modelbound-mcp

Local-first MCP server for agent skills. Validate, lint, diff, and convert agent skill files across Cursor, Claude, Kiro, Windsurf, VS Code, and Amazon Q — no account required. Optional cloud sync with ModelBound.

What it does

modelbound-mcp is a small Model Context Protocol server you run locally over stdio. It exposes tools to your IDE / agent using dot-notation naming for navigable discovery (per the Smithery quality guidelines):

Local (no API key, no network):

• ide.detectLayout — find which IDE conventions your repo uses

• skills.listLocal, skills.readLocal, skills.writeLocal

• skills.lint — front-matter, token count, broken links, TODO scan

• skills.validateFormat — agentskills.io compliance

• skills.convert — translate between IDE formats (e.g. Cursor → Claude)

• skills.diff — compare a local skill with its cloud counterpart

Cloud (with MODELBOUND_API_KEY):

• cloud.pullSkill, cloud.pushSkill, cloud.listSkills, cloud.search

• cloud.installMarketplaceSkill

• optimization.health

The cloud tools are a thin JSON-RPC proxy to mcp.modelbound.co. All business logic stays server-side; this repo never touches your data or secrets.

Migration from 0.1.x — old snake_case names (detect_ide_layout, pull_skill, …) were removed in 0.2.0. The hosted ModelBound MCP server still accepts both forms forever for backward compatibility.

Install

npx modelbound-mcp

Or install globally:

npm i -g modelbound-mcp

Use as an MCP server

Cursor (.cursor/mcp.json)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "modelbound": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "modelbound-mcp"],
      "env": { "MODELBOUND_API_KEY": "mb_live_..." }
    }
  }
}

MODELBOUND_API_KEY is optional. Without it, local tools still work.

See examples/ for Claude Desktop, Kiro, Windsurf, and VS Code configs.

Use as a CLI

modelbound-mcp detect                                  # which IDE layouts exist here?
modelbound-mcp ls                                      # list every skill file
modelbound-mcp lint .cursor/rules/                     # lint a directory
modelbound-mcp validate ./SKILL.md                     # agentskills.io compliance
modelbound-mcp convert --from cursor --to claude ./rule.mdc > out.md

Contributing

We want help. Specifically:

• New IDE adapters — Zed, Aider, Continue, JetBrains AI, Cline. See CONTRIBUTING.md for the ~50 line recipe.

• Linter rules — token estimation accuracy, dead-link detection, format-specific gotchas.

• Format converters — fidelity improvements between adapter pairs.

Browse good first issues and the roadmap.

License

MIT © ModelBound