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AppCrane

Connects AI agents to a self-hosted AppCrane instance for app deployment and management over MCP.

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Install AppCrane

Pick your client, then add it in one click or paste the config.

STDIONode.js
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
claude_desktop_config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "appcrane": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "appcrane-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "APPCRANE_URL": "YOUR_VALUE_HERE",
        "APPCRANE_KEY": "YOUR_VALUE_HERE",
        "APPCRANE_GITHUB_TOKEN": "YOUR_VALUE_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Settings → Developer → Edit Config, merge this into mcpServers, then fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop.

Values are written into the snippet above so you can paste it as is. They never leave your browser.

Automated check passed— started and listed 74 tools correctly (Today).

Overview

AppCrane MCP server connects local MCP clients to a self-hosted AppCrane platform through its `/api/mcp` endpoint. It runs as a Node.js 20+ stdio process, exposes a bundled catalog of 57 tools for configuration-free discovery, and forwards tool calls to the instance when credentials are supplied. Reach for AppCrane when an agent needs to deploy or manage AI-built applications on infrastructure you control. Optional GitHub credentials enable the platform’s GitHub passthrough tools.

Use cases

  • Deploy AI-built applications to a self-hosted AppCrane instance
  • Manage application environments through an MCP-compatible agent
  • Inspect AppCrane tools without configuring a backend
  • Expose GitHub passthrough operations to an agent
  • Run the connector in a Docker-based MCP environment

Key features

  • Stdio MCP server for Node.js 20+
  • Bundled 57-tool catalog for offline discovery
  • Live tool-list retrieval with authentication filtering
  • Proxied tool calls to `/api/mcp`
  • Optional GitHub token passthrough
  • Docker-compatible execution

Tools74

What AppCrane lets your agent do. Expand a tool for its parameters.

Verified live~25.4k tokens of context

Security & health

What it can reach and how reliably it runs — from our own checks, not the maintainer’s claims.

ActiveLast checked 3d ago

Recent health check succeeded.

5/5 checks healthy over the last 25d

What it can do

From the 74 tools this server returned when we ran it.

Runs commands · 2Can delete or modify data · 11Writes files · 2Handles credentials · 24Makes network requests · 23Read-only tools · 59
Unusual tool instructions. 3 tool descriptions contain text aimed at the AI model rather than at you (reaches for local secrets; asks the assistant to hide something from the user). Read the tool descriptions before connecting.
Network at startup3 connections
Files written at startupNone
Install scriptsNone
npm provenanceSigned build
Package age56 days
Maintainers1

Observed 2026-11-02 in an isolated sandbox. A description of reach, not a security audit.

Supply-chain signal

No high-severity advisories surfaced by our automated scan.

Critical 0High 0Medium 0Low 0

Scanned 9d ago via OSV.dev · appcrane-mcp (npm)

Adoption & maintenance

Factual signals from GitHub, npm, and our automated checks — not a rating.

npm downloads1.7kPackage downloads in the last 30 days.
Last commit6d agoMost recent push to the default branch.
Availability100%Our rolling endpoint + install checks that succeeded.
Install checkPassedOur sandbox started it and listed its tools.
Tools exposed74Callable tools this server registers over MCP.

How AppCrane works

What AppCrane does

AppCrane provides a local MCP connector for an AppCrane instance that you host yourself. The connector gives an MCP client access to the platform’s appcrane_* tool catalog, allowing agents to work with AppCrane’s application deployment and management functions. It is a client package only; installing it does not install the AppCrane platform or provide a hosted account.

The package is useful when an agent needs to interact with an AppCrane environment while keeping the MCP process and credentials under your control. The connector is MIT-licensed, while the separate AppCrane platform is AGPL-3.0.

How it works

Run the package locally as a stdio MCP server with npx -y appcrane-mcp. MCP clients communicate with the process over standard input and output rather than connecting directly to an HTTP endpoint.

When APPCRANE_URL and APPCRANE_KEY are absent, the process can still answer tools/list using its bundled catalog.json. This supports registry inspection and other environments that need to discover the available tools without access to an AppCrane instance.

When both values are configured, tools/list requests the live tool definitions from ${APPCRANE_URL}/api/mcp. The connector sends the API key in the X-API-Key header and uses the live, authorization-filtered list when available. If the instance cannot be reached, it falls back to the bundled catalog. tools/call requests require the URL and API key and are forwarded to the configured backend.

Setup and configuration

Node.js 20 or newer is required. Start the connector directly with:

Terminal
npx -y appcrane-mcp

Set APPCRANE_URL to the base URL of your AppCrane instance and APPCRANE_KEY to an API key issued by that instance. The URL should identify the instance itself; the connector appends /api/mcp when making MCP requests.

For a client configuration, define the command as npx, pass -y appcrane-mcp as its arguments, and place the environment variables in the client’s MCP server entry. Claude Code can also register the same process with claude mcp add and repeated --env options.

Docker can run the connector interactively. Without environment variables it supports catalog introspection; with the AppCrane URL and key it can proxy real operations.

Tools and capabilities

The connector ships a static catalog containing 57 tools for discovery. The catalog is generated from the AppCrane platform’s tool definitions and includes the platform’s appcrane_* vocabulary, including operations such as appcrane_set_secret, appcrane_get_secret, and appcrane_cp.

Its main capabilities are:

  • Listing the bundled or live, authentication-filtered tool catalog
  • Forwarding MCP tool calls to a self-hosted AppCrane instance
  • Passing an optional GitHub personal access token to GitHub passthrough tools
  • Running locally through stdio or inside a Docker container

Limitations and notes

The connector needs a reachable AppCrane instance and a valid API key for actual tool calls. Starting it without credentials supports discovery only; calls return a not-configured error. There is no hosted AppCrane service or account included with the package.

APPCRANE_GITHUB_TOKEN is optional and is sent as X-Github-Token when set. The AppCrane API key remains in the MCP client configuration and is sent only to the instance URL configured through APPCRANE_URL.

The connector and platform have separate licenses and release lifecycles. Developers maintaining a source checkout can regenerate or validate the bundled catalog against the platform source, but normal users can run the published package with npx.

Read the full README View source on GitHub

Reviews

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Frequently Asked Questions about AppCrane

AppCrane is an MCP server that connects AI clients to a self-hosted AppCrane deployment platform. It exposes the platform’s appcrane_* tools, provides a bundled catalog for tools/list discovery, and forwards tools/call requests to your instance using an API key.

Install and run it with `npx -y appcrane-mcp`. Node.js 20 or newer is required. Add that command as a stdio MCP server in your client configuration, then set the AppCrane URL and API key for real tool calls.

Set `APPCRANE_URL` to your instance base URL and `APPCRANE_KEY` to an API key from that instance. The connector sends requests to `/api/mcp` and includes the key as `X-API-Key`.

Yes. Without environment variables, it returns the bundled catalog through `tools/list`. Credentials are required for `tools/call`; configured instances provide a live, authentication-filtered tool list when reachable.

Yes, optionally. Set `APPCRANE_GITHUB_TOKEN` to pass a GitHub personal access token as `X-Github-Token` and unlock the platform’s `github_*` passthrough tools.

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