MCP server command (stdio transport)
Options:
--auth-header K:V HTTP header sent with requests (repeatable)
--base-url URL Override base URL from spec
--env KEY=VALUE Env var for stdio server process (repeatable)
--cache-key KEY Custom cache key
--cache-ttl SECONDS Cache TTL (default: 3600)
--refresh Bypass cache
--list List available subcommands
--pretty Pretty-print JSON output
--raw Print raw response body
--toon Encode output as TOON (token-efficient for LLMs)
--version Show version
```
Subcommands and flags are generated dynamically from the source.
## Patterns
### Authentication
```bash
# API key header
mcp2cli --spec ./spec.json --auth-header "Authorization:Bearer tok_..." list-items
# Multiple headers
mcp2cli --mcp https://mcp.example.com/sse
--auth-header "x-api-key:sk-..."
--auth-header "x-org-id:org_123"
search --query "test"
```
### POST with JSON body from stdin
```bash
echo '{"name": "Fido", "tag": "dog"}' | mcp2cli --spec ./spec.json create-pet --stdin
```
### Env vars for stdio servers
```bash
mcp2cli --mcp-stdio "node server.js" --env API_KEY=sk-... --env DEBUG=1 search --query "test"
```
### Caching
Specs and MCP tool lists are cached in `~/.cache/mcp2cli/` (1h TTL). Local files are never cached.
```bash
mcp2cli --spec https://api.example.com/spec.json --refresh --list # Force refresh
mcp2cli --spec https://api.example.com/spec.json --cache-ttl 86400 --list # 24h TTL
```
### TOON output (token-efficient for LLMs)
```bash
mcp2cli --mcp https://mcp.example.com/sse --toon list-tags
```
Best for large uniform arrays — 40-60% fewer tokens than JSON.
## Generating a Skill from an API
When the user asks to create a skill from an MCP server or OpenAPI spec, follow this workflow:
1. **Discover** all available commands:
```bash
uvx mcp2cli --mcp https://target.example.com/sse --list
```
2. **Inspect** each command to understand parameters:
```bash
uvx mcp2cli --mcp https://target.example.com/sse <command> --help
```
3. **Test** key commands to verify they work:
```bash
uvx mcp2cli --mcp https://target.example.com/sse <command> --param value
```
4. **Create a SKILL.md** that teaches another AI agent how to use this API via mcp2cli. Include:
- The source flag (`--mcp`, `--mcp-stdio`, or `--spec`) and URL
- Any required auth headers
- Common workflows with example commands
- The `--list` and `--help` discovery pattern for commands not covered
The generated skill should use mcp2cli as its execution layer — the agent runs `uvx mcp2cli ...` commands rather than making raw HTTP/MCP calls.