feat(mcp): add clerk mcp install/list/uninstall + doctor MCP check

[rafa-thayto]

Summary

Adds a clerk mcp command group to register the Clerk remote MCP server (https://mcp.clerk.com/mcp) into supported AI editors, plus an MCP health check in clerk doctor.

• clerk mcp install — register the server in one or more clients. Interactive multiselect in human mode; all detected clients in agent mode. Flags: --client (repeatable), --all, --url, --name, --force, --json. Conflict policy: same URL → unchanged (no-op); different URL → skipped with a reason unless --force.
• clerk mcp list — show every Clerk-flavored entry (named clerk or pointing at any *.clerk.com host) across all clients.
• clerk mcp uninstall — remove the entry. In human mode it prompts with a multiselect of the clients that actually have it, so you pick exactly which to remove from; --all removes from every client without prompting (agent mode targets all); --client targets specific clients. Throws mcp_not_installed (exit 1) when nothing matched.
• clerk doctor — gains an MCP server check that probes the configured server via the MCP initialize handshake only when an entry is installed (skips otherwise; warns, never fails — a server outage shouldn't fail the whole doctor run). There is intentionally no separate clerk mcp doctor — one doctor.

Supported clients — all user-global scope

Entries are written to each client's user-global config, so the server is available in every project, with no per-project approval and no dependence on the directory the CLI is run from.

Client	--client id	Config file
Claude Code	claude	~/.claude.json (mcpServers)
Cursor	cursor	~/.cursor/mcp.json
VS Code	vscode	~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/mcp.json (per-OS)
Windsurf	windsurf	~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json
Gemini	gemini	~/.gemini/settings.json (npx mcp-remote stdio bridge)

Each editor gets its own descriptor schema ({type:http,url} / {url} / {serverUrl} / npx mcp-remote args).

Design notes

• Works out of the box: URL resolution is --url > CLERK_MCP_URL env > active env profile mcpUrl (new field) > Clerk's hosted server (default), so clerk mcp install needs no flags or profile setup.
• Next steps matter: writing a config doesn't connect the editor (reload + sign in if prompted; Gemini needs npx on PATH), and removing it doesn't drop a live session (reload). Human-mode output uses the prompt rail — intro/outro gutter, a "Next steps" block, and interactive multiselect pickers for install/uninstall.
• No Clerk API is called — the only network call is the doctor probe to the MCP URL itself.
• Resilient & safe: one client's malformed config warns and is skipped rather than aborting the command (Promise.allSettled); own-property guards avoid prototype pollution; --url scheme is validated (http/https only).

Test plan

• bun run format:check, bun run lint, bun run typecheck — green
• bun test for the feature — 132 mcp + doctor tests passing (per-client encode/extract round-trips, conflict policy incl. --force, prototype-key names, malformed-config handling, the doctor initialize handshake across application/json + SSE transports, hosted-URL fallback when a profile omits mcpUrl, the uninstall picker selecting a subset, --all, unknown --client, multi-client partial failure, gutter/next-steps output). Tests redirect homedir() to a tmpdir so user-scoped writes stay isolated.
• Integration suite green
• Manual: install → list → doctor → uninstall end-to-end against the live server (handshake returns Clerk MCP Server); verified configs land in the user-global paths regardless of cwd; partial-failure path verified with a corrupted client config

[changeset-bot]

🦋 Changeset detected

Latest commit: 19b2820

The changes in this PR will be included in the next version bump.

This PR includes changesets to release 1 package

Name	Type
clerk	Minor

Not sure what this means? Click here to learn what changesets are.

Click here if you're a maintainer who wants to add another changeset to this PR

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📝 Walkthrough

Walkthrough

This PR adds MCP server support to the Clerk CLI: new subcommands (clerk mcp install/list/uninstall), a JSON-backed client factory and five client integrations (Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf, Gemini), per-client config read/write helpers, collection of installed entries, an initialize-handshake probe supporting JSON and SSE with a 10s timeout, a doctor check (checkMcp), environment/profile mcpUrl wiring, CLI wiring, comprehensive tests, and documentation including a changeset and README updates.

Estimated code review effort

🎯 4 (Complex) | ⏱️ ~60 minutes

🚥 Pre-merge checks | ✅ 4 | ❌ 1

❌ Failed checks (1 warning)

Check name	Status	Explanation	Resolution
Docstring Coverage	⚠️ Warning	Docstring coverage is 24.44% which is insufficient. The required threshold is 80.00%.	Write docstrings for the functions missing them to satisfy the coverage threshold.

