Install MCPBolt

MCPBolt ships in two forms: a CLI you run with npx (no install required) and a native macOS menu bar app called MCPBoltBar. You can use either or both — they operate on the same config files.

Option 1 — CLI

The CLI is the quickest way to get started. Run it without installing anything:

npx mcpbolt

npx will fetch the latest version from npm every time. If you'd prefer a stable version pinned globally:

npm install -g mcpbolt

Then invoke it as:

mcpbolt

Requirements

  • Node.js 18 or newer
  • macOS, Linux, or Windows with WSL
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Tip. Run node --version to check your Node version. If it's below 18, update via nodejs.org or your version manager (nvm use 18, fnm use 18, etc.).

Verify CLI install

mcpbolt --version

Uninstall CLI

If you installed globally:

npm uninstall -g mcpbolt

If you only ever used npx mcpbolt, there's nothing to uninstall — npx doesn't persist a global binary.

Option 2 — Mac menu bar app (MCPBoltBar)

MCPBoltBar lives in your menu bar and gives you a full GUI for managing MCP servers — toggles, health status, coverage matrix, per-repo projects, and more. No terminal required for day-to-day use.

Install via Homebrew

brew install --cask vishmathpati/mcpbolt/mcpboltbar

Install via direct download

Grab the latest zip from the Releases page on GitHub, unzip it, and drag MCPBoltBar into your Applications folder.

Requirements

  • macOS Monterey (12) or newer
  • Apple Silicon or Intel
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Note. The menu bar app includes its own bundled runtime — you don't need Node.js installed separately to use MCPBoltBar.

Verify menu bar install

After launching MCPBoltBar, the bolt icon should appear in your menu bar. Click it — if you see the server list (or an empty state prompting you to add a server), the install was successful.

Uninstall menu bar app

If you installed via Homebrew:

brew uninstall mcpboltbar

If you installed manually: drag MCPBoltBar out of Applications into Trash.

Config files that MCPBolt wrote to your AI tools are not removed on uninstall — your MCP server entries stay in place. Remove them manually if needed (see Supported apps for config file locations).

Which should I use?

Use the CLI if you're comfortable in the terminal or want to script MCPBolt into a dotfiles setup. Use the menu bar app if you want a GUI, always-on health monitoring, and one-click sync across tools. Both read and write the same config files, so you can switch between them freely.

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Source. MCPBolt is MIT licensed. You can read the source, build it yourself, or contribute at https://github.com/vishmathpati/mcpbolt.
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Introduction