iStdBMAD

BMAD-METHOD MCP server for local network — serves all 42 BMAD AI development skills to every project on your machine (or team network) from a single installation.

Works with Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, GitHub Copilot, Cline, Codex, Gemini CLI, and more.

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What it does

• Runs a local MCP server that connects to Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, GitHub Copilot, and more
• Serves all BMAD-METHOD skills (create PRD, architecture, stories, dev story, code review, etc.)
• Reads your project's docs/ and CLAUDE.md automatically — every skill gets your project context injected
• Shows a live web dashboard to see connected sessions and skill activity
• Works across your whole local network — one server, every developer and every tool

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Prerequisites

• Node.js 20+
• At least one supported AI tool (Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, GitHub Copilot, Cline, Codex, Gemini CLI, etc.)
• Git

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Installation

The fastest path uses npx — no clone, no npm install. Skills install into a stable home directory (~/.istd-bmad/) so the server can find them on every run.

npx istd-bmad setup       # interactive: pick which tools to install for
npx istd-bmad start       # start the MCP server

Or install globally so the istd-bmad command is always available:

npm install -g istd-bmad
istd-bmad setup
istd-bmad start

Setup options

npx istd-bmad setup --yes                          # recommended defaults
npx istd-bmad setup --tools claude-code,cursor     # explicit tool list
npx istd-bmad setup --force                        # reinstall / upgrade BMAD

Supported tools: claude-code, cursor, windsurf, github-copilot, cline, roo, codex, gemini, replit

Where skills are installed

Default: ~/.istd-bmad/ (and ~/.istd-bmad/.claude/skills/ for the BMAD skill files).

Override with the ISTD_BMAD_HOME env var:

ISTD_BMAD_HOME=/opt/istd-bmad npx istd-bmad setup
ISTD_BMAD_HOME=/opt/istd-bmad npx istd-bmad start

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Starting the server

npx istd-bmad start
# or, if installed globally:
istd-bmad start

You will see:

✅ Loaded 42 BMAD skills

╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║                 iStdBMAD — MCP Server                        ║
╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║  Web Dashboard:  http://localhost:3000/                      ║
║                  http://192.168.1.x:3000/                    ║
║  MCP endpoint:   http://localhost:3000/sse                   ║
║                  http://192.168.1.x:3000/sse                 ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

Keep this terminal open while you work. The server must be running for Claude Code to use BMAD skills.

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Connect your AI tool (one-time per machine)

Claude Code

Register the server globally so it's available in every Claude Code session:

claude mcp add --transport sse --scope user iStdBMAD http://localhost:3000/sse

Verify it's registered:

claude mcp list

You should see iStdBMAD in the list. Restart Claude Code after registering.

Cursor / Windsurf / GitHub Copilot

These tools discover MCP servers via the config file in the project directory (created by istd-bmad init). No global registration needed — open the project and the connection is automatic.

Cline / Roo Code

Open VS Code → sidebar → MCP Servers → Add → SSE → http://localhost:3000/sse

Codex / Gemini CLI / Replit

BMAD skills are installed as local files (.agents/skills/). No server connection needed — the tool reads them directly from your project.

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Set up a project

Every project needs a .mcp.json so Claude Code knows to use iStdBMAD, plus a docs/ folder for your project-specific documents.

Option A — Use istd-bmad init (recommended)

cd my-project
npx istd-bmad init --yes

By default, init prompts you to choose which AI tools to configure. Pass --tools to skip the prompt:

npx istd-bmad init --yes --tools claude-code,cursor
npx istd-bmad init --yes --tools cursor,windsurf,github-copilot

This creates the appropriate MCP config file(s) for each selected tool:

Tool	Config file created
Claude Code	.mcp.json
Cursor	.cursor/mcp.json
Windsurf	.windsurf/mcp.json
GitHub Copilot (VS Code)	.vscode/mcp.json
Cline / Roo / Codex / Gemini	(printed as manual instructions)

Plus the full project scaffold:

my-project/
├── .mcp.json              ← Claude Code config (if selected)
├── .cursor/mcp.json       ← Cursor config (if selected)
├── CLAUDE.md              ← project rules (fill in before starting)
├── docs/
│   ├── project-brief.md   ← describe your project here first
│   ├── prd.md
│   ├── architecture.md
│   └── stories/
└── .gitignore

Option B — Manual (existing projects)