✅ Passed checks (4 passed)

Check name	Status	Explanation
Title check	✅ Passed	The PR title clearly and concisely summarizes the main feature: adding clerk mcp install/list/uninstall commands plus an MCP doctor check.
Linked Issues check	✅ Passed	Check skipped because no linked issues were found for this pull request.
Out of Scope Changes check	✅ Passed	Check skipped because no linked issues were found for this pull request.
Description check	✅ Passed	The pull request description clearly relates to and describes the changeset: it documents the new clerk mcp commands (install, list, uninstall), their flags, client support, and the doctor MCP check.

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[rafa-thayto]

!snapshot

[coderabbitai]

Actionable comments posted: 1

🧹 Nitpick comments (1)

packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/user-scope.test.ts (1)

2-2: ⚡ Quick win

Use Bun file APIs here instead of node:fs read/write helpers.

These tests currently use readFile/writeFile from node:fs/promises, which goes against the repo’s Bun-specific file I/O guideline. Bun.file(...).json()/text() and Bun.write(...) would keep this aligned with the rest of the codebase. As per coding guidelines, **/*.{ts,tsx,js,jsx}: Prefer Bun.file over node:fs's readFile/writeFile for file operations.

Also applies to: 45-46, 64-66

🤖 Prompt for AI Agents

Verify each finding against current code. Fix only still-valid issues, skip the
rest with a brief reason, keep changes minimal, and validate.

In `@packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/user-scope.test.ts` at line 2,
Replace node:fs/promises read/write helpers imported as mkdir, mkdtemp,
readFile, rm, writeFile in user-scope.test.ts with Bun file APIs: use
Bun.file(path).text()/json() for reads and Bun.write/Bun.writeSync (or
Bun.file(path).write(...)) for writes, and keep using mkdtemp/mkdir/rm
equivalents via Bun or the existing helpers if available; update all call sites
that use readFile/writeFile (and any promise-based usages) to the corresponding
Bun.file(...).text()/json() and Bun.write(...) patterns so the tests follow the
repo’s Bun-specific I/O guideline.

🤖 Prompt for all review comments with AI agents

Verify each finding against current code. Fix only still-valid issues, skip the
rest with a brief reason, keep changes minimal, and validate.

Inline comments:
In `@packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/user-scope.test.ts`:
- Around line 7-12: The top-level module mock of node:os (mock.module("node:os",
...)) is never torn down causing cross-test leakage; add a cleanup via
afterAll(() => mock.restoreModule("node:os")) (or equivalent) to restore the
original module and avoid order-dependent failures, and update file I/O in this
test to use Bun APIs instead of node:fs/promises—replace readFile/writeFile
calls with Bun.file(path).json()/text() for reads and Bun.file(path).write(...)
or Bun.write(...) for writes so the test uses Bun's file operations correctly;
reference mock.module, mock.restoreModule, mockHome and the test file's existing
fs read/write usages when making the changes.

---

Nitpick comments:
In `@packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/user-scope.test.ts`:
- Line 2: Replace node:fs/promises read/write helpers imported as mkdir,
mkdtemp, readFile, rm, writeFile in user-scope.test.ts with Bun file APIs: use
Bun.file(path).text()/json() for reads and Bun.write/Bun.writeSync (or
Bun.file(path).write(...)) for writes, and keep using mkdtemp/mkdir/rm
equivalents via Bun or the existing helpers if available; update all call sites
that use readFile/writeFile (and any promise-based usages) to the corresponding
Bun.file(...).text()/json() and Bun.write(...) patterns so the tests follow the
repo’s Bun-specific I/O guideline.

🪄 Autofix (Beta)

Fix all unresolved CodeRabbit comments on this PR:

• Push a commit to this branch (recommended)
• Create a new PR with the fixes

---

ℹ️ Review info

⚙️ Run configuration

Configuration used: Organization UI

Review profile: CHILL

Plan: Pro

Run ID: 33d9756c-11d6-436b-8465-7e750f438029

📥 Commits

Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between 292e92f and 4f53e9f.

📒 Files selected for processing (34)

• .changeset/mcp-install.md
• README.md
• packages/cli-core/src/cli-program.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/doctor/README.md
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/doctor/check-mcp.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/doctor/context.test.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/doctor/index.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/README.md
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/claude-code.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/clients.test.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/cursor.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/gemini.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/json-config.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/make-json-client.test.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/make-json-client.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/paths.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/registry.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/types.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/user-scope.test.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/vscode.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/windsurf.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/collect.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/index.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/install.test.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/install.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/list.test.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/list.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/probe.test.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/probe.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/shared.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/uninstall.test.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/uninstall.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/lib/environment.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/lib/errors.ts

✅ Files skipped from review due to trivial changes (4)

• .changeset/mcp-install.md
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/doctor/README.md
• README.md
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/README.md

