claude-agent-mcp 1.1.0

Sessioned Claude-backed agent runtime exposed over MCP

claude-agent-mcp

claude-agent-mcp is an MCP server that exposes Claude-backed task and session tooling to any MCP client. Install it from PyPI, register it with your MCP client (such as OpenAI Codex), and your client gains access to durable, policy-bounded Claude sessions through a stable, consistent tool interface.

Sessions persist in SQLite across server restarts. Both the Anthropic API and the Claude Code CLI are supported as execution backends. All tool responses share a single normalized response envelope regardless of which backend is active.

v1.1.0 · Python 3.11+ · stdio transport · SQLite persistence

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Features

• Durable sessions — sessions persist in SQLite and survive process restarts
• Two execution backends — Anthropic API (api) or Claude Code CLI (claude_code)
• Stable MCP tool contracts — consistent request/response schemas across backends
• Session continuation — resume any past session from any MCP client with full context
• Policy-bounded execution — profiles control permissions, turn limits, and directory access
• Structured verification — evidence-based evaluation with fail-closed semantics
• Runtime status inspection — confirm active configuration without side effects
• APNTalk verification mode — server-level restricted surface: verification-only, advisory-only, machine-verifiable, fail-closed (v1.1.0)
• Optional downstream federation — expose other MCP server tools to Claude under explicit operator allowlists

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Installation

pip install claude-agent-mcp

Python 3.11 or later is required. The claude-agent-mcp command is available immediately after install.

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Backend options

claude-agent-mcp supports two execution backends. Choose based on what credentials you have available.

Backend	Requires	Notes
api (default)	ANTHROPIC_API_KEY	Full multi-turn support via Anthropic Messages API
claude_code	claude CLI + claude login	No separate API key needed; uses your Claude Code session

Both backends expose the same MCP tools, session model, and response envelopes. Backend selection controls only how Claude executes tasks internally.

Start with api unless you already have Claude Code installed and prefer not to manage a separate API key.

Unknown backend names fail at startup with a clear error. There is no silent fallback between backends.

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Quick start

API backend

pip install claude-agent-mcp
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...
claude-agent-mcp

Your MCP client can now connect to the server over stdio.

Claude Code backend

pip install claude-agent-mcp
claude login           # authenticate once if not already done
export CLAUDE_AGENT_MCP_EXECUTION_BACKEND=claude_code
claude-agent-mcp

No API key required. Authentication comes from your existing Claude Code session.

APNTalk verification mode (v1.1.0)

APNTalk mode restricts the server to a two-tool verification surface at the server level — not downstream filtering:

pip install claude-agent-mcp
claude login
export CLAUDE_AGENT_MCP_MODE=apntalk_verification
export CLAUDE_AGENT_MCP_EXECUTION_BACKEND=claude_code
export CLAUDE_AGENT_MCP_ALLOWED_DIRS=/path/to/bounded/scope
claude-agent-mcp

In this mode the server publishes only agent_get_runtime_status and agent_verify_task. All other tools are absent from MCP introspection. Startup fails if the contract cannot be fully satisfied. See docs/operator-guide.md — APNTalk verification mode for full details.

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Using with Codex

claude-agent-mcp works as an MCP server in OpenAI Codex. Add it to ~/.codex/config.toml:

API backend:

[mcp_servers.claude-agent-mcp]
command = "claude-agent-mcp"

[mcp_servers.claude-agent-mcp.env]
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY = "sk-ant-..."

Claude Code backend:

[mcp_servers.claude-agent-mcp]
command = "claude-agent-mcp"

[mcp_servers.claude-agent-mcp.env]
CLAUDE_AGENT_MCP_EXECUTION_BACKEND = "claude_code"

Once registered, Codex can call all claude-agent-mcp tools during task execution.

For full setup instructions, verification steps, and troubleshooting see docs/codex-setup.md.

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Available tools

Tool	Description
agent_run_task	Run a new Claude-backed task in a durable session
agent_continue_session	Continue an existing session with a follow-up message
agent_get_session	Get details for a session by ID
agent_list_sessions	List recent sessions with optional status filter
agent_verify_task	Run a structured, fail-closed verification workflow
agent_get_runtime_status	Inspect active backend, profiles, and resolved configuration

All tools return a normalized response envelope:

{
  "ok": true,
  "session_id": "sess_abc123",
  "status": "completed",
  "workflow": "run_task",
  "profile": "general",
  "summary": "...",
  "result": {},
  "artifacts": [],
  "warnings": [],
  "errors": []
}

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Tool examples

Run a task

{
  "task": "Summarize the files in this directory",
  "system_profile": "general",
  "working_directory": "/path/to/project",
  "max_turns": 5
}

Continue a session

{
  "session_id": "sess_abc123",
  "message": "Can you expand on point 3?"
}

Run a structured verification

{
  "task": "Verify the implementation matches the spec",
  "scope": "authentication module",
  "evidence_paths": ["/path/to/spec.md", "/path/to/impl.py"],
  "fail_closed": true
}

Returns a verdict: pass, pass_with_restrictions, fail_closed, or insufficient_evidence.

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Execution profiles

general

Bounded general task execution. Read/write access. Up to 50 turns maximum.

verification

Evidence-based evaluation. Read-only. Fail-closed by default. Up to 20 turns maximum.

