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Ncp

by portel-dev

Discovers, routes, and executes tools from connected MCPs through a focused gateway with optional code mode and scheduling.

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Install Ncp

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": {
    "portel-dev-ncp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@portel/ncp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

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

Install not yet sandbox-tested— the server itself is confirmed live (we called its tools/list endpoint). The stdio install command is a separate, ongoing check.

Overview

The portel-dev/ncp MCP server provides a gateway for discovering and using tools, skills, and Photons across connected MCPs. It exposes focused operations such as `find`, `run`, and optional TypeScript `code` execution instead of requiring every downstream tool schema up front. The server also includes a sequential-thinking tool for iterative, revisable problem solving. Reach for it when an MCP client needs on-demand capability discovery or when many connected servers would otherwise create a large tool surface.

Use cases

  • Discover tools across multiple connected MCPs
  • Run multi-step TypeScript workflows
  • Keep an AI client’s initial tool surface focused
  • Revise and branch through complex problem-solving steps

Key features

  • On-demand tool, skill, and Photon discovery
  • TypeScript code-mode execution
  • Individual tool execution
  • Adaptive sequential thinking
  • Project-level MCP configuration
  • Scheduling and MCP App support

Tools1

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

Verified live~984 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 Today

Recent health check succeeded.

19/20 checks healthy over the last 77d

Supply-chain signal

No high-severity advisories surfaced by our automated scan.

Critical 0High 0Medium 0Low 0

Scanned 8d ago via OSV.dev · @portel/ncp (npm)

Adoption & maintenance

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

GitHub stars100Stargazers on the source repository.
npm downloads703Package downloads in the last 30 days.
Last commit7d agoMost recent push to the default branch.
Tools exposed1Callable tools this server registers over MCP.
Directory activity5 viewsConfig copies, upvotes, and views on AllMCPs.

How Ncp works

What portel-dev/ncp MCP server does

The portel-dev/ncp MCP server acts as a single MCP entry point for a collection of connected MCPs. It can search for tools, skills, and Photons, then route work to the capability that matches the request.

This arrangement is intended to reduce the number of downstream schemas an AI host must load at the start of a conversation. NCP can also work with scheduling, project-level configuration, health management, and response caching. The available extensions depend on the host and configuration; the project advertises MCP Apps, Skills, and Tasks capabilities.

The supplied tool listing also identifies sequentialthinking. It supports stepwise analysis with adjustable thought counts, revisions, branching, uncertainty, and hypothesis verification. Use it for problems that need staged reasoning or may require changing direction as new information appears.

How it works

NCP maintains the connected MCP catalog behind its gateway. An agent first searches with find, selects a result, and then either invokes it through run or writes a multi-step TypeScript workflow with code. Code mode can combine tools, skills, and scheduling in one workflow. If code mode is disabled, individual execution remains available through run.

Discovery is on demand, so the client can begin with a smaller visible surface and request more capabilities as needed. NCP can selectively add MCP App callback tools for compatible hosts; conflicting app groups are omitted rather than renamed. Clients without support for an optional extension continue using the core request flow.

The sequential-thinking tool maintains numbered thoughts and accepts fields for continuing, revising, branching, or extending an analysis. Its estimated total can change during execution, allowing the process to continue after an initial endpoint when more investigation is needed.

Setup and configuration

Run NCP with Node.js 22 or newer; the README recommends Node.js 24. npm or npx and command-line access are also required. The package can be installed globally with:

Terminal
npm install -g @portel/ncp

Existing MCP definitions can optionally be imported with ncp config import, which prompts for configuration JSON. Project-level configuration lets each project define its own MCPs. The repository provides setup guidance for Claude Desktop, Claude Code, VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, and Continue, as well as a generic npm-based route for other MCP-compatible clients.

Tools and capabilities

The portel-dev/ncp MCP server supports the following documented capabilities:

  • find: searches for tools, skills, or Photons.
  • run: invokes individual discovered tools when code mode is unavailable or disabled.
  • sequentialthinking: supports adaptive, reflective problem solving with revisions and branches.
  • Scheduling, skills discovery, Photon loading, MCP App support, and project-level MCP configuration are described as additional features, subject to host and configuration support.

Photons are TypeScript-based capabilities that can expose MCP tools and related interfaces. NCP discovers and operates them; the related Photon project is described as the system for building them.

Limitations and notes

NCP does not guarantee that every client exposes every optional feature. The host determines support for MCP Apps, Skills, and Tasks, while clients without those extensions use the core tools and established request flows. Context savings and response behavior vary with the host, connected server catalog, and enabled NCP features.

Read the full README View source on GitHub

Reviews

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Frequently Asked Questions about Ncp

portel-dev/ncp is an MCP server that connects an AI client to a catalog of MCP tools, skills, and Photons through a focused gateway. Its main tools are `find` for discovery, `run` for individual execution, `code` for TypeScript workflows, and `sequentialthinking` for iterative problem solving.

Install it globally with `npm install -g @portel/ncp`. Node.js 22 or newer, npm or npx, and command-line access are required. You can then import existing MCP configuration with `ncp config import` and add the server to an MCP-compatible client.

Yes, the README provides setup guidance for Cursor.

It keeps the initial surface focused by exposing gateway operations and discovering downstream tools on demand. An agent searches with `find`, then uses `run` or `code` to execute the selected capability. The amount of context saved varies by host, catalog, and enabled features.

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