MCP Server Config

Use MCP servers to extend Tabnine CLI with extra tools and context providers. This page shows where MCP config lives and how scope and overrides work. It also covers tabnine mcp commands and runtime flags for selecting servers.

Configuring MCP for Tabnine CLI

Overview

The Tabnine CLI supports MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers, which allow you to extend the CLI's capabilities with additional tools and context providers. This guide explains how to configure and manage MCP servers.

Prerequisites

• Tabnine CLI installed (available at ~/.local/bin/tabnine)

• Node.js/npm (for npx-based MCP servers)

• Python (for Python-based MCP servers, optional)

MCP Management Commands

Adding an MCP Server

Syntax:

tabnine mcp add <name> <commandOrUrl> [args...]

Parameters:

• <name>: A unique identifier for your MCP server

• <commandOrUrl>: The command to run the server or a URL to connect to it

• [args...]: Optional arguments to pass to the server command

Other Management Commands

# List all configured MCP servers
tabnine mcp list

# Enable an MCP server
tabnine mcp enable <name>

# Disable an MCP server
tabnine mcp disable <name>

# Remove an MCP server
tabnine mcp remove <name>

Common MCP Server Examples

Filesystem server (local)

tabnine mcp add filesystem npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /path/to/repo
​tabnine mcp enable filesystem

GitHub server (local process)

tabnine mcp add github npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-github
tabnine mcp enable github

Custom server (any command)

# Node
​
tabnine mcp add local-dev node /path/to/your/mcp-server/index.js
tabnine mcp enable local-dev

Using MCP Servers in Tabnine CLI

Running Tabnine with Specific MCP Servers

Once you've configured MCP servers, you can specify which ones to use when running Tabnine:

# Run with specific MCP servers
tabnine --allowed-mcp-server-names filesystem github

# Run with multiple servers
tabnine --allowed-mcp-server-names server1 server2 server3

Using in Interactive Mode

# Start interactive session with MCP servers
tabnine --allowed-mcp-server-names filesystem

# Start with a prompt and MCP servers
tabnine --prompt-interactive "Help me analyze this project" --allowed-mcp-server-names filesystem

Using in Non-Interactive Mode

# Run a single prompt with MCP servers
tabnine --prompt "List all files in the project" --allowed-mcp-server-names filesystem

Complete Workflow Example

Here's a complete example of setting up and using a filesystem MCP server:

# 1. Add the filesystem server for your project
tabnine mcp add my-project npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem ~/myproject

# 2. Verify it was added
tabnine mcp list

# 3. Enable the server (if not already enabled)
tabnine mcp enable my-project

# 4. Run Tabnine with the MCP server
tabnine --allowed-mcp-server-names my-project

# 5. In the chat, you can now ask questions like:
#    - "What files are in this project?"
#    - "Read the contents of package.json"
#    - "Analyze the code structure"

Configuration Storage

MCP server configurations are stored in the Tabnine agent directory:

• Location: ~/.tabnine/agent/

• Settings file: ~/.tabnine/agent/settings.json

Additional Options

Auto-Approval Modes

When using MCP servers, you can control how tool calls are approved:

# Default mode (prompt for approval)
tabnine --allowed-mcp-server-names filesystem

# Auto-approve edit tools only
tabnine --approval-mode auto_edit --allowed-mcp-server-names filesystem

# Auto-approve all tools (YOLO mode)
tabnine --approval-mode yolo --allowed-mcp-server-names filesystem
# OR
tabnine --yolo --allowed-mcp-server-names filesystem

# Read-only mode (plan mode)
tabnine --approval-mode plan --allowed-mcp-server-names filesystem

Allow Specific Tools

You can also allow specific tools to run without confirmation:

tabnine --allowed-tools read_file list_directory --allowed-mcp-server-names filesystem

Troubleshooting

Check if MCP servers are configured

tabnine mcp list

Debug mode

tabnine --debug --allowed-mcp-server-names filesystem

Verify Tabnine CLI version

tabnine --help

Popular MCP Servers

Here are some popular MCP servers you might want to configure:

1. @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem - File system access

2. @modelcontextprotocol/server-github - GitHub integration

3. @modelcontextprotocol/server-slack - Slack integration

4. @modelcontextprotocol/server-postgres - PostgreSQL database access

5. @modelcontextprotocol/server-memory - Persistent memory/notes

6. @modelcontextprotocol/server-brave-search - Web search capabilities

7. @modelcontextprotocol/server-google-maps - Google Maps integration

To explore more MCP servers, visit: https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol

Best Practices

1. Use descriptive names for your MCP servers (e.g., project-files, company-github)

2. Enable only the servers you need to reduce overhead

3. Use approval modes carefully - avoid --yolo mode unless you fully trust the operations

4. Test servers individually before combining multiple servers

5. Keep MCP server packages updated using npm update or pip install --upgrade