Introduction

What is OneServer?

OneServer is a desktop application for discovering, managing, and monitoring Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers. It supports local stdio servers and remote Streamable HTTP servers from one interface.

Instead of configuring each client application (like IDE extensions or specialized AI tools) to connect to multiple, potentially complex MCP servers individually, OneServer provides a unified gateway. Your client applications connect easily to OneServer using a lightweight os_connector, and OneServer handles the discovery, connection, routing, and management of the underlying MCP servers for you.

The core goal is to make MCP easy, removing the friction of manual configuration and complex client-side logic.

Key Features

• Unified Server Management: Configure, view, and manage both stdio and Streamable HTTP MCP servers in one application.
• Simplified Client Integration: Client applications connect via a single, automatically configured os_connector, eliminating the need for clients to manage multiple server endpoints.
• Automatic Client Detection: Finds known MCP-compatible applications (like Cline, Claude Desktop) on your system for quick setup.
• One-Click Connector Installation: Easily install or uninstall the OneServer connector into detected clients via the UI.
• Server Capability Discovery: Browse the aggregated tools, prompts, and resources offered by your connected MCP servers.
• Operational Logging: See a combined, automatically refreshed stream of events from clients, the OneServer gateway, and connected servers for troubleshooting.
• Works Everywhere: Native desktop application for macOS, Windows, and Linux.
• Free, Local & Private: Your server configurations and connection data stay securely on your machine. OneServer operates locally without requiring cloud services or subscriptions.

Who is this Documentation For?

This documentation is intended for end-users of the OneServer desktop application. Whether you are a developer using MCP-enabled tools in your IDE, an operator managing local AI services, or simply exploring the MCP ecosystem, this guide will help you install, configure, and effectively use OneServer.

Basic Concepts

• MCP (Model Context Protocol): A standard protocol enabling applications (Clients) to interact with AI models and tools (Servers) by discovering and using their capabilities (like functions/tools, prompts, or data resources).
• MCP Server: An application that exposes AI capabilities over a local stdio process or a remote Streamable HTTP endpoint.
• MCP Client: An application (e.g., VS Code extension like Cline, Claude Desktop) that uses MCP to connect to servers and leverage their capabilities.
• OneServer (The App): This desktop application. It acts as a management portal and a local proxy/gateway for MCP communication.
• os_connector (Connector): A small helper program installed by OneServer into the configuration of your MCP Client applications. It redirects the client’s MCP traffic to the OneServer gateway.
• Gateway: The background process within OneServer that receives requests from connectors, routes them to the appropriate configured MCP Server, manages connections, and aggregates capabilities.