What is MCP (Model Context Protocol)?

MCP is an open standard that lets AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and Windsurf use external tools. The CodeTidy MCP server gives your AI agent access to 62 developer tools without leaving your conversation.

Is the MCP server free?

Yes, completely free (MIT license). The remote server requires no signup or API keys, and the npm package is MIT licensed. No usage limits.

What is the difference between the remote and local server?

Both offer the same 62 tools at the same version. The remote server requires no installation — just a URL. The local server (npm) runs on your machine via stdio, so your data never leaves your device. Use remote for convenience, local for maximum privacy or offline use.

Does my data leave my machine?

With the local npm server, no — all processing happens on your machine. With the remote server, data is processed on edge servers but is never stored or logged.

Which AI clients support MCP?

Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Continue, Cline, and any client that supports stdio or Streamable HTTP MCP servers. The ecosystem is growing rapidly.

How do I update to the latest version?

The remote server always runs the latest version automatically. For the npm package, use the npx command (auto-fetches latest) or run npm install -g @codetidy/mcp@latest.

What is @codetidy/mcp-live and how is it different?

The main @codetidy/mcp server has 62 offline, deterministic tools (formatting, encoding, hashing). @codetidy/mcp-live is a separate package with 12 live network tools (DNS lookup, WHOIS, SSL checker, HTTP headers, etc.) that make real outbound requests. They are separate because they have different security contracts — the main server never touches the network, while the live server requires it.

How do I use CodeTidy tools in Claude Web (claude.ai)?

Go to Settings → Integrations in claude.ai, click "Add Custom Connector," and enter the URL https://mcp.codetidy.dev/mcp (note the /mcp path at the end). Then type /mcp in any conversation to access the tools.

Do I need Node.js for the remote server?

No. The remote server requires no installation at all — just paste the URL into your MCP client config. Node.js 18+ is only needed for the local npm package.

MCP Server for AI Agents

Give Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, and other AI agents access to 62 developer tools — JSON formatting, Base64 encoding, UUID generation, hashing, and more. Available as a remote server (just a URL, no install) or a local npm package.

Quick Setup — Remote Server (Recommended)

No installation required. Just add the URL to your MCP client config.

Claude Code

Run this command in your terminal:

claude mcp add codetidy \
  --transport http \
  https://mcp.codetidy.dev

Claude Desktop

Add to your claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "codetidy": {
      "type": "url",
      "url": "https://mcp.codetidy.dev"
    }
  }
}

Cursor

Add to .cursor/mcp.json in your project:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "codetidy": {
      "type": "url",
      "url": "https://mcp.codetidy.dev"
    }
  }
}

Any MCP Client (Streamable HTTP)

Connect to the remote server URL:

https://mcp.codetidy.dev

Claude Web — Custom Connector

Use CodeTidy tools directly in claude.ai by adding a custom MCP connector.

Important: Claude Web connectors require the /mcp path at the end of the URL. This is different from other MCP clients that use the base URL.

Step-by-step setup

Open claude.ai and go to Settings
Navigate to Integrations (or Connected Apps)
Click Add Custom Connector
Enter the URL below and save:

https://mcp.codetidy.dev/mcp

Once connected, type /mcp in any Claude conversation to access CodeTidy's 62 developer tools.

Alternative — Local Server (npm)

For offline use or maximum privacy. Requires Node.js 18+.

Claude Code

Run this command in your terminal:

claude mcp add codetidy -- npx -y @codetidy/mcp

Claude Desktop

Add to your claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "codetidy": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@codetidy/mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Cursor

Add to .cursor/mcp.json in your project:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "codetidy": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@codetidy/mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Any MCP Client (stdio)

Run directly via npx:

npx @codetidy/mcp

62 Tools Available

Every tool works identically on both the remote and local server. No API keys, no rate limits.

Formatters & Processors (33 tools)

JSON format & minify & validate, Base64 encode/decode, URL encode/decode, HTML entity encode/decode, HTML beautify/minify, CSS beautify/minify, JavaScript beautify/minify, XML format/minify, SQL format, JWT decode, JSON to CSV & CSV to JSON, JSON to YAML, Markdown to HTML, uppercase, lowercase, trim, sort/reverse/unique lines, and more.

Pipeline

Chain multiple tools in sequence — e.g., format JSON then Base64-encode the result. Plus 8 pre-built prompt recipes for common workflows like "Decode JWT & Pretty-Print" and "Base64 Decode then JSON Format."

Why Use the MCP Server?

Stay in flow: Format JSON, decode Base64, or generate UUIDs without switching to a browser tab.
Zero install option: The remote server is just a URL — no Node.js, no npm, no setup.
Privacy option: The local server runs entirely on your machine — your data never leaves your device.
Free forever: MIT licensed, no API keys or accounts.
62 tools: One URL or one npx command gives your AI agent an entire developer toolkit.

