MCP Reference - Qoder CN

MCP (Model Context Protocol) lets Qoder CLI CN connect third-party tools and services. This page is the complete reference for MCP server configuration.

Transports

An MCP server's transport protocol is specified with the type field:

Type	Description
`stdio` (default)	Start a child process and interact over stdin/stdout.
`sse`	Connect over Server-Sent Events HTTP.
`http` / `streamable-http`	Connect over HTTP (JSON-RPC + optional streaming).
`ws`	Connect over WebSocket / TCP.
`sdk`	A built-in SDK-level server (in-process).

Configuration fields

MCP servers are configured under the mcpServers field of settings.json, with each key being a server name:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "my-server": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["./mcp-server.js"],
      "env": { "API_KEY": "..." },
      "cwd": "/path/to/dir"
    }
  }
}

stdio type

Field	Type	Description
`command`	string	The command that starts the server.
`args`	string[]	Arguments passed to the command.
`env`	object	Environment variables passed to the child process.
`cwd`	string	The child process's working directory.

sse type

Field	Type	Description
`url`	string	The SSE endpoint URL.
`type`	`"sse"`	The transport type identifier.
`headers`	object	HTTP request headers (may include authentication).

http / streamable-http type

Field	Type	Description
`url`	string	The HTTP endpoint URL.
`type`	`"http"`	The transport type identifier.
`headers`	object	HTTP request headers.

ws type (TCP)

Field	Type	Description
`tcp`	object	TCP connection parameters (host/port).
`type`	`"ws"`	The transport type identifier.

Common optional fields

Field	Type	Description
`timeout`	number	Connection/request timeout (milliseconds).
`type`	string	Explicit transport type.
`description`	string	Server description, shown in the management view.
`trust`	boolean	Trust this server, skipping confirmation when its tools are called.
`includeTools`	string[]	Register only the listed tools.
`excludeTools`	string[]	Exclude the listed tools.
`disabled`	boolean	Disable the server (keeps the configuration without deleting it).
`alwaysAllow`	string[]	Tool names always allowed without confirmation.
`oauth`	object	OAuth authorization configuration (fields include `enabled`, `clientId`, `clientSecret`, `authorizationUrl`, `tokenUrl`, `scopes`, `callbackPort`, etc.).

Configuration scopes

MCP servers can be configured at multiple levels:

Level	Location	Description
User	`~/.qoder-cn/settings.json` → `mcpServers`	Available to all projects.
Project	`<project>/.qoder/settings.json` → `mcpServers`	Usable after approval (for security).
Project	`<project>/.mcp.json`	Requires a top-level `mcpServers` key; usable after approval.
Local	`<project>/.qoder/settings.local.json` → `mcpServers`	This machine and project only; the default scope for `-s`, loaded only when the directory is trusted.
Plugin	`.mcp.json` or `mcp.json` in the plugin directory	Loaded when the plugin is installed.
CLI flags	`--mcp-config <path>`, `--settings`	Effective for the current session only.

Servers with the same name override in this order (later overrides earlier): user → project settings.json → project .mcp.json → local → CLI flags. Project-level MCP servers require per-server approval by default. This can be skipped via:

mcp.enableAllProjectMcpServers: true: auto-approve all project-level servers.
mcp.enabledProjectMcpServers: an allowlist approving servers by name.

Both live under the mcp group in settings.json (restart required after changes):

{
  "mcp": {
    "enableAllProjectMcpServers": true,
    "enabledProjectMcpServers": ["playwright", "context7"]
  }
}

Permissions and security

MCP tools are governed by the permission system just like built-in tools — user confirmation is required before calls (unless using the auto or bypass_permissions mode).
--allowed-mcp-server-names: restrict loading to MCP servers with the given names only.
--strict-mcp-config: strict mode, loading only the servers from the file specified by --mcp-config.
mcp.allowed / mcp.excluded: control the allowed or excluded server lists in configuration.

Lazy loading

With multiple MCP servers connected, all tool schemas are registered at startup by default, which can consume a lot of first-turn prompt tokens. With lazy loading enabled (mcp.lazyLoad: true or QODER_MCP_LAZY=1), the CLI exposes only three meta tools (mcp_list / mcp_get / mcp_call) and loads actual tools on demand, saving token overhead.

Management commands

Use the /mcp slash command in interactive sessions to manage MCP servers:

/mcp — view the list and status of connected servers.
/mcp reload (alias /mcp refresh) — rediscover MCP servers and tools, useful after adding or modifying configuration.

Use the qodercn mcp subcommand for non-interactive management on the command line:

qodercn mcp add <name> -- <command> — add a stdio server.
qodercn mcp list — list the configured servers.
qodercn mcp remove <name> — remove a server.

The full parameters of each subcommand are available via qodercn mcp --help.

Next steps

Extend tools via MCP: Tools.
The full settings table: Settings, Environment Variables, and File Paths.
Extension troubleshooting: Hooks, MCP, and Plugin Issues.

​Transports

​Configuration fields

​stdio type

​sse type

​http / streamable-http type

​ws type (TCP)

​Common optional fields

​Configuration scopes

​Permissions and security

​Lazy loading

​Management commands

​Next steps