CLI reference

Complete reference for MCP-Eval command-line interface, including commands and flags.

CLI commands

Command	Description	Example
`mcp-eval init`	Initialize a new MCP-Eval project	`mcp-eval init`
`mcp-eval generate`	Generate test scenarios for MCP servers	`mcp-eval generate --style pytest`
`mcp-eval run`	Execute test files and datasets	`mcp-eval run tests/`
`mcp-eval dataset`	Run dataset evaluation	`mcp-eval dataset datasets/basic.yaml`
`mcp-eval validate`	Validate configuration	`mcp-eval validate --quick`
`mcp-eval doctor`	Diagnose setup issues	`mcp-eval doctor --full`
`mcp-eval issue`	Create GitHub issue with diagnostics	`mcp-eval issue --title "Bug report"`
`mcp-eval server add`	Add MCP server to config	`mcp-eval server add`
`mcp-eval server list`	List configured servers	`mcp-eval server list -v`
`mcp-eval agent add`	Add test agent to config	`mcp-eval agent add`
`mcp-eval agent list`	List configured agents	`mcp-eval agent list --name default`
`mcp-eval version`	Show version information	`mcp-eval version`

Setup & Configuration

init

Initialize a new MCP-Eval project with interactive setup.

mcp-eval init [OPTIONS]

Flag	Description	Default	Example
`--out-dir`	Project directory for configs	`.`	`--out-dir ./my-project`
`--template`	Bootstrap template: `empty`, `basic`, `sample`	`basic`	`--template sample`

What it does:

Creates mcpeval.yaml and mcpeval.secrets.yaml
Prompts for LLM provider and API key
Auto-detects and imports servers from .cursor/mcp.json or .vscode/mcp.json
Configures default agent with instructions
Sets up judge configuration for test evaluation

Source: generator.py:841-1015

server add

Add MCP server to configuration.

mcp-eval server add [OPTIONS]

Flag	Description	Default	Example
`--out-dir`	Project directory	`.`	`--out-dir ./project`
`--from-mcp-json`	Import from mcp.json file	-	`--from-mcp-json .cursor/mcp.json`
`--from-dxt`	Import from DXT file	-	`--from-dxt manifest.dxt`

Source: generator.py:1529-1633

agent add

Add test agent configuration.

mcp-eval agent add [OPTIONS]

Flag	Description	Default	Example
`--out-dir`	Project directory	`.`	`--out-dir ./project`

Source: generator.py:1635-1701

Test Generation

generate

Generate test scenarios and write test files for MCP servers.

mcp-eval generate [OPTIONS]

Flag	Description	Default	Example
`--out-dir`	Project directory	`.`	`--out-dir ./tests`
`--style`	Test format: `pytest`, `decorators`, `dataset`	-	`--style pytest`
`--n-examples`	Number of scenarios to generate	`6`	`--n-examples 10`
`--provider`	LLM provider: `anthropic`, `openai`	-	`--provider anthropic`
`--model`	Specific model to use	-	`--model claude-3-opus-20240229`
`--verbose`	Show detailed error messages	`False`	`--verbose`
`--output`	Explicit output file path	-	`--output tests/custom.py`
`--update`	Append tests to existing file instead of creating new	-	`--update tests/test.py`

What it does:

Discovers server tools via MCP protocol
Generates test scenarios with AI
Refines assertions for each scenario
Validates generated Python code
Outputs test files or datasets

Source: generator.py:1017-1346 Update mode: When using --update, the command appends new tests to an existing file rather than creating a new one. The file path provided to --update becomes the target file. Example:

# Append 5 new tests to existing file
mcp-eval generate --update tests/test_server.py --n-examples 5

Test Execution

run

Execute test files and generate reports.

mcp-eval run <path|file|file::function> [OPTIONS]

Flag	Description	Default	Example
`-v, --verbose`	Detailed output	`False`	`-v`
`--json`	Output JSON report	-	`--json results.json`
`--markdown`	Output Markdown report	-	`--markdown results.md`
`--html`	Output HTML report	-	`--html results.html`
`--max-concurrency`	Parallel execution limit	-	`--max-concurrency 4`

Accepts all standard pytest options Source: runner.py

dataset

Run dataset evaluation.

mcp-eval dataset <dataset_file> [OPTIONS]

Same options as run command. Source: runner.py

Inspection & Validation

server list

List configured MCP servers.

mcp-eval server list [OPTIONS]

Flag	Description	Default	Example
`--project-dir`	Project directory	`.`	`--project-dir ./project`
`-v, --verbose`	Show full details	`False`	`-v`

Source: list_command.py:20-102

agent list

List configured agents.

mcp-eval agent list [OPTIONS]

Flag	Description	Default	Example
`--project-dir`	Project directory	`.`	`--project-dir ./project`
`-v, --verbose`	Show full instructions	`False`	`-v`
`--name`	Show specific agent	-	`--name default`

Source: list_command.py:104-185

validate

Validate MCP-Eval configuration and connections.

mcp-eval validate [OPTIONS]

Flag	Description	Default	Example
`--project-dir`	Project directory	`.`	`--project-dir ./project`
`--servers/--no-servers`	Validate servers	`True`	`--no-servers`
`--agents/--no-agents`	Validate agents	`True`	`--no-agents`
`--quick`	Skip connection tests	`False`	`--quick`

