$ cat ~/map/pi-mcp-adapter.md

Pi MCP Adapter

Use MCP servers with Pi without burning your context window.

extensions✓ Oct 16

Facts

repository: github.com/nicobailon/pi-mcp-adapter ↗
GitHub Stars: ★ 1.6K
Forks: 391
license: MIT
npm / mo: —
last push: Oct 16, 2026

install

pi install npm:pi-mcp-adapter

## TL;DR

Use MCP servers with pi without burning your context window: one ~200-token proxy tool replaces hundreds of verbose tool definitions, servers start only when used, and the agent discovers capabilities on demand.

## Key points

$Solves the MCP token tax — a single MCP server can cost 10k+ tokens of tool definitions before the conversation starts; the adapter exposes one proxy tool and fetches schemas only when a tool is actually called.
$Zero-config startup for existing MCP users: .mcp.json and ~/.config/mcp/mcp.json are detected automatically; /mcp setup can adopt host-specific configs from Cursor, Claude Code, or Codex with a preview of every file change.
$Per-server lifecycle modes, tool approval, an output guard, remote/headless OAuth, shared MCP processes via rmcp-mux, MCP scripting, prompts, and elicitation are all supported.
$Also embeddable as an agent plugin or registered at runtime from other extensions; a CLI (pi-mcp-adapter init) writes compatibility imports into the pi agent dir.

## FAQ

Q Do I need to restart pi after installing?

Yes — pi install npm:pi-mcp-adapter then restart Pi, after which the /mcp command drives setup, status, and per-server options.

Q What happens on the first run with nothing configured?

/mcp setup scaffolds a minimal .mcp.json, offers a curated known server, quick-adds RepoPrompt, or just shows what the adapter discovered on your machine.

Q Can it run inside DeepSeek Harness?

Yes — the third-party pi2dsh bridge runs the unmodified adapter under DSH, with a verified TUI/Web MCP guide in that project's examples.

Pi MCP Adapter

## TL;DR

## Key points

## FAQ

## References

## Related entries

## Guides