io.github.Dave-London/http MCP Server
io.github.Dave-London/http
MCP server for HTTP requests with structured, token-efficient JSON output instead of raw curl responses
What is the io.github.Dave-London/http MCP server?
The HTTP MCP server is a Pare tool that wraps curl commands and returns clean, schema-validated JSON instead of raw terminal output. It provides structured HTTP request capabilities optimized for AI agents, reducing token usage and eliminating parsing fragility.
This server enables AI agents to make HTTP requests through curl while receiving structured JSON responses. Instead of parsing raw HTTP output with ANSI codes and formatting variations, agents get typed, validated data that works consistently across platforms and curl versions. It's part of the Pare ecosystem, which wraps developer tools to provide reliable structured output for AI workflows.
How to install io.github.Dave-London/http
Copy-paste configuration for popular MCP clients.
Tools & capabilities
Tools this server exposes to the agent.
HTTP request execution— Make HTTP requests using curl with structured JSON response output
Use cases
- Make API calls from AI agents with reliable structured responses
- Fetch data from REST endpoints without parsing raw curl output
- Test HTTP endpoints with consistent, typed JSON results
- Integrate external APIs into agent workflows with token-efficient responses
- Debug HTTP requests with structured request/response data
io.github.Dave-London/http MCP server FAQ
It wraps curl commands and returns structured, schema-validated JSON instead of raw terminal output. This provides reliable, typed data for AI agents without brittle string parsing.
Yes, Pare is open-source under the MIT license.
Install via npm: `npm install @paretools/http` or use the Pare init tool: `npx @paretools/init --client claude-code --preset web`
The HTTP server itself doesn't require authentication, but the HTTP requests you make may require API keys or credentials depending on the endpoints you're calling.
Pare's structured output typically reduces tokens by 65-95% compared to raw curl output, with savings scaling based on response verbosity.
Yes, use the `PARE_HTTP_TOOLS` environment variable to filter specific tools, or `PARE_TOOLS` to restrict tools across all servers.
README (reference)
Source of truth, from the repository.
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 Command | Raw Tokens | Pare Tokens | Reduction |
|---|---|---|---|
docker build (multi-stage, 11 steps) | 373 | 20 | 95% |
git log --stat (5 commits, verbose) | 4,992 | 382 | 92% |
npm install (487 packages, warnings) | 241 | 41 | 83% |
vitest run (28 tests, all pass) | 196 | 39 | 80% |
cargo build (2 errors, help text) | 436 | 138 | 68% |
pip install (9 packages, progress bars) | 288 | 101 | 65% |
cargo test (12 tests, 2 failures) | 351 | 190 | 46% |
npm audit (4 vulnerabilities) | 287 | 185 | 36% |
Token estimates use ~4 chars/token. The biggest savings appear on verbose commands (builds, installs, tests). For simpler tools like
eslintortsc, 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 itstructuredContent— 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.
| Category | Servers | Tools | Wraps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Version Control | git, github | 55 | git, gh |
| Languages & Packages | npm, python, cargo, go, deno, bun, nix, dotnet, ruby, swift, jvm | 101 | npm, pip, cargo, go, deno, bun, nix, dotnet, gem, swift, gradle, maven |
| Build, Lint & Test | build, lint, test, cmake, bazel | 23 | tsc, esbuild, vite, webpack, eslint, prettier, biome, vitest, pytest, jest |
| Infrastructure | docker, k8s, infra, security, remote | 40 | docker, kubectl, helm, terraform, ansible, trivy, ssh |
| Utilities | search, http, make, process, db | 21 | ripgrep, 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 Code | Claude Desktop | Cursor |
| VS Code / Copilot | Windsurf | Cline / Roo Code |
| OpenAI Codex | Gemini CLI | Zed |
| 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 Var | Scope | Format | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
PARE_TOOLS | All servers | server:tool,... | git:status,npm:install |
PARE_{SERVER}_TOOLS | One server | tool,... | 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
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
npx not found / ENOENT on Windows | Use cmd /c npx wrapper (see your client's setup guide) |
| Slow first start | Run npx -y @paretools/git once to cache, or install globally: npm i -g @paretools/git |
| Node.js version error | Pare requires Node.js >= 20 |
| NVM/fnm PATH issues | Use absolute path to npx: e.g., ~/.nvm/versions/node/v22/bin/npx |
| MCP connection timeout | Set MCP_TIMEOUT=30000 for Claude Code, or increase initTimeout in client config |
| Too many tools filling context | Use 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
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