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AiderDesk as MCP Server

AiderDesk can be used as a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, allowing other MCP-compatible clients (like Claude Desktop, Cursor, etc.) to interact with AiderDesk's core functionalities.

Configuration​

The MCP server is available as an npm package: @aiderdesk/mcp-server. Add the following configuration to your MCP client settings:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "aider-desk": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@aiderdesk/mcp-server", "/path/to/project"],
      "env": {
        "AIDER_DESK_API_BASE_URL": "http://localhost:24337/api"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace /path/to/project with the absolute path to your project directory.

If you prefer to install it globally instead of using npx:

npm install -g @aiderdesk/mcp-server

Then use this configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "aider-desk": {
      "command": "aider-desk-mcp-server",
      "args": ["/path/to/project"],
      "env": {
        "AIDER_DESK_API_BASE_URL": "http://localhost:24337/api"
      }
    }
  }
}

Arguments & Environment​

  • Command Argument 1: Project directory path (required).
  • AIDER_DESK_API_BASE_URL: Base URL of the running AiderDesk API (default: http://localhost:24337/api).

Available Tools via MCP​

The server exposes these tools to MCP clients:

Task Management​

  • list_tasks: List all tasks in the project, sorted by most recently updated. Supports offset and limit for pagination.
  • create_task: Create a new task. Returns the task ID and name.
  • get_task: Get detailed information about a task — message count, context files, todo items, working mode.

Context Files​

  • add_context_file: Add a file to a task's context. Requires taskId.
  • drop_context_file: Remove a file from a task's context. Requires taskId.
  • get_context_files: List files currently in a task's context. Requires taskId.
  • get_addable_files: List project files available to add to a task's context. Requires taskId.
  • get_updated_files: List files that were changed during a task. Requires taskId.

Conversation History​

  • get_context_messages: Get conversation messages for a task with pagination. Supports negative offset (e.g., -1 for last message, -5 for last 5). Requires taskId.

Prompt Execution​

  • run_prompt: Execute a prompt within a task. Requires taskId. Mode can be code, ask, architect, context, or agent.
  • clear_context: Clear the conversation context of a task. Requires taskId.

Typical Workflow​

  1. list_tasks — discover existing tasks and their IDs.
  2. create_task — create a new task if needed.
  3. get_context_files — check what files are already in context.
  4. add_context_file — add the files relevant to your task.
  5. run_prompt — execute the coding task.
  6. get_updated_files — review the changes made.

Requirements​

Note: AiderDesk must be running for its MCP server to be accessible.