When Tools Beat the AI

AI models can generate text, but they can't reliably perform deterministic computation. These tools exist for tasks where correctness matters more than creativity:

Hashing (SHA-256, MD5) — AI models can't compute cryptographic hashes; the tool can
UUID generation — needs true randomness from crypto.randomUUID(), not an LLM guess
JWT decoding — deterministic Base64 parsing with no hallucination risk
Base64 / URL encoding — one wrong character breaks the output
JSON validation — the tool is authoritative; an LLM might miss edge cases
Regex testing — actually executes the regex engine rather than eyeballing matches
Pipeline chaining — runs 5 transforms in sequence without compounding errors

For generative tasks like Lorem Ipsum or case conversion, the AI can handle them directly. For transformation and encoding tasks, the tool is more reliable than the model — that's the whole point.

Requirements

Remote server: Any MCP client that supports Streamable HTTP (Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, etc.)
Local server: Node.js 18 or later (node --version to check) + an MCP client that supports stdio (Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, etc.)

Install

The MCP server is MIT licensed. Use the remote server (no install needed) or install the npm package for local use.

Live Network Tools — `@codetidy/mcp-live`

Need DNS lookups, WHOIS queries, SSL checks, or HTTP header inspection from your AI agent? Our second MCP server, @codetidy/mcp-live, provides 12 live network tools that make real outbound requests — things a client-side tool can't do. See the full MCP-Live setup guide or read the announcement post.

Separate package by design. The main @codetidy/mcp server is offline and deterministic (openWorldHint: false). The live server makes network requests (openWorldHint: true). Keeping them separate preserves the trust contract and avoids hitting MCP client tool-count limits.

Live tools included

DNS: DNS lookup, reverse DNS, MX records, DNS propagation checker
Network: IP geolocation, website status (is-it-down), HTTP header inspection, redirect trace
Security: WHOIS/RDAP lookup, SSL/TLS checker, security headers audit, SPF/DKIM/DMARC validator

Quick setup

Remote server (recommended)

Add alongside your existing CodeTidy server:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "codetidy": {
      "type": "url",
      "url": "https://mcp.codetidy.dev"
    },
    "codetidy-live": {
      "type": "url",
      "url": "https://mcp-live.codetidy.dev"
    }
  }
}

Claude Code

claude mcp add codetidy-live \
  --transport http \
  https://mcp-live.codetidy.dev

Local fallback (npm)

npx -y @codetidy/mcp-live

More Tools on the Web

The MCP server includes 62 of our 72+ tools. For visual tools like QR Code Generator, Diff Checker, Cron Generator, and JSON to TypeScript, visit codetidy.dev — all free, all client-side.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is MCP (Model Context Protocol)?: MCP is an open standard that lets AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and Windsurf use external tools. The CodeTidy MCP server gives your AI agent access to 62 developer tools without leaving your conversation.
Is the MCP server free?: Yes, completely free (MIT license). The remote server requires no signup or API keys, and the npm package is MIT licensed. No usage limits.
What is the difference between the remote and local server?: Both offer the same 62 tools at the same version. The remote server requires no installation — just a URL. The local server (npm) runs on your machine via stdio, so your data never leaves your device. Use remote for convenience, local for maximum privacy or offline use.
Does my data leave my machine?: With the local npm server, no — all processing happens on your machine. With the remote server, data is processed on edge servers but is never stored or logged.
Which AI clients support MCP?: Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Continue, Cline, and any client that supports stdio or Streamable HTTP MCP servers. The ecosystem is growing rapidly.
How do I update to the latest version?: The remote server always runs the latest version automatically. For the npm package, use the npx command (auto-fetches latest) or run npm install -g @codetidy/mcp@latest.
What is @codetidy/mcp-live and how is it different?: The main @codetidy/mcp server has 62 offline, deterministic tools (formatting, encoding, hashing). @codetidy/mcp-live is a separate package with 12 live network tools (DNS lookup, WHOIS, SSL checker, HTTP headers, etc.) that make real outbound requests. They are separate because they have different security contracts — the main server never touches the network, while the live server requires it.
How do I use CodeTidy tools in Claude Web (claude.ai)?: Go to Settings → Integrations in claude.ai, click "Add Custom Connector," and enter the URL https://mcp.codetidy.dev/mcp (note the /mcp path at the end). Then type /mcp in any conversation to access the tools.
Do I need Node.js for the remote server?: No. The remote server requires no installation at all — just paste the URL into your MCP client config. Node.js 18+ is only needed for the local npm package.

MCP Server for AI Agents

Quick Setup — Remote Server (Recommended)

Claude Code

Claude Desktop

Cursor

Any MCP Client (Streamable HTTP)

Claude Web — Custom Connector

Step-by-step setup

Alternative — Local Server (npm)

Claude Code

Claude Desktop

Cursor

Any MCP Client (stdio)

62 Tools Available

Formatters & Processors (33 tools)

Generators (6 tools)

Converters & Image Tools (6 tools)

Deterministic Tools (10 tools)

Config & Code Generators (7 tools) NEW

Pipeline

Why Use the MCP Server?

When Tools Beat the AI

Requirements

Install

Live Network Tools — @codetidy/mcp-live

Live tools included

Quick setup

Remote server (recommended)

Claude Code

Local fallback (npm)

More Tools on the Web

Frequently Asked Questions

Live Network Tools — `@codetidy/mcp-live`