Ashlr Stack MCP Server

Ashlr Stack

Configure supported services from your terminal or your AI agent. Stack uses provider-specific OAuth or supplied credentials, provisions where the adapter supports it, and records selected credentials in Phantom Secrets, Stack configuration and provider MCP entries. Vercel requires an existing personal access token; Stack does not create that token. Export an empty .env.example separately with stack env export --example.

New projects stall on account setup, copied keys, and agent config. Stack turns the supported part of that work into commands an agent can run and parse.

Start in 60 seconds

Agents: read llms.txt (short index) and llms-full.txt (full reference). In this repo those files are packages/site/public/llms.txt and packages/site/public/llms-full.txt.

These four commands are read-only. They need no account and no API key. They print JSON and write nothing. Node.js 20 or newer is what the published 0.3.6 packages declare. More copy-paste blocks: docs/examples.md.

npx -y -p @ashlr/stack stack providers --json
npx -y -p @ashlr/stack stack recommend "B2B SaaS with auth, AI, and payments" --json
npx -y -p @ashlr/stack stack scan --json
npx -y -p @ashlr/stack stack templates list --json

The recommend JSON has query, hits, byCategory, and guidance. stack scan --json returns { "hits": [] } in an empty directory.

One command installs Stack on macOS or Linux. It also installs Phantom Secrets if that CLI is missing:

curl -fsSL stack.ashlr.ai/install.sh | bash

Windows (PowerShell):

irm https://stack.ashlr.ai/install.ps1 | iex

After install, this prints a plan and writes nothing:

stack onboard --json

MCP server

The same stdio server works for Claude Code, Codex, and Cursor. Each tool runs the stack CLI. If no CLI can be launched, the server can still list tools, and tool calls return Could not run the 'stack' CLI.

Claude Code:

claude mcp add ashlr-stack -- npx -y -p @ashlr/stack -p ashlr-stack-mcp ashlr-stack-mcp

Codex:

codex mcp add ashlr-stack -- npx -y -p @ashlr/stack -p ashlr-stack-mcp ashlr-stack-mcp

Cursor, in ~/.cursor/mcp.json or the project .mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ashlr-stack": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "-p", "@ashlr/stack", "-p", "ashlr-stack-mcp", "ashlr-stack-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Claude Code can also install the plugin. Paste these in the Claude session:

/plugin marketplace add ashlrai/ashlr-stack
/plugin install stack@ashlr

That adds /stack:add, /stack:apply, /stack:doctor, /stack:list, /stack:recommend, and /stack:status.

How it works

1. Read. The four commands in the start block only print data.
2. Authorize. A later write uses that provider's OAuth, a personal access token, or an API key you supply. Vercel does not get a new token from Stack.
3. Record. When you ask Stack to add a service, it stores selected secrets in Phantom, writes .stack.toml (committed shape) and .stack.local.toml (gitignored ids), and can add provider MCP entries. It does not generate your app or a filled .env. stack env export --example writes an empty KEY= file at .env.example.

Features

• JSON for agents. Put --json after the subcommand: stack providers --json. A flag the command does not declare exits 1 and names the closest real option.
• One MCP server. Claude Code, Cursor, and Codex share the snippet above. The server declares 19 tools, a subset of the CLI. Tool results are CLI text plus an isError flag. They are not a secret-redaction boundary.
• Phantom holds selected secrets. Stack handles credential values in memory during setup. Persistent entries go through Phantom. Talk about slot names, not secret values.
• Fleet diagnostics. stack fleet and the stack fleet-* commands report fleet state from local data or GitHub. stack fleet-act --apply appends an audit request; a separate dispatcher must consume it. See fleet commands. The core package also exports a staged job runner for structured run records; see job run records.
• Updates on request. stack upgrade checks npm; stack upgrade --apply can upgrade an eligible npm global installation with health checks and rollback. --dryRun prevents installation. The MCP upgrade tool only checks.
• Catalog in this checkout. It registers 39 providers across 13 categories. Registration is not provider acceptance. Run stack providers --json for the install you have.

