Get up and running with ntcli in under 5 minutes. This guide walks you through installing ntcli, deploying your first MCP server, and integrating it with Claude Desktop.

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Prerequisites

  • Node.js 20+ installed
  • A NimbleTools account (sign up during authentication)

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Installation

npm install -g @nimbletools/ntcli

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Complete Walkthrough

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Step 1: Authenticate

Start by authenticating with the NimbleTools platform: 
ntcli auth login
This will:
  1. Open your browser for OAuth authentication
  2. Create or sign in to your NimbleTools account
  3. Store authentication credentials locally

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Step 2: Create and Activate a Workspace

Create a new workspace for your project: 
ntcli workspace create my-project --description "My first MCP project"
This automatically sets the new workspace as active. You can verify with: 
ntcli workspace list

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Step 3: Browse Available MCP Servers

Explore the community registry to see what MCP servers are available: 
ntcli registry list
You’ll see servers like:
  • nationalparks-mcp - Search and explore US National Parks
  • finnhub-mcp - Stock market data and financial information
  • reverse-text-mcp - Simple text manipulation tools
Get details about a specific server: 
ntcli registry show nationalparks-mcp

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Step 4: Deploy an MCP Server

Deploy the National Parks MCP server: 
ntcli server deploy nationalparks-mcp
This will:
  • Pull the server definition from the registry
  • Deploy it to the cloud with auto-scaling
  • Make it available at your workspace endpoint

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Step 5: Set Required API Keys

The National Parks service requires an API key. Set it as a workspace secret: 
ntcli secrets set NPS_API_KEY=YOUR_API_KEY

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Step 6: Test the MCP Server

First, check what tools are available: 
ntcli mcp tools nationalparks-mcp
Now call a tool to search for parks: 
ntcli mcp call nationalparks-mcp find_parks --arg stateCode="WY"
You should see results for Wyoming national parks including Yellowstone and Grand Teton. Try another example: 
ntcli mcp call nationalparks-mcp search_parks --arg query="Yellowstone"

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Step 7: Generate Claude Desktop Configuration

Generate the configuration needed to integrate with Claude Desktop: 
ntcli server claude-config nationalparks-mcp
This outputs JSON configuration that you need to add to your Claude Desktop config file.

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Claude Desktop Integration

  1. Copy the JSON output from the previous command
  2. Open Claude Desktop config file: 
    open ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
  3. Add the configuration to the mcpServers section: 
    {
  "mcpServers": {
    "nationalparks-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "@nimbletools/mcp-http-bridge",
        "--endpoint",
        "https://mcp.nimbletools.ai/v1/workspaces/{your-workspace-id}/servers/nationalparks-mcp/mcp",
        "--token",
        "your-workspace-token",
        "--insecure"
      ]
    }
  }
}
  4. Restart Claude Desktop

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Next Steps

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Advanced Features

Scale Your Servers

ntcli server scale nationalparks-mcp 3

View Server Logs

ntcli server logs nationalparks-mcp --lines 100

Manage Multiple Workspaces

ntcli workspace switch production

Non-Expiring Tokens

ntcli token refresh --no-expiry

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Integration Examples

1

LangChain Integration

Use deployed MCP servers directly in LangChain applications. See our LangChain Integration Guide.
2

CI/CD Integration

Set up automated deployments and token management. See our CI/CD Guide.
3

Custom MCP Servers

Deploy your own custom MCP servers to the platform. See our Development Guide.

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Common Commands Reference

Here are the most commonly used commands you’ll work with:

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Authentication & Workspaces

ntcli auth status                    # Check authentication status
ntcli workspace list                 # List all workspaces
ntcli workspace switch <name>        # Switch active workspace

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Server Management

ntcli server list                    # List deployed servers
ntcli server info <server-id>        # Get server details
ntcli server remove <server-id>      # Remove a server

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MCP Testing

ntcli mcp connect <server-id>        # Test MCP connection
ntcli mcp tools <server-id>          # List available tools
ntcli mcp call <server-id> <tool>    # Call a specific tool

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Registry & Secrets

ntcli registry list                  # Browse available servers
ntcli secrets list                   # List workspace secrets
ntcli secrets set KEY=value          # Set a secret

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Need Help?

Command Help

Use --help with any command: bash ntcli --help ntcli server deploy --help

Troubleshooting

Common issues and solutions for deployment and integration problems.

GitHub Issues

Report bugs or request features on our GitHub repository.

Community Support

Join our Slack community for help and discussions.

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What’s Next?

You now have a complete MCP server running and integrated with Claude Desktop! Here are some suggested next steps:
  1. Explore more servers: Try deploying finnhub-mcp for stock data or create your own
  2. Set up production workflows: Use non-expiring tokens and CI/CD integration
  3. Build applications: Use the deployed servers in LangChain or other AI applications
  4. Monitor and scale: Use logging and scaling features for production workloads