How to Install MCP Servers in LM Studio

How to add MCP servers to LM Studio so local models can call tools — the mcp.json file, the Cursor-compatible format, and approving tool calls.

Step-by-step installation guide

Open mcp.json from LM Studio
In LM Studio, open the Program tab in the right sidebar and choose Install → Edit mcp.json. The file opens in the in-app editor.
Add the server under mcpServers
LM Studio follows Cursor's mcp.json notation, so add a named entry with "command", "args", and "env" under "mcpServers". Remote servers can use a "url" field instead.
Load a tool-capable model and approve calls
Save the file and chat with a model that supports tool use. LM Studio asks you to confirm each tool call by default, which you can review before it runs.

Configuration

mcp.json

Location

~/.lmstudio/mcp.json

Snippet

JSON

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "/path/to/allowed/dir"],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

Popular MCP servers to try in LM Studio

AllMCPs Server
The official MCP server for AllMCPs.com - submit and manage tools directly from your AI. The open directory for MCP servers. Connect Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, and AI agents to databases, tools, files, and APIs. Explore 10,000+ servers. AllMCPs is the premier, open directory for discovering, evaluating, and installing Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers to equip AI agents and LLMs with real-world superpowers.
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Git
Tools to read, search, and manipulate Git repositories.
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Avo
Define, ship & query your analytics tracking from one source of truth, trusted by humans and agents.
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Influxdb3 MCP ServerInfluxData
Official MCP server for InfluxDB 3 Core/Enterprise/Cloud Dedicated
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Feranor Resilience
Scan/purge hidden text & score web domains: TLS, DNS, headers, speed. Free scans, $0.01 actions. The Tools:
- text_scan_v1 — free Scans a text string for invisible Unicode characters, homoglyphs, and normalization issues. Returns a risk score, a list of flagged characters, and detected homoglyphs. Never modifies the input text.
- text_purge_v1 — $0.01 per call Removes invisible Unicode characters and replaces homoglyphs in a text string, then normalizes the result. Returns the cleaned text plus a before-and-after risk comparison.
- domain_check_score_v1 — free Overall score, per-category scores, and how many findings each category raised. Use it to triage: rank a list of domains, confirm one is healthy, or decide whether the full report is worth pulling. It tells you which categories are weak and how many issues they hold, but not what the issues are.
- domain_check_score_batch_v1 — free The same triage scores for up to 100 domains in a single call. One score summary per distinct domain: overall score, per-category scores, and how many findings each category raised. Never the findings themselves.
- domain_check_v1 — $0.01 per call Full report for one domain: weighted score out of 100, per-category breakdown, and every individual finding with a prioritised remediation order.
- domain_check_batch_v1 — from $0.005 per domain The same full report for up to 100 domains in a single call, with one payment for the whole batch instead of one per domain. Both cheaper per domain and much faster than calling domain_check_v1 in a loop.
62 0
Line Bot MCP Serverline
MCP Server for Integrating LINE Official Account
62 0
Hub MCPdocker
Official MCP server to interact with Docker Hub, providing access to repositories, hub search and Docker Hardened Images
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Vocuno
Official Vocuno plugin for Claude that connects to Vocuno's remote MCP server for AI song generation, covers, remixes, stem separation, voice conversion, audio editing, mixing, mastering, and music analysis.
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S2 Sdk Typescripts2-streamstore
Official MCP server for the S2.dev serverless stream platform.
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Moxie Docs MCP
MCP & Agent Skills for Automated Documentation, and codebase conventions + context
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Infobip MCPInfobip
Official Infobip MCP server for integrating Infobip global cloud communication platform. It equips AI agents with communication superpowers, allowing them to send and receive SMS and RCS messages, interact with WhatsApp and Viber, automate communication workflows, and manage customer data, all in a production-ready environment.
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Whisper Windows MCPeviscerations
Windows-native local audio and video transcription using whisper.cpp with Vulkan GPU acceleration. No cloud APIs, no Python. Batch processing, multilingual support, model management, and background job handling built in.
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Frequently Asked Questions

Open the Program tab, choose Install → Edit mcp.json, and add the server under mcpServers with command and args. LM Studio uses the same format as Cursor.

Yes, if the model supports tool calling. LM Studio passes MCP tools to the loaded model and shows a confirmation dialog before each tool call runs.

MCP servers can run code and access files or APIs on your machine. Only install servers from sources you trust, and keep the per-call confirmation on for tools that write data.

Step-by-step installation guide

Open mcp.json from LM Studio

Add the server under mcpServers

Load a tool-capable model and approve calls

Configuration

Popular MCP servers to try in LM Studio

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I add an MCP server to LM Studio?

Can local models use MCP servers?

Is it safe to use MCP servers with LM Studio?

Install MCP servers in other clients