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This page is the one place that covers adding the ish MCP server to a client. Other pages link here instead of restating it. The hosted server lives at https://mcp.ishlabs.io/mcp and speaks streamable HTTP. There are two ways to add it:
  • A client’s own mcp add command (for example claude mcp add), pointed at the URL.
  • ish mcp add from the ish CLI, which writes the per-client config block for you (Cursor, VS Code, Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Windsurf).
Either way, you never paste a token into a config file. The server handles sign-in over OAuth the first time a client connects.
Use https://mcp.ishlabs.io/mcp with no trailing slash. The /mcp/ form triggers a redirect that some clients will not follow on a POST, which leaves the agent with an empty tool list.

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Before you start

  • An ish account. If you do not have one, get ish free. The OAuth step signs the client in as you.
  • For the CLI path, the ish CLI installed. See the quickstart for install commands.

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Add the server

Pick the path that matches your client.
Add the server at user scope:
claude mcp add --transport http --scope user ish https://mcp.ishlabs.io/mcp
Claude Code discovers ish’s OAuth metadata, registers itself, opens your browser to sign in, and stores the resulting token. Cursor and Claude Desktop connect the same way against the same URL.
ish mcp add writes local JSON only. It makes no API call and embeds no credentials. Writes are atomic (a temp file is renamed into place), idempotent (re-running is a no-op when the ish block already matches), and every unrelated key in the target config (other MCP servers, unrelated settings) is preserved.

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Sign in on first connect

The server advertises its OAuth metadata, so the client runs sign-in interactively. No pre-issued token is required.
1

Trigger the connection

Reconnect or restart the client so it opens the server for the first time. The client discovers the OAuth flow, registers itself, and opens your browser.
2

Approve in the browser

Sign in as your ish account and approve access. The client stores the token it receives; you do not handle it.
3

Back in the agent

The ish tools are now live for the session.

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Confirm the connection

Ask the agent a read-only question. A read confirms the connection without drawing any credits. In the agent, ask: 
Use the ish tools to confirm who I am and list my workspaces.
The agent calls workspace_get (a read-only tool) and reports your workspaces back. A brand-new account shows an empty list, which is still a successful connection. Clients that read MCP resources also surface ish://identity/me, the decoded identity for the session.
The agent returns a workspace list (or an explicit empty list) instead of “no ish tools available”. That means OAuth landed and the tools are live.
If the agent reports no ish tools, the sign-in did not complete. Reconnect the client and approve access in your browser, then ask again.

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Update or remove the server

ish mcp list shows which clients are detected and their wiring status (one of present-up-to-date, present-drifted, absent, or no-config-file). It only reads, never writes. 
ish mcp list
If an existing ish block in a client config differs from the expected shape, ish mcp add refuses and exits rather than overwriting. Pass --force to overwrite it: 
ish mcp add --client cursor --force --yes
To unwire a client, use ish mcp remove. It deletes only the ish block and leaves every other key in place: 
ish mcp remove --client cursor --yes
ish mcp remove --all --yes
Point the CLI at a different endpoint (a local backend or a preview environment) by setting ISH_MCP_URL before any ish mcp command. ish mcp list reads the same variable, so reported status reflects the override.
ISH_MCP_URL=http://localhost:8000/mcp ish mcp add --client cursor --yes

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Where to go next

Every MCP tool

All 42 hosted tools, grouped by domain, each with its annotation tier.

MCP resources

The ish:// resources for identity, docs, content types, and secrets.

Run a study

Create, iterate, run, and read studies across every modality.

The ish CLI

Drive the same platform from your terminal and from CI.