MCP Uplink 🚀

The official CLI for MCP Uplink - Cloud MCP Hosting for AI Agents

Your AI Agents: Faster, Cheaper, Safer

Connect Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf and any MCP-compatible AI client to the MCP Uplink cloud platform.

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⚡ Why MCP Uplink?

Problem	Solution
🔥 Too many tokens	Only load the tools you need. Reduce context by 60%.
💸 High API costs	Fewer tokens = lower costs. Calculate savings at mcp-calculator
🤖 LLM hallucinations	Less noise = more accurate responses. Specialized agents perform better.
🔐 Security concerns	Zero Trust: Your credentials NEVER leave your machine.
⚙️ Infrastructure headaches	We manage MCP servers. You focus on building.

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🎯 3 Pillars for Optimal AI Agents

1. 🧠 Intelligent Tool Filtering

Reduce your context window by only exposing the tools your agent actually needs.

❌ Native MCP: Sends ALL 50+ tool definitions → Heavy load, confused LLM
✅ MCP Uplink: Only sends 5 tools you need → Fast, focused, accurate

Result: 60% less tokens, fewer hallucinations, better responses.

2. 🔐 Dual-Layer Security

Layer 1: Zero Trust Architecture

• Your API keys and tokens stay in YOUR local .env file
• Secrets are transmitted in-memory via encrypted HTTPS headers
• We NEVER store your credentials - we're just a secure proxy

Layer 2: Tool Blocking

• Block dangerous tools like delete, drop, modify
• Prevent catastrophic accidents where an agent deletes your database

3. 💰 Maximum Performance, Minimum Cost

• Less noise = faster and more accurate LLM responses
• Agents respond instantly with higher quality answers
• Managed infrastructure = no DevOps overhead for you

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📦 Installation

No installation required! Just use npx:

npx mcp-uplink connect --url https://mcp-uplink.com/api/mcp/slack

Or install globally for faster startup:

npm install -g mcp-uplink

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🚀 Quick Start

Claude Desktop Configuration

Add this to your claude_desktop_config.json:

OS	Path
Mac	~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows	%APPDATA%/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Linux	~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "slack": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-uplink",
        "connect",
        "--url", "https://mcp-uplink.com/api/mcp/slack"
      ],
      "env": {
        "MCP_API_KEY": "your-mcp-uplink-api-key",
        "MCP_ENABLED_TOOLS": "send_message,list_channels",
        "SLACK_BOT_TOKEN": "xoxb-your-slack-token",
        "SLACK_TEAM_ID": "T0123456789"
      }
    }
  }
}

Cursor / VS Code / Windsurf

Same configuration format - just add to your MCP settings.

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⚙️ CLI Options

Option	Description
-u, --url <url>	Required. MCP Uplink endpoint URL
-k, --api-key <key>	Platform API key (or set MCP_API_KEY env var)
--enabled-tools <list>	Comma-separated list of tools to enable
--no-forward-env	Disable environment variable forwarding
--env-prefix <prefix>	Only forward env vars with this prefix

Environment Variables

Variable	Description
MCP_API_KEY	Your MCP Uplink API key
MCP_ENABLED_TOOLS	Tools to enable (e.g., send_message,list_users)
MCP_SERVER_URL	Default server URL
MCP_ENV_PREFIX	Prefix filter for env vars

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🔒 Security Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  YOUR MACHINE (Secure)                                      │
│  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐   │
│  │  .env file                                           │   │
│  │  SLACK_BOT_TOKEN=xoxb-xxx (never leaves here)        │   │
│  └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘   │
│                           │                                 │
│                           ▼                                 │
│  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐   │
│  │  mcp-uplink CLI (local process)                      │   │
│  │  - Captures env vars in-memory                       │   │
│  │  - Encrypts via HTTPS header (X-Mcp-Env)             │   │
│  └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘   │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                            │
                            ▼ HTTPS (encrypted)
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  MCP UPLINK CLOUD                                           │
│  - Receives request                                         │
│  - Decrypts env vars IN-MEMORY ONLY                         │
│  - Executes MCP tool                                        │
│  - Immediately forgets credentials (no storage)             │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Key Security Features:

• ✅ Ephemeral Secrets: Never stored, only used in-memory
• ✅ HTTPS Transport: All data encrypted in transit
• ✅ Blacklist Filtering: System vars (PATH, SHELL) are never forwarded
• ✅ Tool Blocking: Prevent dangerous operations

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📊 How It Works

sequenceDiagram
    participant Claude as Claude Desktop
    participant Bridge as mcp-uplink (local)
    participant Cloud as MCP Uplink Cloud
    participant MCP as MCP Server

    Claude->>Bridge: tools/list
    Bridge->>Cloud: POST /api/mcp/slack (+ X-Mcp-Env header)
    Cloud->>MCP: Execute with filtered tools
    MCP-->>Cloud: Tool definitions
    Cloud-->>Bridge: Filtered response
    Bridge-->>Claude: Only enabled tools

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🔗 Links

• Website: https://mcp-uplink.com
• Cost Calculator: https://mcp-uplink.com/mcp-calculator
• MCP Marketplace: https://mcp-uplink.com/marketplace
• Documentation: https://mcp-uplink.com/docs
• GitHub: https://github.com/idbouche/mcp-uplink

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📄 License

MIT © MCP Uplink