Install

The one-liner above is the fastest path. Two more:

npm / bun registry:

Verified November 6, 2026: npm serves 0.3.6 for all three Stack packages, and the v0.3.6 GitHub release provides macOS/Linux arm64/x64 binaries and checksum sidecars. The published 0.3.6 CLI and MCP manifests declare Node.js 20 or newer. Check npm view @ashlr/stack-core version, npm view @ashlr/stack version and npm view ashlr-stack-mcp version for current versions. This checkout declares the source version shown above; a source version alone does not establish publication. Source development uses Bun.

npm i -g @ashlr/stack ashlr-stack-mcp
# or: bun add -g @ashlr/stack ashlr-stack-mcp

Dev install (this repo):

git clone https://github.com/ashlrai/ashlr-stack && cd ashlr-stack
bun install
bun run packages/cli/src/index.ts --help

Run source commands with bun run packages/cli/src/index.ts <command>. For MCP from source, build the CLI (bun run --cwd packages/cli build) or set STACK_BIN. Agents working on this repo should read AGENTS.md and STACK.md.

Status: pre-alpha, active development. This source line adds fleet diagnostics and stricter input validation on top of the Node-compatible CLI and headless workflows; this checkout is version 0.3.9. See CHANGELOG.md for compatibility notes and changes since 0.2.2. Source versions do not establish npm publication or provider readiness. Check npm view @ashlr/stack version, npm view ashlr-stack-mcp version, and your installed stack --version before relying on release-specific commands.

Providers

A subset of the catalog:

• Database: Supabase, Neon, Turso, Convex, Upstash, Firebase
• Deploy: Vercel, Railway, Fly.io, Cloudflare, Render
• Cloud: AWS
• AI: OpenAI, Anthropic, xAI, DeepSeek
• Analytics: PostHog
• Errors: Sentry
• Payments: Stripe
• Code: GitHub
• Tickets: Linear
• Email: Resend
• Auth: Clerk

stack providers --json is the full list for your install, including authKind and docs links.

Commands

This checkout registers 45 top-level commands. Run stack <command> --help for the flags your install actually has. Options go after the subcommand.

MCP tools

Project-scoped tools take an absolute cwd. Catalog, registry, template, and upgrade tools reject cwd. The server can also list up to three resources when the files exist: stack://current/.stack.toml, stack://current/.stack.local.toml, and stack://current/.mcp.json.

Limits

Write commands (stack add, stack apply, stack import, stack onboard --apply) can contact a provider, store secrets, or edit agent config. Do not run them until the user has named the project and the provider. Check phantom status --json first. Writing flows stop when Phantom initialization is missing. Stack does not run phantom init for you.

stack scan --auto without --yes exits 1 in a non-interactive shell, because it would prompt. Use stack scan --json to detect services without writing.

Custom model host variables (ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL, OPENAI_BASE_URL, OLLAMA_HOST) and the rules for which URLs are allowed are in docs/model-endpoints.md.

Release steps for maintainers are in docs/RELEASE.md.

FAQ

Does the 60 second start need an account?

No. The four npx commands above only read the local catalog, rank providers, scan the current directory, and list templates.

Where do secrets go?

Selected persistent values go to Phantom Secrets. .stack.toml stores slot names and shape, not those values. .stack.local.toml is gitignored and holds per-clone ids. Stack still holds values in memory during setup, and CLI or MCP text can contain them. Do not paste command output into a public issue.

Is --json on every command?

No. It is declared per command. The start block and stack onboard --json are the quickstart forms. The root option also supports stack --version --json; put --json after a subcommand for that command's output.

What if I stop using Stack?

Provider resources and the Phantom vault stay where they are. Removing Stack does not turn vault references into a plaintext .env.

Is this production secret management?

No. Stack is pre-alpha. Evaluate Phantom on its own if you need a vault decision. Provider accounts and API usage can cost money even though the Stack license is MIT.

How do I report a bug?

Use SUPPORT.md. Security reports stay private: SECURITY.md.

Star Ashlr Stack

If this is the control plane you want agents to find, star the repo: github.com/ashlrai/ashlr-stack.

Contributing

Issues and PRs are welcome. Look for good first issue to get started, and read CONTRIBUTING.md. For questions and bug reports, see SUPPORT.md. Report security problems privately per SECURITY.md.

Ashlr Stack is one of the open-source tools from Ashlr. Siblings: Lexicon, Locus, Phantom Secrets, Ashlr Markdown, Ashlr plugin. The site is stack.ashlr.ai.

License

MIT.