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Aider Desk as MCP Server

AiderDesk includes a built-in MCP server, allowing other MCP-compatible clients (like Claude Desktop, Cursor, etc.) to interact with AiderDesk's core functionalities.

Configuration​

Add the following configuration to your MCP client settings, adjusting paths as needed.

Windows​

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

Note: Replace path-to-appdata with the absolute path to your AppData directory. You can find this value by running echo %APPDATA% in your command prompt.

macOS​

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "aider-desk": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/home/Library/Application Support/aider-desk/mcp-server/aider-desk-mcp-server.js", "/path/to/project"],
      "env": {
        "AIDER_DESK_API_BASE_URL": "http://localhost:24337/api"
      }
    }
  }
}

Note: Replace /path/to/home with the absolute path to your home directory. You can find this value by running echo $HOME in your terminal.

Linux​

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

Note: Replace /path/to/home with the absolute path to your home directory. You can find this value by running echo $HOME in your terminal.

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 built-in server exposes these tools to MCP clients:

  • add_context_file: Add a file to AiderDesk's context.
  • drop_context_file: Remove a file from AiderDesk's context.
  • get_context_files: List files currently in AiderDesk's context.
  • get_addable_files: List project files available to be added to the context.
  • run_prompt: Execute a prompt within AiderDesk.

Requirements​

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