Slipway

Build and ship real apps directly from Claude or ChatGPT — free and open source, using the AI subscription you already pay for.

Slipway is an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that gives your AI assistant the tools to actually ship software, not just write it: scaffold an app, edit its files, run a live preview you can open in your browser, store data in a built-in database, send email, send push notifications, and deploy to a real public URL.

There is no meter and no credits. The model you already pay for (Claude Pro/Max, ChatGPT Plus, or any MCP-capable client) does the thinking; Slipway just executes. Everything runs on your machine, and deploys go to your accounts on free hosting tiers.

A slipway is the ramp a ship is built on and launched from.

What your assistant can do once connected

Related MCP server: VULK MCP Server

Quick start

Requires Node.js ≥ 22.5 (the built-in SQLite needs it).

git clone https://github.com/SandeepbhuiyaRTNW/slipway.git
cd slipway
npm install
npm run build
npm run smoke   # optional: end-to-end self-test

Claude Code

claude mcp add slipway -- node /absolute/path/to/slipway/dist/index.js

Claude Desktop

Add to claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "slipway": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/slipway/dist/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

ChatGPT, claude.ai on the web, or your phone (remote HTTP mode)

SLIPWAY_TOKEN=some-long-secret node dist/index.js --http 8788
# then expose it, e.g.:
cloudflared tunnel --url http://localhost:8788

Point the client's MCP connector at https://<your-tunnel>/mcp with the header Authorization: Bearer some-long-secret. ChatGPT accepts remote MCP connectors in developer mode; claude.ai accepts them as custom connectors.

Then just talk:

"Build me a habit tracker with streaks, keep the data in the database, and give me a link to try it."

The assistant scaffolds the app, writes the code, starts a preview, and hands you the URL. Ask for changes; refresh the page.

Where things live

Apps are stored in ~/.slipway/apps/<name> (override with SLIPWAY_HOME). Each app is a plain directory — it's your code, take it anywhere. Per-app extras:

• data.sqlite — the app's database

• .env — secrets, injected into the app's process on preview/deploy (values are never echoed back through the AI)

• .slipway-push.json — Web Push VAPID keys (private key never leaves your machine)

Deploying

• deploy(app, "local") — builds and serves the app persistently on your machine.

• deploy(app, "vercel" | "netlify" | "cloudflare") — publishes to a real public URL using that provider's CLI (vercel, netlify, wrangler), which you log into once. Free tiers work; custom domains are configured in the provider's dashboard and are free to attach.

Email and push

• Email: set SMTP_HOST, SMTP_PORT, SMTP_USER, SMTP_PASS, MAIL_FROM via set_env. Any SMTP provider works — a Gmail app password, Fastmail, Mailgun, Brevo, or your own server.

• Push: push_generate_keys gives you a VAPID public key for pushManager.subscribe() in your app's frontend; push_send delivers notifications to a subscription. No third-party push service involved.

Security notes

Slipway executes code (npm scripts, dev servers) on the machine it runs on — that is its job. Accordingly:

• All file operations are confined to the workspace (~/.slipway/apps); path traversal is rejected.

• HTTP mode without SLIPWAY_TOKEN prints a loud warning: anyone who can reach the port can build and run code. Always set a token before tunneling.

• Env values are write-only through the AI: list_env returns key names, never values.

• delete_app requires an explicit confirm: true.

Treat a tunneled Slipway like SSH access to your machine, because that is roughly what it is.

Roadmap

• One-command public tunnels for previews (share_preview)

• Postgres option alongside SQLite

• Auth scaffolding (sessions, magic links) in the fullstack template

• A hosted multi-tenant mode so one Slipway can serve a team

• More templates (Next.js, Expo)

Contributions welcome — see CONTRIBUTING.md.

License

MIT. Slipway is an independent open-source project, not affiliated with Anthropic, OpenAI, or Floot.