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Configuration

MCP servers are configured in ~/.cosine/mcp.json (macOS/Linux) or %USERPROFILE%\.cosine\mcp.json (Windows). The cos mcp add command writes to this file automatically.

Terminal window
cos mcp add --transport http stripe https://mcp.stripe.com/
Terminal window
cos mcp add --transport http corridor \
https://app.corridor.dev/api/mcp \
--header "Authorization: Bearer ..."
Terminal window
cos mcp add my-server -- npx -y my-mcp-server

Add a local stdio server with environment variables

Section titled “Add a local stdio server with environment variables”
Terminal window
cos mcp add --transport stdio -e API_KEY=xxx airtable \
-- npx -y airtable-mcp-server
  • Put Cosine’s flags before the server name
  • Use -- before the command for stdio servers
  • Use --header for remote HTTP headers
  • Use --env or -e for stdio server environment variables
{
"mcpServers": {
"filesystem": {
"transport": "stdio",
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem",
"/path/to/projects"
]
}
}
}

Best for: Local tools, command-line utilities, file system access

The stdio transport spawns the MCP server as a subprocess and communicates over standard input/output.

{
"mcpServers": {
"filesystem": {
"transport": "stdio",
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "/Users/pz/projects"]
}
}
}
FieldTypeRequiredDescription
transportstringNoTransport type: "stdio" or "http". Auto-detected if not specified.
disabledbooleanNoSet to true to disable this server temporarily.
FieldTypeRequiredDescription
commandstringYesThe executable to run (e.g., npx, node, python, uv).
argsarrayNoArguments passed to the command.
envobjectNoEnvironment variables as key-value pairs.
FieldTypeRequiredDescription
urlstringYesThe HTTP endpoint URL for the MCP server.

In the terminal user interface (TUI):

  1. Press Ctrl+J to open the command palette
  2. Select “MCP servers”
  3. View the list of configured servers with their status indicators

If an MCP server becomes unresponsive:

  1. Open the command palette with Ctrl+J
  2. Select “MCP servers”
  3. Select “Restart MCP servers”

To temporarily disable a server without removing it:

{
"mcpServers": {
"github": {
"transport": "stdio",
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"],
"disabled": true
}
}
}