Create the MCP config file for your tool:

Claude Code — .mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "iStdBMAD": { "type": "sse", "url": "http://localhost:3000/sse" }
  }
}

Cursor — .cursor/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "iStdBMAD": { "url": "http://localhost:3000/sse" }
  }
}

Windsurf — .windsurf/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "iStdBMAD": { "serverUrl": "http://localhost:3000/sse" }
  }
}

GitHub Copilot (VS Code) — .vscode/mcp.json:

{
  "inputs": [],
  "servers": {
    "iStdBMAD": { "type": "sse", "url": "http://localhost:3000/sse" }
  }
}

Cline / Roo Code: Open VS Code → sidebar → MCP Servers → Add → SSE → http://localhost:3000/sse

Codex / Gemini CLI / Replit: BMAD skills are installed directly (no MCP config needed — skills live in .agents/skills/).

Create docs/ folder and CLAUDE.md manually (see templates below).

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First use in a project

1. Fill in docs/project-brief.md

This is the most important step. iStdBMAD reads this to understand your project before injecting context into any skill.

# My Project — Project Brief

## What is this?
A web app that lets restaurant owners manage their menu and orders in real time.

## Key Goals
- [ ] Menu management (add, edit, delete items)
- [ ] Real-time order tracking
- [ ] Role-based access (owner, staff)

## Tech Stack
- Language: TypeScript
- Framework: Next.js 14
- Database: PostgreSQL + Prisma

## Constraints
- Must work offline for staff tablets
- Must handle 100 concurrent orders

## Success Looks Like
Staff can take orders without paper. Owner can update menu instantly.

2. Fill in CLAUDE.md

Rules Claude Code will follow in every conversation in this project:

# My Project — Claude Rules

## Project Overview
Restaurant management web app. TypeScript + Next.js + PostgreSQL.

## Required Reading (before any code change)
- docs/prd.md           — requirements
- docs/architecture.md  — technical decisions

## Hard Rules
### MUST NOT
- Never skip tests
- Never use `any` in TypeScript
- Never commit directly to main

### MUST
- Follow architecture in docs/architecture.md
- Run `npm test` before marking a story done

## BMAD Workflow
1. bmad-help                     → get oriented
2. bmad-create-prd               → write docs/prd.md
3. bmad-create-architecture      → write docs/architecture.md
4. bmad-create-epics-and-stories → write docs/stories/
5. bmad-dev-story                → implement a story
6. bmad-code-review              → review before merge

3. Open Claude Code in your project

cd my-project
claude

Claude Code will connect to iStdBMAD automatically when it sees .mcp.json.

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BMAD Workflow (after setup)

Getting started

use bmad-help

BMAD will look at your project state and tell you exactly what to do next.

Full development cycle

Step	Skill	Output
1. Define the product	bmad-create-prd	docs/prd.md
2. Design the system	bmad-create-architecture	docs/architecture.md
3. Break into stories	bmad-create-epics-and-stories	docs/stories/
4. Implement a story	bmad-dev-story	code
5. Review code	bmad-code-review	review notes
6. Plan the sprint	bmad-sprint-planning	sprint plan

Saving skill output to docs

After a skill runs and Claude produces a document, save it:

Save this as docs/prd.md using write_project_doc

Claude will call write_project_doc to save directly to your docs/ folder.

Reading project docs

Read docs/prd.md using read_project_doc

Or just invoke any skill — iStdBMAD injects the relevant docs automatically.

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Available BMAD Skills (42 total)

Agents (specialists)

Skill	Role
bmad-agent-pm	Product Manager — requirements, priorities
bmad-agent-architect	System Architect — technical design
bmad-agent-dev	Senior Engineer — implementation
bmad-agent-analyst	Business Analyst — research, analysis
bmad-agent-ux-designer	UX Designer — user flows, wireframes
bmad-agent-tech-writer	Technical Writer — documentation

Planning & Documentation

Skill	What it does
bmad-create-prd	Write the Product Requirements Document
bmad-create-architecture	Design the system architecture
bmad-create-epics-and-stories	Break PRD into epics and user stories
bmad-create-story	Write a single detailed user story
bmad-create-ux-design	Create UX design specifications
bmad-product-brief	Write a concise product brief
bmad-prfaq	Write a PR/FAQ document (Amazon-style)
bmad-document-project	Generate project documentation

