Command-Line Interface (CLI)

Relevant source files

The following files were used as context for generating this wiki page:

• examples/clients/simple-auth-client/README.md
• examples/servers/simple-auth/README.md
• CONTRIBUTING.md
• CLAUDE.md
• tests/server/fastmcp/test_integration.py
• RELEASE.md

The python-sdk project utilizes several command-line interfaces (CLIs) to manage its ecosystem, from development and testing to running servers and example clients. The primary tool for executing these commands is uv, a fast Python package installer and resolver.

This document outlines the various CLI entry points available in the project. These include an interactive client for communicating with MCP servers, commands for launching server components, and a suite of tools for maintaining code quality and running tests during development.

Example MCP Client CLI

The project includes an example interactive CLI client that demonstrates how to connect to and interact with an MCP server that requires OAuth 2.0 authentication.

Sources: examples/clients/simple-auth-client/README.md

Configuration

The client's behavior is configured using environment variables before execution.

Variable	Description	Default
MCP_SERVER_PORT	The port of the target MCP server.	8000
MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE	The transport protocol to use. Can be streamable_http or sse.	streamable_http

Sources: examples/clients/simple-auth-client/README.md:43-44

Usage and Commands

To run the client, use the uv run command from within the client's directory.

# Run with default settings
uv run mcp-simple-auth-client

# Run with custom port and SSE transport
MCP_SERVER_PORT=3001 MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE=sse uv run mcp-simple-auth-client

Sources: examples/clients/simple-auth-client/README.md:21-26

Upon launching, the client initiates an OAuth flow by providing a URL for browser-based authorization. Once connected, it presents an interactive prompt.

The following diagram illustrates the client's operational flow.

The available interactive commands are:

Command	Description	Example
list	Lists the tools available on the connected MCP server.	mcp> list
call <tool_name> [args]	Calls a specific tool with optional JSON arguments.	mcp> call echo {"text": "Hello!"}
quit	Exits the interactive client.	mcp> quit

Sources: examples/clients/simple-auth-client/README.md:32-34

Server-Side CLI

The project provides CLI commands to run the necessary server components for the example authentication setup: a dedicated Authorization Server (AS) and the MCP-enabled Resource Server (RS).

Sources: examples/servers/simple-auth/README.md

Running Servers

The servers are launched using uv run from the examples/servers/simple-auth directory.

This diagram shows how the CLI commands launch the distinct server processes and the client, and how these components interact.

Server Configuration Flags

The Resource Server (MCP Server) can be configured with command-line flags.

Flag	Description	Example
--port	Sets the port for the server to listen on.	--port=8001
--auth-server	The URL of the Authorization Server.	--auth-server=http://localhost:9000
--transport	The transport protocol to enable.	--transport=streamable-http
--oauth-strict	Enforces strict RFC 8707 resource validation.	--oauth-strict

Sources: examples/servers/simple-auth/README.md:19-23

Development Workflow CLI

The development process relies heavily on CLI commands managed by uv for dependency management, code quality assurance, and testing.

Sources: CONTRIBUTING.md, CLAUDE.md

Setup and Dependency Management

Initial project setup and dependency synchronization are handled by uv.

Command	Description
uv sync --frozen --all-extras --dev	Installs all project dependencies, including development and optional extras, from the lockfile.
uv tool install pre-commit ...	Installs the pre-commit hook runner.
uv lock --resolution lowest-direct	Updates the dependency lockfile after a change in pyproject.toml.

Sources: CONTRIBUTING.md:14-19, RELEASE.md:6

Code Quality and Testing

A standardized set of CLI commands ensures code consistency and correctness. These are typically run before committing code.

The following diagram shows the recommended development workflow using these CLI tools.

Command	Description	Source File
uv run ruff format .	Formats Python code according to project style.	CONTRIBUTING.md:39
uv run ruff check .	Lints the codebase for potential errors and style violations.	CONTRIBUTING.md:38
uv run pyright	Performs static type checking on the codebase.	CONTRIBUTING.md:35
uv run pytest	Executes the automated test suite.	CONTRIBUTING.md:31
pre-commit run --all-files	Runs all configured pre-commit hooks against all files.	CONTRIBUTING.md:43

Sources: CONTRIBUTING.md:27-44, CLAUDE.md:38-51