DocsMCPMCP Overview

MCP Overview

Ryvos includes a native MCP (Model Context Protocol) client that connects to external tool servers. MCP tools appear alongside built-in tools in the agent's toolbox, with full security tier enforcement.

What is MCP?

The Model Context Protocol is an open standard for connecting AI models to external tools and data sources. Instead of hardcoding integrations, you run MCP servers that expose tools via a standard protocol.

Quick Start

Add an MCP server to your config:

[mcp.servers.filesystem]
transport = { type = "stdio", command = "npx", args = ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "/tmp"] }
auto_connect = true

Ryvos automatically connects on startup and makes the server's tools available as mcp__filesystem__<tool_name>.

Configuration

[mcp.servers.my_server]
transport = { type = "stdio", command = "path/to/server", args = [] }
auto_connect = true           # Connect on startup
allow_sampling = false         # Allow server to request LLM samples
timeout_secs = 120            # Per-call timeout
tier_override = "t2"          # Override security tier for all tools

Tool Naming

MCP tools are bridged into Ryvos with the naming convention:

mcp__{server_name}__{tool_name}

For example, a filesystem server with a read_file tool becomes mcp__filesystem__read_file.

Security

MCP tools pass through the same SecurityGate as built-in tools:

  • Default tier: T2 (medium risk)
  • Can be overridden per-server with tier_override
  • Dangerous pattern detection applies to tool inputs
  • Approval flow works normally
# Trust this server more
[mcp.servers.trusted]
tier_override = "t0"
 
# Restrict this server
[mcp.servers.untrusted]
tier_override = "t3"

Transport Types

Ryvos supports two MCP transports:

  • Stdio — spawn a subprocess, communicate via stdin/stdout
  • SSE — connect to an HTTP server using Server-Sent Events

CLI Management

ryvos mcp list                                    # List configured servers
ryvos mcp add myserver --command ./server          # Add stdio server
ryvos mcp add remote --url http://localhost:3001/sse  # Add SSE server
ryvos mcp remove myserver                          # Remove server

OpenClaw Compatibility

Ryvos can read .mcp.json files (the format used by Claude/OpenClaw projects) and automatically convert them to McpServerConfig. Drop a .mcp.json in your project root and Ryvos picks it up.

Custom ToolsStdio Transport