@specforge/mcp

MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for SpecForge - enables AI agents to interact with your projects, specifications, epics, and tickets.

Installation

npm install -g @specforge/mcp

Or install locally:

npm install @specforge/mcp

Getting Your API Key

1. Log in to the SpecForge webapp
2. Navigate to Settings > API Keys
3. Click Create New API Key
4. Select the permissions you need (read, write, or both)
5. Copy the key immediately - it's only shown once!

API keys have the format: sf_live_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Environment Variables

AI Client Configuration

Claude Desktop

Add to ~/.config/claude/claude_desktop_config.json (Linux/macOS) or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "specforge": {
      "command": "specforge",
      "env": {
        "SPECFORGE_API_KEY": "sf_live_your_api_key_here",
        "SPECFORGE_API_URL": "https://your-api-gateway-url.amazonaws.com/prod"
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude Code (CLI)

Add to ~/.claude/settings.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "specforge": {
      "command": "specforge",
      "env": {
        "SPECFORGE_API_KEY": "sf_live_your_api_key_here",
        "SPECFORGE_API_URL": "https://your-api-gateway-url.amazonaws.com/prod"
      }
    }
  }
}

Or set environment variables in your shell and run:

export SPECFORGE_API_KEY="sf_live_your_api_key_here"
export SPECFORGE_API_URL="https://your-api-gateway-url.amazonaws.com/prod"
specforge

Cursor

Add to your Cursor MCP configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "specforge": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@specforge/mcp"],
      "env": {
        "SPECFORGE_API_KEY": "sf_live_your_api_key_here",
        "SPECFORGE_API_URL": "https://your-api-gateway-url.amazonaws.com/prod"
      }
    }
  }
}

GitHub Copilot VS Code Extension

Add to your VS Code settings.json:

{
  "github.copilot.advanced": {
    "mcp": {
      "servers": {
        "specforge": {
          "command": "specforge",
          "env": {
            "SPECFORGE_API_KEY": "sf_live_your_api_key_here",
            "SPECFORGE_API_URL": "https://your-api-gateway-url.amazonaws.com/prod"
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

GitHub Copilot CLI

Create a config file at ~/.config/gh-copilot/mcp.json:

{
  "servers": {
    "specforge": {
      "command": "specforge",
      "env": {
        "SPECFORGE_API_KEY": "sf_live_your_api_key_here",
        "SPECFORGE_API_URL": "https://your-api-gateway-url.amazonaws.com/prod"
      }
    }
  }
}

OpenAI Codex CLI

Configure using environment variables:

export SPECFORGE_API_KEY="sf_live_your_api_key_here"
export SPECFORGE_API_URL="https://your-api-gateway-url.amazonaws.com/prod"

# Then configure your Codex CLI to use the MCP server
codex --mcp-server specforge

ChatGPT Desktop

Add to ChatGPT Desktop's MCP configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "specforge": {
      "command": "specforge",
      "env": {
        "SPECFORGE_API_KEY": "sf_live_your_api_key_here",
        "SPECFORGE_API_URL": "https://your-api-gateway-url.amazonaws.com/prod"
      }
    }
  }
}

Windsurf

Add to Windsurf's settings:

{
  "mcp": {
    "servers": {
      "specforge": {
        "command": "specforge",
        "env": {
          "SPECFORGE_API_KEY": "sf_live_your_api_key_here",
          "SPECFORGE_API_URL": "https://your-api-gateway-url.amazonaws.com/prod"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Generic MCP Client

For any MCP-compatible client, the server uses stdio transport:

# Start the server with environment variables
SPECFORGE_API_KEY="sf_live_xxx" SPECFORGE_API_URL="https://xxx" specforge

The server communicates via JSON-RPC over stdin/stdout.