Development

Skill	What it does
bmad-dev-story	Implement a user story (full TDD flow)
bmad-quick-dev	Fast implementation for small tasks
bmad-code-review	Review code for quality and correctness
bmad-check-implementation-readiness	Check if ready to start a story
bmad-correct-course	Fix a story that went off track

Research & Analysis

Skill	What it does
bmad-domain-research	Research a domain or technology
bmad-market-research	Research the market and competitors
bmad-technical-research	Deep technical research
bmad-brainstorming	Structured brainstorming session

Sprint & Project Management

Skill	What it does
bmad-sprint-planning	Plan the next sprint
bmad-sprint-status	Report current sprint status
bmad-retrospective	Run a sprint retrospective
bmad-generate-project-context	Generate a project context summary

Testing

Skill	What it does
bmad-qa-generate-e2e-tests	Generate end-to-end tests
bmad-validate-prd	Validate PRD for completeness

Reviews & Editing

Skill	What it does
bmad-review-adversarial-general	Adversarial review of documents
bmad-review-edge-case-hunter	Find edge cases
bmad-editorial-review-prose	Review writing quality
bmad-editorial-review-structure	Review document structure
bmad-edit-prd	Edit and improve an existing PRD

Utilities

Skill	What it does
bmad-help	Get oriented — what to do next
bmad-party-mode	Creative brainstorming with multiple personas
bmad-customize	Customize BMAD for your team
bmad-index-docs	Index all project documentation
bmad-shard-doc	Split large documents into smaller parts
bmad-distillator	Summarize and distill content

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MCP Tools (available to Claude)

Beyond skills, iStdBMAD exposes tools Claude can call directly:

Tool	Description
list_project_docs	List all files in docs/
read_project_doc	Read a specific doc file
write_project_doc	Save content to docs/<file>
get_project_rules	Read CLAUDE.md
update_project_rules	Update CLAUDE.md

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Web Dashboard

Open in any browser while the server is running:

http://localhost:3000/

Shows:

• Active sessions — which projects are connected right now
• Live activity feed — every skill call as it happens
• Skills available — all 42 BMAD skills
• Stats — uptime, session count, docs written

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Team / Network Usage

To share one server across multiple developers on the same network:

On the server machine (run once):

npx istd-bmad start
# Note the Network URL: http://192.168.x.x:3000/sse

On each developer's machine — register the server:

claude mcp add --transport sse --scope user iStdBMAD http://192.168.x.x:3000/sse

In each project's .mcp.json — use the network IP:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "iStdBMAD": {
      "type": "sse",
      "url": "http://192.168.x.x:3000/sse"
    }
  }
}

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Updating BMAD Skills

To get the latest BMAD-METHOD skills:

npx istd-bmad setup --force
npx istd-bmad start

All connected developers get the updated skills immediately — no action needed on their end.

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Troubleshooting

Claude Code doesn't see iStdBMAD tools

• Make sure the server is running (npx istd-bmad start)
• Restart Claude Code after registering with claude mcp add
• Check claude mcp list — iStdBMAD should be listed

"No project root detected" in skill responses

• Your project needs .mcp.json — run npx istd-bmad init --yes or create it manually
• Restart Claude Code after adding .mcp.json

Skills loaded but no project context injected

• Make sure docs/project-brief.md exists and has content
• The server reads docs/ from whichever project Claude Code has open

Server won't start — "Skills directory not found"

• Run npx istd-bmad setup first to install BMAD skills
• Or check ~/.istd-bmad/.claude/skills/ exists (or $ISTD_BMAD_HOME/.claude/skills/ if you set the override)

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Project Structure

The npm package itself:

istd-bmad/
├── bin/cli.js         ← CLI entry point (setup / init / start)
├── server.js          ← MCP server (SSE transport + web dashboard)
├── setup.js           ← One-time BMAD skill installer
├── init.js            ← Per-project scaffolder
├── tools.js           ← Supported tools registry
├── paths.js           ← Resolves install location
├── public/
│   └── index.html     ← Web dashboard UI
└── package.json

After running npx istd-bmad setup, BMAD skills live in your home directory (so any npx istd-bmad start invocation can find them):

~/.istd-bmad/                 ← override with $ISTD_BMAD_HOME
├── .claude/
│   └── skills/               ← 42 BMAD skill files
└── _bmad/                    ← BMAD core configuration