What it checks:

API keys are configured
Judge model is set
Servers can be connected to
Agents reference valid servers
LLM connections work

Source: validate.py:342-514

Debugging & Diagnostics

doctor

Comprehensive diagnostics for troubleshooting.

mcp-eval doctor [OPTIONS]

Flag	Description	Default	Example
`--project-dir`	Project directory	`.`	`--project-dir ./project`
`--full`	Include connection tests	`False`	`--full`

What it checks:

Python version and packages
Configuration files
Environment variables
System information
Recent test errors
Provides fix suggestions

Source: doctor.py

issue

Create GitHub issues with diagnostic information.

mcp-eval issue [OPTIONS]

Flag	Description	Default	Example
`--project-dir`	Project directory	`.`	`--project-dir ./project`
`--title`	Issue title	-	`--title "Connection timeout"`
`--no-include-outputs`	Skip test outputs	`False`	`--no-include-outputs`
`--no-open-browser`	Don’t open browser	`False`	`--no-open-browser`

Source: issue.py

version

Show version information.

mcp-eval version

Source: init.py:34-42

Configuration Files

MCP-Eval uses two primary configuration files:

mcpeval.yaml

Main configuration containing:

Server definitions (transport, command, args, env)
Agent definitions (name, instruction, server_names)
Judge configuration (provider, model, min_score)
Default agent setting
Reporting configuration

mcpeval.secrets.yaml

Sensitive configuration containing:

API keys for LLM providers
Authentication tokens
Other secrets

Both files are created by mcp-eval init and can be edited manually.

Environment Variables

MCP-Eval respects these environment variables:

Variable	Description	Example
`ANTHROPIC_API_KEY`	Anthropic Claude API key	`sk-ant-...`
`OPENAI_API_KEY`	OpenAI API key	`sk-...`
`GOOGLE_API_KEY`	Google API key	`...`
`COHERE_API_KEY`	Cohere API key	`...`
`AZURE_API_KEY`	Azure OpenAI API key	`...`
`MCPEVAL_CONFIG`	Path to config file	`./config/mcpeval.yaml`
`MCPEVAL_SECRETS`	Path to secrets file	`./config/secrets.yaml`

Typical Workflow

1. Initialize Project

# Create new project
mcp-eval init

# Or with sample files
mcp-eval init --template sample

2. Configure Servers & Agents

# Add server interactively
mcp-eval server add

# Import from existing config
mcp-eval server add --from-mcp-json .cursor/mcp.json

# Add test agent
mcp-eval agent add

# List what's configured
mcp-eval server list -v
mcp-eval agent list

3. Validate Setup

# Full validation with connections
mcp-eval validate

# Quick config check only
mcp-eval validate --quick

# Diagnose issues
mcp-eval doctor --full

4. Generate Tests

# Generate pytest tests
mcp-eval generate --style pytest --n-examples 10

# Add more tests to existing file
mcp-eval generate --update tests/test_server.py --n-examples 5

# Generate dataset for batch testing
mcp-eval generate --style dataset

5. Execute Tests

# Run all tests
mcp-eval run tests/

# Run specific test with reports
mcp-eval run tests/test_fetch.py -v --json report.json --markdown report.md

# Run dataset
mcp-eval dataset datasets/basic.yaml

6. Debug Issues

# If tests fail
mcp-eval doctor

# Create GitHub issue
mcp-eval issue --title "Tests failing with timeout"

Test Styles

MCP-Eval supports three test formats:

pytest

Standard pytest format with test functions and assertions. Best for integration with existing Python test suites.

decorators

MCP-Eval’s decorator-based format using @task and @setup. Provides rich async support and session management.

dataset

YAML-based test cases for batch evaluation. Ideal for non-programmers and test data management.

Getting Started

Core Concepts

Writing Tests

Building with LLMs

Evaluation Guides

Configuration

CI/CD & Deployment

Test Reporting

API Reference

CLI Reference

Resources

Documentation Index

​CLI reference

​CLI commands

​Setup & Configuration

​init

​server add

​agent add

​Test Generation

​generate

​Test Execution

​run

​dataset

​Inspection & Validation

​server list

​agent list

​validate

​Debugging & Diagnostics

​doctor

​issue

​version

​Configuration Files

​mcpeval.yaml

​mcpeval.secrets.yaml

​Environment Variables

​Typical Workflow

​1. Initialize Project

​2. Configure Servers & Agents

​3. Validate Setup

​4. Generate Tests

​5. Execute Tests

​6. Debug Issues

​Test Styles

​pytest

​decorators

​dataset

​See also

CLI reference

CLI commands

Setup & Configuration

init

server add

agent add

Test Generation

generate

Test Execution

run

dataset

Inspection & Validation

server list

agent list

validate

Debugging & Diagnostics

doctor

issue

version

Configuration Files

mcpeval.yaml

mcpeval.secrets.yaml

Environment Variables

Typical Workflow

1. Initialize Project

2. Configure Servers & Agents

3. Validate Setup

4. Generate Tests

5. Execute Tests

6. Debug Issues

Test Styles

pytest

decorators

dataset

See also