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MCP server · Developer Tools

Zen

by · github.com/199-mcp/mcp-zen

Enhanced Zen MCP Server with 'zen' default tool and improvements

Unclaimed last commit a year ago mcpclaude-mcpmcp-serverdevtoolsai-tools
InstallView source
51Fair

Scored 5 months ago · breakdown

About Zen

Zen is an MCP server published by 199-mcp in the Developer Tools category: enhanced Zen MCP Server with 'zen' default tool and improvements.

The repository has 54 stars and 13 forks, with the last commit a year ago. Six months or more without a commit doesn't mean the server is broken, but check the open issues before depending on it in production.

Install

From source
git clone https://github.com/199-mcp/mcp-zen

This server has no ConduID identity, so agent calls to it are not receipted. Pin the version you install and review the source before granting it credentials.

Ask AI

✦

Ask AI about Zen

Powered by Claude · Grounded in docs

I know everything about Zen. Ask me about installation, configuration, usage, or troubleshooting.

Security checks

Static checks derived from the repository 5 hours ago. Heuristics on the source, not an audit.

  • ✓README presentThe repository ships documentation.
  • !License declaredNo license file. Legally you have no right to use it in a product.
  • !Tests presentNo tests found. Behaviour changes may go unnoticed between versions.
  • !Dependencies pinnedNo lockfile. Installs can pull different code over time.
  • !No dynamic code executionSource scan found eval or shell execution. Review how tool inputs reach it before granting credentials.
  • !Scoped permissionsDoesn't declare a permission scope. Assume it can do anything its process can.

README

Zen MCP Server NPX Wrapper

Easy-to-use NPX wrapper for Zen MCP Server - Give Claude access to multiple AI models (Gemini, OpenAI, OpenRouter, Ollama) for enhanced development capabilities.

Quick Start

npx zen-mcp-server-199bio

That's it! No Docker required. 🎉

What is Zen MCP Server?

Zen MCP Server gives Claude Desktop access to multiple AI models for:

  • 🧠 Extended reasoning with Gemini 2.0 Pro's thinking mode
  • 💬 Collaborative development with multiple AI perspectives
  • 🔍 Code review and architectural analysis
  • 🐛 Advanced debugging with specialized models
  • 📊 Large context analysis (Gemini: 1M tokens, O3: 200K tokens)
  • 🔄 Conversation threading - AI models maintain context across multiple calls

Features

  • ✅ No Docker required - Runs directly with Python
  • 🚀 Fast startup - No container overhead
  • 💾 Lightweight - Minimal resource usage
  • 🔧 Auto-setup - Handles Python dependencies automatically
  • 📦 Virtual environment - Isolated dependencies
  • 🌍 Cross-platform - Works on macOS, Windows, Linux

First Time Setup

On first run, the wrapper will:

  1. Check Python 3.11+ is installed
  2. Clone Zen MCP Server to ~/.zen-mcp-server
  3. Create .env file and prompt for API keys
  4. Set up Python virtual environment
  5. Install dependencies automatically

Quick Install

1. Get API Keys (at least one required)

Choose one or more:

2. Add to Claude Desktop

Add to your claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zen": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["zen-mcp-server-199bio"],
      "env": {
        "GEMINI_API_KEY": "your_gemini_key_here",
        "OPENAI_API_KEY": "your_openai_key_here",
        "OPENROUTER_API_KEY": "your_openrouter_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

That's it! Just restart Claude Desktop and you're ready to go.

Location of config file:

  • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
  • Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
  • Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Usage with Claude CLI

claude mcp add zen "npx" "zen-mcp-server-199bio"

Available Tools

Once configured, Claude will have access to these tools:

  • zen - Default tool for quick AI consultation (alias for chat)
  • chat - Collaborative development discussions
  • thinkdeep - Extended reasoning (Gemini 2.0 Pro)
  • codereview - Professional code review
  • precommit - Pre-commit validation
  • debug - Advanced debugging assistance
  • analyze - Smart file and codebase analysis

Quick Usage: Just say "use zen" for quick AI consultations!

Troubleshooting

Python not found?

  • macOS: brew install python@3.11
  • Windows: Download from python.org
  • Linux: sudo apt install python3.11

Dependencies issue?

The wrapper tries to install automatically, but if it fails:

cd ~/.zen-mcp-server
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

API key issues?

  • Check ~/.zen-mcp-server/.env has valid keys
  • Ensure at least one API key is configured
  • For OpenRouter, check your credits/limits

Requirements

  • Python 3.11+
  • Node.js >= 14.0.0
  • Git
  • At least one API key (Gemini, OpenAI, or OpenRouter)

Why No Docker?

We removed Docker because:

  • Faster startup - No container overhead
  • Less resource usage - No Redis, no Docker daemon
  • Simpler - Just Python and your API keys
  • Same features - Conversation threading works perfectly with in-memory storage

Links

License

Apache 2.0 - See LICENSE

README fetched from the repository 5 hours ago. The original is authoritative.

Questions

About Zen

How do I install Zen?

No package has been published for this server, so install it from source: clone the repository and follow its README.

Is Zen safe to use with an AI agent?

Its trust score is 51 out of 100 (fair). It passes 1 of the 6 static security checks run so far; the failures are listed above. It has no ConduID identity yet, so agent calls to it are not receipted.

Is Zen still maintained?

The last commit was a year ago. That's long enough that you should check whether the maintainer is responding to issues before depending on it.