🚧 Files skipped from review as they are similar to previous changes (26)

• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/list.test.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/registry.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/index.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/claude-code.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/cursor.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/list.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/vscode.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/doctor/check-mcp.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/gemini.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/windsurf.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/types.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/probe.test.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/lib/errors.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/doctor/index.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/paths.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/install.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/lib/environment.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/collect.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/uninstall.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/clients.test.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/probe.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/install.test.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/cli-program.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/json-config.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/make-json-client.test.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/uninstall.test.ts

[rafa-thayto]

!snapshot

[github-actions]

Snapshot published

npm install -g clerk@2.0.1-snapshot.bdf8faf

Package	Version
clerk	2.0.1-snapshot.bdf8faf

Published from bdf8faf

[coderabbitai]

Actionable comments posted: 3

🤖 Prompt for all review comments with AI agents

Verify each finding against current code. Fix only still-valid issues, skip the
rest with a brief reason, keep changes minimal, and validate.

Inline comments:
In `@packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/clients.test.ts`:
- Around line 65-96: The VS Code test is leaking to the real config because
vscodeUserDir() respects XDG_CONFIG_HOME/APPDATA; update the tests to isolate
that by setting XDG_CONFIG_HOME and APPDATA to a directory under mockHome (or
delete them) before running the VS Code-specific assertions and restore them
after; ensure the expectation for the VS Code path does not call vscodeUserDir()
(i.e. compute the expected path explicitly inside the test instead of reusing
expectedPath()/vscodeUserDir()) so the test verifies the function under test
rather than mirroring the same helper.

In `@packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/paths.ts`:
- Around line 26-35: vscodeUserDir currently uses the nullish coalescing
operator (??) with process.env.APPDATA and process.env.XDG_CONFIG_HOME which
treats empty strings as set; update vscodeUserDir to treat empty or
whitespace-only env vars as unset by checking truthiness/trim (e.g. derive local
vars like appData = process.env.APPDATA?.trim() ? process.env.APPDATA :
undefined and xdg = process.env.XDG_CONFIG_HOME?.trim() ?
process.env.XDG_CONFIG_HOME : undefined) and then fall back to join(homedir(),
...) in the switch cases; reference the vscodeUserDir function and its uses of
process.env.APPDATA and process.env.XDG_CONFIG_HOME, and ensure platform(),
homedir(), and join() behavior is preserved.

In `@packages/cli-core/src/lib/environment.ts`:
- Around line 154-165: getMcpUrl currently lets an empty CLERK_MCP_URL ("") win
due to the nullish coalescing operator; treat empty/whitespace-only env values
as unset by trimming and checking truthiness before falling back. Update
getMcpUrl (function name: getMcpUrl) to compute const env =
process.env.CLERK_MCP_URL?.trim(); then return env && env.length ? env :
getCurrentEnv().mcpUrl ?? DEFAULT_MCP_URL so blank overrides no longer produce
an unusable empty string.

🪄 Autofix (Beta)

Fix all unresolved CodeRabbit comments on this PR:

• Push a commit to this branch (recommended)
• Create a new PR with the fixes

---

ℹ️ Review info

⚙️ Run configuration

Configuration used: Organization UI

Review profile: CHILL

Plan: Pro

Run ID: 2826916f-5886-46c5-96c7-da4b8e7b1a92

📥 Commits

Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between bdf8faf and d80abcd.

📒 Files selected for processing (23)

• .changeset/mcp-install.md
• packages/cli-core/src/cli-program.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/doctor/check-mcp.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/README.md
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/claude-code.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/clients.test.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/cursor.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/gemini.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/json-config.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/make-json-client.test.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/make-json-client.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/paths.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/user-scope.test.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/vscode.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/windsurf.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/install.test.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/install.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/list.test.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/list.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/shared.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/uninstall.test.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/lib/environment.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/lib/errors.ts

💤 Files with no reviewable changes (3)

• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/gemini.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/windsurf.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/cli-program.ts

✅ Files skipped from review due to trivial changes (2)

• .changeset/mcp-install.md
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/README.md

🚧 Files skipped from review as they are similar to previous changes (12)

• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/cursor.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/lib/errors.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/vscode.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/list.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/doctor/check-mcp.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/uninstall.test.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/make-json-client.test.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/user-scope.test.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/shared.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/json-config.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/clients/make-json-client.ts
• packages/cli-core/src/commands/mcp/install.test.ts

[rafa-thayto]

!snapshot

[github-actions]

Snapshot published

npm install -g clerk@2.0.1-snapshot.d637eb0

Package	Version
clerk	2.0.1-snapshot.d637eb0

Published from d637eb0