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MIT

io.github.Dave-London/cargo MCP Server

io.github.Dave-London/cargo

Structured Rust cargo operations (build, test, clippy) as typed JSON for AI agents.

What is the io.github.Dave-London/cargo MCP server?

The cargo MCP server wraps Rust's cargo tool and returns clean, schema-validated JSON instead of raw terminal output. It provides typed data for build, test, and lint operations, eliminating fragile string parsing and reducing token usage by up to 68%.

This server exposes Rust cargo commands (build, test, clippy, check, and more) as MCP tools that return structured JSON. Instead of parsing ANSI-colored terminal output, agents get consistent, typed responses with build status, test results, and diagnostics—regardless of platform or tool version.

How to install io.github.Dave-London/cargo

Copy-paste configuration for popular MCP clients.

transport: stdio
Config generated by PluginBench — verify against the source before use.
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cargo": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@paretools/cargo"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Tools & capabilities

Tools this server exposes to the agent.

  • cargo build — Build a Rust project and return structured compilation results
  • cargo test — Run tests and return structured test results with pass/fail status
  • cargo clippy — Run Clippy linter and return structured lint warnings and suggestions
  • cargo check — Check code without building and return diagnostics
  • cargo run — Run a Rust binary and return execution output

Use cases

  • Compile Rust projects and parse build errors/warnings as structured data
  • Run test suites and extract pass/fail counts and failure details without parsing terminal output
  • Execute clippy lints and retrieve code quality suggestions in JSON format
  • Check code for errors before committing without full compilation overhead
  • Automate Rust workflows in CI/CD by consuming typed JSON responses instead of regex-parsing logs

io.github.Dave-London/cargo MCP server FAQ

What is the cargo MCP server?

The cargo server wraps Rust's cargo tool and returns structured JSON for build, test, clippy, and check operations. Instead of parsing terminal output, agents get typed, schema-validated data ready for direct processing.

Is it free?

Yes, the cargo server is open-source under the MIT license and available on npm as @paretools/cargo.

How do I install it in Cursor or Claude?

Install via npx: `npx @paretools/cargo`. For Cursor/Claude Desktop, add it to your MCP config file (typically ~/.cursor/mcp.json or ~/.claude/mcp.json) with the command `npx -y @paretools/cargo`. See the setup guides in the Pare repository for client-specific instructions.

Does it require authentication?

No, the cargo server runs locally and requires only a Rust toolchain (cargo) installed on your system. No external authentication is needed.

How much do I save on tokens?

Cargo operations see 46–68% token reduction compared to raw terminal output. For example, `cargo build` with errors reduces from ~436 tokens to ~138 tokens (68% savings).

Can I limit which tools are available?

Yes, use the `PARE_CARGO_TOOLS` environment variable to filter tools. For example, `PARE_CARGO_TOOLS=build,test` registers only build and test commands.

README (reference)

Source of truth, from the repository.

<h1><img src="assets/logo.png" alt="" width="80" valign="middle" />&nbsp;&nbsp;Pare</h1>

CI codecov npm Downloads TypeScript License: MIT Node.js >= 20 OpenSSF Scorecard OpenSSF Best Practices

Reliable, structured CLI output for AI agents — no more parsing fragile terminal text.

Pare provides MCP servers that wrap common developer tools (git, npm, docker, test runners, etc.) and return clean, schema-validated JSON instead of raw terminal text. Agents get typed data they can act on directly, without brittle string parsing.

The Problem

Parsing CLI output is fragile. Raw terminal text includes ANSI escape codes, decorative headers, progress bars, locale-specific formatting, and platform differences that break agent workflows in subtle ways. An agent that works fine with git status on macOS may fail on Windows because the output format changed. A test runner's summary line might shift between versions, silently breaking a regex.

Pare eliminates this entire class of errors by returning schema-validated JSON with consistent field names, regardless of platform, tool version, or locale. As a bonus, structured output is significantly smaller — agents use fewer tokens per tool call:

Tool CommandRaw TokensPare TokensReduction
docker build (multi-stage, 11 steps)3732095%
git log --stat (5 commits, verbose)4,99238292%
npm install (487 packages, warnings)2414183%
vitest run (28 tests, all pass)1963980%
cargo build (2 errors, help text)43613868%
pip install (9 packages, progress bars)28810165%
cargo test (12 tests, 2 failures)35119046%
npm audit (4 vulnerabilities)28718536%

Token estimates use ~4 chars/token. The biggest savings appear on verbose commands (builds, installs, tests). For simpler tools like eslint or tsc, the main advantage is reliable structured data — agents can use typed JSON directly rather than parsing strings.

How It Works

Each Pare tool returns two outputs:

  • content — human-readable text, for MCP clients that display it
  • structuredContent — typed, schema-validated JSON, ready for agents to process

This uses MCP's structuredContent and outputSchema features to provide type-safe, validated data that agents can rely on without custom parsing.

