Connect external AI agents with MCP

Kosmico can expose the project open in its desktop app as a local Model Context Protocol server. Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, OpenCode, and Codex can then work with the live project instead of a copied folder or a pasted context dump.

Kosmico is the MCP server in this setup. It does not connect to arbitrary third-party MCP servers as a client.

Before you start

Keep the macOS or Windows desktop app running with the intended project open.
Install Node.js 18 or later so the external client can launch @kosmico/mcp-server through npx.

The web app cannot host the local bridge. SSH remote projects are not registered with it.

Turn on the server

Open Settings → Connections → MCP Server and enable the server. Settings reports whether it is running and which project it currently exposes.

Choose Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, OpenCode, or Codex in the setup panel. Kosmico generates the complete command or configuration for that client. Copy the generated value rather than adapting an example from another client, because file formats and capability selectors differ.

Choose the tools the client receives

Use the full compatibility connection when the client expects one large server. For a smaller schema, select capability packs and connect them as independently named servers:

workspace
research
Word documents
presentations
notebooks
dashboard
Project Map
Research Map
collaboration
LaTeX
execution

Each selected connection still knows which Kosmico workspace is open. The execution pack is opt-in because it can run shell commands and notebook cells on the desktop host.

Local, cloud, and shared projects

Open project	What MCP exposes
Local folder	The registered local workspace and its available native tools
Cloud-only or shared project	Authenticated cloud files and tools allowed by your live project role
SSH remote project	Not available through MCP
Web app without desktop	Not available

Permissions are checked again on every cloud call. Owners receive the complete cloud file surface, including confirmed deletion. Editors can change files but cannot delete them. Viewers receive read-only tools. Cloud text documents and notebooks work through the shared project; binary and PDF file access still needs a local folder.

Security and updates

The bridge is local stdio hosted by the running desktop app. Kosmico does not publish a hosted HTTP or OAuth MCP endpoint. Keep the generated connection private and enable execution only for agents you would trust with your project and terminal.

Settings warns when the local MCP package is older than the app's expected version. Restarting the external client normally lets npx pick up the newer package; Settings also explains how to clear its cache when needed.