Available Tools

The SpecForge MCP server provides the following tool categories:

Core Operations

• list_projects - List all accessible projects
• get_project - Get project details
• list_specifications - List specifications in a project
• get_specification - Get specification details
• list_epics - List epics in a specification
• get_epic - Get epic details
• list_tickets - List tickets in an epic
• get_ticket - Get ticket details with implementation steps

Context & AI Tools

• get_implementation_context - Get full context for implementing a ticket
• get_next_actionable_tickets - Get tickets ready to work on
• get_blocked_tickets - Get blocked tickets with reasons
• get_critical_path - Get the critical implementation path

Workflow & Tracking

• start_work_session - Start working on a ticket
• complete_work_session - Mark work complete with summary
• report_progress - Report progress on a ticket

Testing Tools

• report_test_results - Report test results for a ticket
• get_ticket_test_status - Get test status
• validate_ticket_completion - Validate completion criteria

Discovery Tools

• discover_work_session - Report bugs, tech debt, or new requirements
• get_pending_discoveries - Get unresolved discoveries
• resolve_discovery - Mark a discovery as resolved

Status & Analytics

• get_specification_status - Get specification progress
• get_epic_status - Get epic progress
• get_implementation_summary - Get overall project summary
• get_blockers_report - Get blocking dependencies

Search Tools

• search_tickets - Search tickets by text
• find_tickets_by_file - Find tickets affecting a file
• find_tickets_by_tag - Find tickets with specific tags
• find_related_tickets - Find related tickets

Git Integration

• link_commit - Link a commit to a ticket
• link_pull_request - Link a PR to a ticket
• get_ticket_commits - Get commits for a ticket
• get_ticket_prs - Get PRs for a ticket

Blueprint Management

• blueprint - Manage specification blueprints (diagrams, mockups, ADRs)
  • Operations: create, get, update, list, delete, link, unlink, get_for_ticket
  • Categories: flowchart, architecture, state, sequence, erd, mockup, adr, component, deployment, api
  • See Blueprint Documentation

Project Sharing

• list_project_members - List all members of a project
• invite_to_project - Invite a user by email
• remove_project_member - Remove a member from project
• update_member_role - Change a member's role (owner, editor, viewer)
• list_invitations - List pending invitations
• accept_project_invitation - Accept an invitation
• decline_project_invitation - Decline an invitation
• See Project Sharing Documentation

CLI Commands

The SpecForge MCP package includes a CLI for project configuration and management.

Quick Reference

Setup Commands

login

specforge login [--api-key <key>] [--force]

Authenticate with the SpecForge API.

Examples:

specforge login                    # Interactive login
specforge login --api-key sf_live_xxx  # Non-interactive
specforge login --force            # Re-authenticate

init

specforge init [--project <id>] [--spec <id>] [--format <format>] [--force]

Initialize SpecForge in the current directory.

Creates:

• .mcp.json - Claude Code MCP server configuration
• .specforge.json - Project-specific settings

Examples:

specforge init                          # Interactive setup
specforge init --project proj_abc       # Set project
specforge init --project proj_abc --spec spec_xyz --format toon

configure

specforge configure [--format <format>] [--project <id>]

Configure default preferences.

doctor

specforge doctor [--json]

Diagnose configuration and connection issues.

Check categories:

• Configuration - Config files presence
• Authentication - API key format and validity
• Connection - API connectivity and response time
• Project Access - Access to configured project/specification

Navigation Commands

switch

specforge switch [--project <id>] [--spec <id>]

Switch between projects or specifications.

projects

specforge projects [--json] [--toon]

List all accessible projects.

specs

specforge specs [--project <id>] [--status <status>] [--json]

List specifications for the current or specified project.

Query Commands

status

specforge status [--spec <id>] [--json]

Show current specification status with progress metrics.

tickets

specforge tickets [--epic <id>] [--status <status>] [--limit <n>] [--json]

List tickets for the current specification.

ticket

specforge ticket <id> [--json] [--context]

Show full details for a specific ticket.

next

specforge next [--spec <id>] [--count <n>] [--json]

Get the next actionable tickets (dependencies satisfied).

blocked

specforge blocked [--spec <id>] [--json]

List blocked tickets with blocking reasons.