Example: git status

Raw git output (~118 tokens):

On branch main
Your branch is ahead of 'origin/main' by 2 commits.
  (use "git push" to publish your local commits)

Changes to be committed:
  (use "git restore --staged <file>..." to unstage)
        modified:   src/index.ts
        new file:   src/utils.ts

Changes not staged for commit:
  (use "git add <file>..." to update what will be committed)
  (use "git restore <file>..." to discard changes in working directory)
        modified:   README.md

Untracked files:
  (use "git add <file>..." to include in what will be committed)
        temp.log

Pare structured output (~59 tokens):

{
  "branch": "main",
  "upstream": "origin/main",
  "ahead": 2,
  "staged": [
    { "file": "src/index.ts", "status": "modified" },
    { "file": "src/utils.ts", "status": "added" }
  ],
  "modified": ["README.md"],
  "deleted": [],
  "untracked": ["temp.log"],
  "conflicts": [],
  "clean": false
}

50% fewer tokens. Zero information lost. Fully typed. Savings scale with output verbosity — test runners and build logs see 80–92% reduction.

Available Servers (28 packages, 240 tools)

Install only the servers relevant to your stack — most projects need just 2–4. The full catalog covers a wide range of ecosystems so Pare works wherever you do.

CategoryServersToolsWraps
Version Controlgit, github55git, gh
Languages & Packagesnpm, python, cargo, go, deno, bun, nix, dotnet, ruby, swift, jvm101npm, pip, cargo, go, deno, bun, nix, dotnet, gem, swift, gradle, maven
Build, Lint & Testbuild, lint, test, cmake, bazel23tsc, esbuild, vite, webpack, eslint, prettier, biome, vitest, pytest, jest
Infrastructuredocker, k8s, infra, security, remote40docker, kubectl, helm, terraform, ansible, trivy, ssh
Utilitiessearch, http, make, process, db21ripgrep, fd, curl, make, just, psql, mysql, redis, mongosh

Tool Schemas — detailed response examples and field descriptions for every tool. See also Tool Response Examples for quick JSON samples.

Quick Setup

# 1. Configure MCP servers (non-interactive)
npx @paretools/init --client claude-code --preset web

# 2. Add agent rules to your project
#    (append to existing CLAUDE.md, or copy if new)
cat node_modules/@paretools/init/rules/CLAUDE.md >> CLAUDE.md

# 3. Restart your client session

# 4. Validate
npx @paretools/init doctor

Available presets: web, python, rust, go, jvm, dotnet, ruby, swift, mobile, devops, full

Setup Guides by Client

Claude CodeClaude DesktopCursor
VS Code / CopilotWindsurfCline / Roo Code
OpenAI CodexGemini CLIZed
Continue.dev

Full Quickstart Guide — presets, ecosystem mapping, validation

Manual Configuration — config paths and formats for all clients

Agent Integration Guide — rule files, hooks, CLI-to-MCP mapping

Configuration

Tool Selection

By default, every Pare server registers all of its tools. If a server exposes tools you don't need — or you want to limit which tools are available to an agent — you can filter them with environment variables.

Per-server filter — restrict a single server's tools:

# Only register status and log in the git server
PARE_GIT_TOOLS=status,log npx @paretools/git

Universal filter — restrict tools across all servers:

# Only register these specific tools across any server
PARE_TOOLS=git:status,git:log,npm:install npx @paretools/git

Disable all tools — set the env var to an empty string:

PARE_GIT_TOOLS= npx @paretools/git   # no tools registered
Env VarScopeFormatExample
PARE_TOOLSAll serversserver:tool,...git:status,npm:install
PARE_{SERVER}_TOOLSOne servertool,...status,log,diff

Rules:

  • No env var = all tools enabled (default)
  • PARE_TOOLS (universal) takes precedence over per-server vars
  • Server names use uppercase with hyphens replaced by underscores (e.g., PARE_MY_SERVER_TOOLS)
  • Whitespace around commas is ignored

Common patterns:

# Read-only git (no push, commit, add, checkout)
PARE_GIT_TOOLS=status,log,diff,branch,show

# Minimal npm
PARE_NPM_TOOLS=install,test,run

# Only specific tools across all servers
PARE_TOOLS=git:status,git:diff,npm:install,test:run

In JSON MCP config, set via the env key:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pare-git": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@paretools/git"],
      "env": {
        "PARE_GIT_TOOLS": "status,log,diff,show"
      }
    }
  }
}

Troubleshooting

IssueSolution
npx not found / ENOENT on WindowsUse cmd /c npx wrapper (see your client's setup guide)
Slow first startRun npx -y @paretools/git once to cache, or install globally: npm i -g @paretools/git
Node.js version errorPare requires Node.js >= 20
NVM/fnm PATH issuesUse absolute path to npx: e.g., ~/.nvm/versions/node/v22/bin/npx
MCP connection timeoutSet MCP_TIMEOUT=30000 for Claude Code, or increase initTimeout in client config
Too many tools filling contextUse tool selection env vars to limit tools, or only install the servers you need

Contributing

Each server is a self-contained package. See CONTRIBUTING.md for the full guide.

License

MIT

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