MCP Server

Axiom includes an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that brings its iOS development skills to any MCP-compatible AI coding tool — VS Code with GitHub Copilot, Claude Desktop, Cursor, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, and more.

What You Get

The MCP server exposes Axiom's full catalog through the MCP protocol:

• 133 skills as MCP Resources (on-demand loading)
• 31 agents as MCP Tools (autonomous scanning and fixing)
• 10 commands as MCP Prompts (structured workflows)

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+ — check with node --version

That's it. No cloning, no building.

Installation by Tool

Each tool needs a configuration snippet that tells it how to launch the Axiom MCP server.

VS Code + GitHub Copilot

Add to your VS Code settings.json:

{
  "github.copilot.chat.mcp.servers": {
    "axiom": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "axiom-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop

Add to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "axiom": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "axiom-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Cursor

Add to .cursor/mcp.json in your workspace:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "axiom": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "axiom-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Gemini CLI

Add to ~/.gemini/config.toml:

[[mcp_servers]]
name = "axiom"
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "axiom-mcp"]

OpenCode

Add to opencode.jsonc in your project root (or ~/.config/opencode/opencode.jsonc for global):

{
  "mcp": {
    "axiom": {
      "type": "local",
      "command": ["npx", "-y", "axiom-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Or use the CLI: opencode mcp add and follow the prompts.

Configuration

Environment Variables

Variable	Values	Default	Description
AXIOM_MCP_MODE	development, production	production	Runtime mode
AXIOM_DEV_PATH	File path	—	Plugin directory for development mode
AXIOM_LOG_LEVEL	debug, info, warn, error	info	Logging verbosity

Development Mode (Live Skills)

For Axiom contributors who want live-reloading skills during development:

AXIOM_MCP_MODE=development \
AXIOM_DEV_PATH=/path/to/Axiom/.claude-plugin/plugins/axiom \
node /path/to/Axiom/mcp-server/dist/index.js

Changes to skill files are reflected immediately — no rebuild needed.

Production Mode (Bundled)

The default when installed via npm. Reads from a pre-compiled snapshot with no file system access after initialization.

npx axiom-mcp

Verify It Works

Quick Test

Run the server directly to confirm it launches without errors:

npx axiom-mcp

The server should start and wait for stdin input (MCP uses stdio transport). Press Ctrl+C to stop.

MCP Inspector

For interactive testing, use the official MCP Inspector:

npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector npx axiom-mcp

This opens a web UI where you can browse resources, test prompts, and invoke tools.

In Your Tool

Once configured, try asking your AI tool:

"What iOS debugging skills do you have?"

It should list Axiom's available skills via the MCP resources protocol.

Troubleshooting

Server Won't Start

Check Node version — must be 18+:

node --version

Skills Not Appearing

Enable debug logging to see what the server loads:

AXIOM_LOG_LEVEL=debug npx axiom-mcp 2>&1 | grep -i skill

Client Can't Connect

MCP uses stdin/stdout for communication. Common issues:

• Wrong config — ensure command is "npx" and args is ["-y", "axiom-mcp"]
• Other stdout writers — make sure nothing else writes to stdout; logs go to stderr only

Test the command from your config manually:

npx axiom-mcp
# Should start without errors, waiting for stdin

What's Next

• View all skills → — Browse the complete skill catalog
• Agents overview → — See what autonomous agents can do
• Example Workflows → — Step-by-step guides for common tasks