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Verification

Check the server is installed and operational:

claude-agent-mcp --version

From any connected MCP client, call agent_get_runtime_status with an empty request {}. A healthy response includes "ok": true, the active backend name, and the active profile list. This call has no side effects and is safe to use as a readiness check.

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Limitations

These are the current boundaries of the v1.1.0 release.

• No in-flight cancellation — sessions run to completion or timeout; there is no cancel signal
• No artifact browsing tools — artifact read and list tools are not yet exposed via MCP
• Single-node only — designed for single-operator, local-first use; no distributed workers or multi-tenant hosting
• Claude Code backend: single-shot CLI — each turn invokes the claude CLI individually; there is no native tool-use loop. Execution mediation uses runtime-governed text detection, not native tool calling
• Mediated execution requires active federation — without federation configured, all mediated action requests are rejected with rejected:federation_inactive
• Streamable HTTP transport is unauthenticated — do not expose on a non-loopback address without additional access control

Start with the simplest configuration that meets your needs. Enable federation, mediation, or advanced features only after confirming the basic flow works.

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Configuration reference

Core

Variable	Default	Description
CLAUDE_AGENT_MCP_MODE	standard	Runtime mode: standard or apntalk_verification
CLAUDE_AGENT_MCP_TRANSPORT	stdio	Transport: stdio or streamable-http
CLAUDE_AGENT_MCP_HOST	127.0.0.1	Bind host (streamable-http only)
CLAUDE_AGENT_MCP_PORT	8000	Bind port (streamable-http only)
CLAUDE_AGENT_MCP_STATE_DIR	.state	State storage root
CLAUDE_AGENT_MCP_MODEL	claude-sonnet-4-6	Claude model
CLAUDE_AGENT_MCP_LOCK_TTL	300	Session lock TTL in seconds
CLAUDE_AGENT_MCP_ALLOWED_DIRS	CWD	Comma-separated allowed working directories
CLAUDE_AGENT_MCP_MAX_ARTIFACT_BYTES	10485760	Max artifact size (10 MB)
CLAUDE_AGENT_MCP_LOG_LEVEL	INFO	Log level

Execution backend

Variable	Default	Description
CLAUDE_AGENT_MCP_EXECUTION_BACKEND	api	Backend: api or claude_code
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY	—	Required for api backend
CLAUDE_AGENT_MCP_CLAUDE_CODE_CLI_PATH	—	Override path to claude binary
CLAUDE_AGENT_MCP_CLAUDE_CODE_TIMEOUT	300	CLI timeout in seconds

Federation (optional, disabled by default)

Variable	Default	Description
CLAUDE_AGENT_MCP_FEDERATION_ENABLED	false	Enable downstream MCP federation
CLAUDE_AGENT_MCP_FEDERATION_CONFIG	—	Path to federation JSON config

All downstream tools require explicit allowlisting. See docs/federation.md.

Claude Code backend: advanced options

Variable	Default	Description
CLAUDE_AGENT_MCP_CLAUDE_CODE_MAX_CONTINUATION_TURNS	5	Max turns included in continuation context
CLAUDE_AGENT_MCP_CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_EXECUTION_MEDIATION	false	Enable runtime-mediated execution
CLAUDE_AGENT_MCP_CLAUDE_CODE_MAX_MEDIATED_ACTIONS_PER_TURN	1	Single-action limit per turn
CLAUDE_AGENT_MCP_CLAUDE_CODE_MAX_MEDIATED_WORKFLOW_STEPS	1	Max steps per bounded workflow
CLAUDE_AGENT_MCP_CLAUDE_CODE_ALLOWED_MEDIATED_TOOLS	all visible	Tool allowlist — empty = permit all
CLAUDE_AGENT_MCP_CLAUDE_CODE_DENIED_MEDIATED_TOOLS	none	Tool denylist — always blocked
CLAUDE_AGENT_MCP_CLAUDE_CODE_MAX_SESSION_MEDIATED_APPROVALS	100	Session-level approval cap

See docs/claude-code-backend.md for the full mediation reference.

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Other MCP clients

For clients that use JSON-format MCP configuration (such as Claude Desktop):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "claude-agent-mcp": {
      "command": "claude-agent-mcp",
      "env": {
        "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY": "sk-ant-..."
      }
    }
  }
}

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State storage

.state/
  claude-agent-mcp.db      # SQLite: sessions, events, artifact metadata
  artifacts/
    <session_id>/          # Per-session artifact files

Override the root with CLAUDE_AGENT_MCP_STATE_DIR.

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Documentation

Doc	Description
docs/codex-setup.md	Full Codex MCP setup guide
docs/execution-backends.md	Backend comparison and selection
docs/claude-code-backend.md	Claude Code backend: continuation, mediation, troubleshooting
docs/backend-capability-matrix.md	Complete capability comparison
docs/transports.md	Transport configuration
docs/deployment.md	General deployment guide
docs/federation.md	Downstream federation operator guide
CHANGELOG.md	Version history

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Development

To run from source or contribute:

git clone <repo>
cd claude-agent-mcp
python -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -e ".[dev]"
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env — set ANTHROPIC_API_KEY or CLAUDE_AGENT_MCP_EXECUTION_BACKEND=claude_code

Run tests:

pytest tests/ -v

457 tests covering sessions, policy enforcement, tool contracts, transports, federation, backends, verification, continuation context, and execution mediation.