Session Commands

session

specforge session [--json]

Show current implementation session status.

session start

specforge session start [specId] [--mode <mode>] [--max-tickets <n>] [--stop-on-failure] [--force]

Start a new implementation session.

session end

specforge session end [--status <status>] [--summary <text>]

End the current implementation session.

Debug Commands

call

specforge call <tool> [--args <json>] [--format <format>] [--raw]

Directly call an MCP tool with JSON arguments.

Examples:

specforge call list_projects
specforge call get_ticket --args='{"ticketId":"abc123"}'
specforge call list_tickets --format toon

tools

specforge tools [--category <category>] [--search <query>] [--json]

List available MCP tools with optional filtering.

test

specforge test

Test API connection and authentication. Shows response time and user info.

whoami

specforge whoami [--json]

Show current user information and configuration settings.

Autopilot Commands

Autopilot enables autonomous ticket implementation using Claude Code. See full documentation.

autopilot run

specforge autopilot run [options]

Start autonomous ticket implementation.

Examples:

specforge autopilot run --dry-run      # Preview
specforge autopilot run --parallel 2   # Run with 2 workers
specforge autopilot run --max-cost 10  # Limit to $10
specforge autopilot run --watch        # Live dashboard

autopilot status

specforge autopilot status [options]

Show current autopilot session status.

autopilot pause / resume / abort

specforge autopilot pause              # Pause gracefully
specforge autopilot resume             # Resume latest session
specforge autopilot abort --force      # Stop and cleanup

Configuration Files

Configuration priority (highest to lowest):

1. Environment variables
2. Project config (.specforge.json)
3. Global config (~/.specforge/config.json)
4. Default values

Environment Variables

Exit Codes

Automation & CI/CD

Non-interactive usage for scripts:

# Authenticate via environment or flag
export SPECFORGE_API_KEY="sf_live_xxx"
specforge login --api-key $SPECFORGE_API_KEY

# Initialize non-interactively
specforge init --project $PROJECT_ID --spec $SPEC_ID --format json --force

# Check health (exits 1 on failure)
specforge doctor --json

# Get tickets as JSON for processing
specforge tickets --json | jq '.[]'

# Get next actionable ticket ID
specforge next --json | jq -r '.tickets[0].id'

Global Options

These options work with any command:

Troubleshooting

"SPECFORGE_API_KEY environment variable is required"

Make sure you've set the SPECFORGE_API_KEY environment variable with your API key from the SpecForge webapp.

# Check if it's set
echo $SPECFORGE_API_KEY

# Set it
export SPECFORGE_API_KEY="sf_live_your_key_here"

"Invalid API key format"

API keys must start with sf_live_. If your key doesn't match this format, regenerate it in the webapp.

"SPECFORGE_API_URL environment variable is required"

You need to provide the API Gateway URL from your SpecForge deployment. This is output when you deploy the backend.

Connection Timeouts

If you're experiencing connection issues:

1. Verify your API URL is correct
2. Check your network connection
3. Enable debug mode to see detailed logs:

export SPECFORGE_DEBUG=true
specforge

Debug Mode

Enable debug logging to troubleshoot issues:

export SPECFORGE_DEBUG=true

This will output detailed logs to stderr, including:

• Configuration loaded
• Tool calls received
• API requests made
• Response data

Server Not Starting

1. Ensure Node.js 18+ is installed
2. Check that the package is installed globally: npm list -g @specforge/mcp
3. Try reinstalling: npm install -g @specforge/mcp

Permission Denied

If you get "permission denied" when running specforge:

# On macOS/Linux
chmod +x $(which specforge)

# Or run with node directly
node $(npm root -g)/@specforge/mcp/dist/index.js

Development

To contribute to the MCP server:

# Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/your-org/specforge.git
cd specforge/mcp

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build
npm run build

# Link for local testing
npm link

# Run in development mode
npm run dev

License

MIT