claude-mcp-bridge

MCP server that wraps Claude Code CLI as a subprocess, exposing its capabilities as Model Context Protocol tools.

Works with any MCP client: Codex CLI, Gemini CLI, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code, or any tool that speaks MCP.

Do you need this?

If you're in a terminal agent (Codex CLI, Gemini CLI) with shell access, call Claude Code CLI directly:

# Quick review of current diff
git diff origin/main...HEAD | claude -p --bare "Review this diff for bugs and security issues"

# Agentic review (Claude reads files, follows imports, checks tests)
claude -p --bare --allowed-tools "Read Grep Glob Bash(git diff:*,git log:*,git show:*)" \
  "Review the changes on this branch vs main"

# Analyze specific files
claude -p --bare --allowed-tools "Read" "Analyze src/utils/parse.ts for edge cases"

# With budget cap
claude -p --bare --max-budget-usd 0.50 "Is this retry logic sound?"

--bare skips hooks, memory, and plugins for clean subprocess use. --allowed-tools controls exactly what Claude can access. --max-budget-usd prevents runaway costs.

Use this MCP bridge instead when:

• Your client has no shell access (Cursor, Windsurf, Claude Desktop, VS Code)
• You need structured output with native --json-schema validation
• You need session resume across calls (--resume SESSION_ID)
• You need concurrency management and security hardening
• You want cost metadata surfaced in MCP responses

Quick Start

npx claude-mcp-bridge

Prerequisites

• Claude Code CLI installed and on PATH
• Authentication (one of):
  • Subscription (default): claude login (uses your Pro/Max plan, no API credits needed)
  • API key: set ANTHROPIC_API_KEY + CLAUDE_BRIDGE_USE_API_KEY=1 (billed per use via console.anthropic.com)

Codex CLI

Add to ~/.codex/config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "claude-bridge": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "claude-mcp-bridge"]
    }
  }
}

Gemini CLI

Add to ~/.gemini/settings.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "claude-bridge": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "claude-mcp-bridge"]
    }
  }
}

Cursor / Windsurf / VS Code

Add to your MCP settings:

{
  "claude-bridge": {
    "command": "npx",
    "args": ["-y", "claude-mcp-bridge"],
    "env": {
      "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY": "sk-ant-...",
      "CLAUDE_BRIDGE_USE_API_KEY": "1"
    }
  }
}

Tools

... View full README on GitHub