Quickstart
Install acf-mcp in your AI client in 30 seconds. No API key, no account, no remote service — everything runs locally via npx.
iNote
acf-mcp is a local stdio server: your AI client launches it on demand via npx. No proxy, no HTTP entry point to provision, no required environment variables. If you want an MCP-over-HTTP endpoint (multi-user, API-key authenticated), see the /docs/authentication page.Prerequisites
- Node.js ≥ 18 (check with
node --version) - An MCP-compatible client: Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Continue, Zed, or any other client implementing MCP
Installation
Pick your client below and copy the configuration block.
Open ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows) and add:
claude_desktop_config.jsonjson
{
"mcpServers": {
"acf": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "acf-mcp"]
}
}
}Verify the install
Restart your AI client
Fully quit Claude Desktop / Cursor / Windsurf / Continue (Cmd+Q on macOS, close all windows on Windows), then relaunch it.
Ask your agent for a smoke test
Type into the chat: “Use the acf.advisor tool to give me three governance tips for an agent that qualifies B2B leads”.
Your agent should call the tool, receive a signed reply (with doctrine_hash, doctrine_signature, generated_at), and rephrase it in natural language.
(Optional) Check the server version from CLI
bash# Verify the server is reachable npx -y acf-mcp --version
What's next?
- Explore the 13 MCP tools — 8 REASON (deterministic signed reasoning) + 5 READ (resource lookup).
- Understand the architecture — how each tool produces deterministic, signed output without an internal LLM call.
- Verify the doctrine signature — pin the Ed25519 public key and verify every reply offline.