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Guide /Connect your AI (MCP)

Connect your AI (MCP)

Generate an MCP address and paste a one-click JSON config into Cursor, WorkBuddy, Cline, Claude, Codex, or any MCP-capable AI so it can publish through your machine.

PublishPort exposes your machine’s publishing power to AI through MCP (the Model Context Protocol). You get one address, paste it into an MCP-capable AI, and that AI gains a set of publishing tools it can use to drive your computer — within the scope you allow.

Generate your access address

Open the Connect AI page in the app:

  1. Confirm the status reads Local executor connected. (If not, go back to Install and check the app is running in the background.)
  2. Click Generate address to get an MCP URL that looks like https://…/mcp, plus a ready-to-copy JSON config.

This URL is the key. Any AI that has it can drive your computer, so don’t paste it into public chats, screenshots, or code repositories.

One-click JSON config (Cursor / WorkBuddy / Cline, etc.)

Most GUI clients accept the same standard mcpServers JSON. The Connect AI page already fills in your address — hit Copy to grab the config, then paste it into your client’s MCP config file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "publishport": {
      "url": "https://…/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Replace https://…/mcp with your own access address (the one you copy from the app is already complete — no hand-editing needed).

Where to paste it, per client:

  • Cursor: Settings → MCP → Add new MCP server, or edit .cursor/mcp.json (project) / ~/.cursor/mcp.json (global) directly and merge in the mcpServers block above.
  • WorkBuddy: paste the same JSON into its MCP / tool-server settings.
  • Cline (VS Code extension): open the Cline panel’s MCP Servers → Configure → Edit Configuration and add the block to cline_mcp_settings.json.
  • Any other GUI client: the entry point is named differently (“Add MCP server / tool server”), but nearly all accept this mcpServers + url JSON.

Two common variants

Some clients use different field names — if a straight copy won’t connect, tweak it as below:

  • Windsurf: rename url to serverUrl (file lives at ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json): 
    {
  "mcpServers": {
    "publishport": {
      "serverUrl": "https://…/mcp"
    }
  }
}
  • VS Code (native MCP, not Cline): the top-level key is servers (not mcpServers), and you must set "type": "http" — otherwise VS Code treats it as a local stdio server and fails (file lives at .vscode/mcp.json): 
    {
  "servers": {
    "publishport": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://…/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Command-line tools (Claude Code / Codex)

CLI tools don’t need hand-edited JSON — the Connect AI page gives you a command to copy straight into your terminal:

  • Claude Code: 
    claude mcp add --transport http publishport "<your-address>"
  • Codex: 
    codex mcp add publishport --url "<your-address>"

Connect any other MCP client

Claude desktop, Manus, and any AI that speaks MCP can use the universal address: copy it from the Connect AI page and add it wherever that client lets you “add an MCP / tool server (HTTP transport).” The entry point is named differently across apps, but it’s always “add an MCP server,” then paste the address.

Official CLI (for agents that don’t speak MCP)

Some agents have no MCP support. Those use the official CLI, which wraps the same tools as commands and takes the same access address:

npx publishport login        # paste the address you generated above
npx publishport capabilities # which devices are online, which platforms are signed in

From there your agent publishes with publishport run --device <device> -- ppcli <platform> …. Commands still travel through the relay and execute on your machine, so the agent doesn’t have to be on it. With the PublishPort Skill installed, it picks between MCP and the CLI on its own.

The credential lives in ~/.publishport/config.json (mode 600). It’s the same key as the access address — don’t share it.

Confirm it’s connected

Once connected, have your AI take a look at what’s available — try asking:

Which platforms can you publish to right now?

Your AI will list the platforms that are logged in and available on your machine. See the list, and the channel is open — time for your first AI publish.