mcp-palette

MCP Palette is a desktop application for managing MCP server configurations used with LLMs and AI assistants. It provides a centralized interface to create, edit, organize, and deploy a library of MCP server configurations, with features like profile management, server master lists, and profile-specific overrides. Use it to build standardized server setups for different projects or teams, easily enable or disable servers, and directly edit JSON configuration files when needed. The app focuses on usability and collaboration, making it straightforward to import/export configurations and share compatible server definitions across environments.

Within the tool, you can create profiles to group relevant MCP server configurations, add individual server entries to a master list, and apply overrides to tailor configurations for a specific project or team. When you’re ready to deploy, export your configurations or deploy them through your preferred environment. The UI supports keyboard shortcuts (e.g., Enter to save, Escape to cancel) to speed up configuration work, and direct JSON editing is available for advanced users who want precise control over MCP parameters.

Prerequisites:

• Git
• Node.js (v14+ recommended) and npm
• Optional: macOS, Windows, or Linux development environment for Electron apps

Install from source:

1. Clone the repository: git clone https://github.com/cellwebb/mcp-palette.git
2. Navigate into the project: cd mcp-palette
3. Install dependencies: npm install
4. Run in development mode (Electron app): npm run electron:dev
5. Build a distributable version (optional): npm run electron:build

Notes:

• If you don’t have npm installed, install Node.js from https://nodejs.org which includes npm.
• For production builds, you may rely on CI/CD workflows or GitHub Actions as documented in the repository.
• Ensure you have a suitable environment for Electron apps (X11/Wayland on Linux, or a GUI-enabled macOS/Windows environment).

Tips and guidance:

• This MCP Palette app is a manager for MCP server configurations rather than an MCP server itself. Use it to prepare and organize MCP server specs and then deploy them to your infrastructure.
• Keep profiles and server definitions in sync with your team by exporting/importing JSON configurations.
• If you encounter build issues on Linux, ensure you have required build tools installed (e.g., build-essential, g++ on Debian/Ubuntu) and that you’re using a supported Node.js version.
• The app uses Electron; when debugging, enable verbose logging via the ELECTRON_ENABLE_LOGGING environment variable and consult the console for runtime messages.
• For production deployments, consider using the provided build scripts and CI workflows to generate platform-specific installers.