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MIT

PlanExe MCP Server

io.github.PlanExeOrg/planexe

Turn a plain-English idea into a 40-page draft project plan via MCP in ~15 minutes.

What is the PlanExe MCP server?

PlanExe is an MCP server that turns a natural-language project idea into a comprehensive ~40-page draft plan (executive summary, Gantt chart, governance structure, role descriptions, stakeholder maps, risk registers, SWOT analysis) in about 15 minutes. It's accessible as a remote hosted MCP endpoint or can be run locally via Docker, and is designed to be used by AI agents as planning infrastructure.

PlanExe is an open-source MCP server that generates structured, domain-aware rough-draft project plans from a single natural-language goal statement, using local or cloud LLMs. Output includes an executive summary, Gantt chart, governance structure, role descriptions, stakeholder maps, risk registers, and SWOT analyses — a first-draft scaffold meant to be critiqued and refined rather than used as a client-ready deliverable. It's available as a hosted remote MCP endpoint (requiring an account and API key) or can be self-hosted locally via Docker with an OpenRouter or Ollama/LM Studio model backend.

How to install PlanExe

Copy-paste configuration for popular MCP clients.

transport: http
Config generated by PluginBench — verify against the source before use.
Environment / auth
  • X-API-Key
    required
    secret

    PlanExe API key (UserApiKey from home.planexe.org, usually prefixed pex_).

Cursor
~/.cursor/mcp.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "planexe": {
      "url": "https://mcp.planexe.org/mcp"
    }
  }
}
Windsurf
~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "planexe": {
      "serverUrl": "https://mcp.planexe.org/mcp"
    }
  }
}
VS Code
.vscode/mcp.json
{
  "servers": {
    "planexe": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.planexe.org/mcp"
    }
  }
}
Claude Desktop
Claude Desktop connects to remote servers via the mcp-remote bridge.
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "planexe": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://mcp.planexe.org/mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}
Claude Code
claude mcp add --transport http planexe https://mcp.planexe.org/mcp

Tools & capabilities

Tools this server exposes to the agent.

  • example_plansOptional tool to preview what PlanExe output looks like.
  • example_promptsReturns example prompts showing the expected format for plan requests.
  • model_profilesOptional tool that helps choose a model_profile for plan generation.
  • plan_createCreates a new plan from a natural-language prompt; returns a plan_id.
  • plan_statusPolls the status of a plan generation job using its plan_id.
  • plan_retryRetries plan generation if a previous plan_create attempt failed.
  • plan_file_infoRetrieves information for downloading the completed plan result.

Use cases

  • Generate a first-draft business plan for a new venture idea in minutes
  • Create a Gantt chart, governance structure, and stakeholder map scaffold for a project pilot
  • Produce a risk register and SWOT analysis as a starting point for further refinement
  • Let an AI agent autonomously draft and iterate on project plans via the MCP workflow
  • Quickly brainstorm and outline a project before investing in a detailed, client-ready plan

PlanExe MCP server FAQ

What does the PlanExe MCP server do?

It exposes tools (example_prompts, plan_create, plan_status, plan_retry, plan_file_info, example_plans, model_profiles) that let an MCP client submit a natural-language project idea and receive a ~40-page draft plan with sections like executive summary, Gantt chart, governance structure, risk register, and SWOT analysis.

Is PlanExe MCP free to use?

The remote hosted endpoint (https://mcp.planexe.org/mcp) requires an account, an API key, and sufficient account funds to create plans. Alternatively, you can self-host it locally for free via Docker using your own OpenRouter, Ollama, or LM Studio API key/model.

How do I install PlanExe MCP in Claude or Cursor?

Add the remote MCP endpoint https://mcp.planexe.org/mcp with an X-API-Key header set to your PlanExe API key (pex_...) in your client's MCP server configuration. Setup guides are provided for Claude, Cursor, Codex, LM Studio, Windsurf, and Antigravity at docs.planexe.org/mcp/.

What authentication does PlanExe MCP require?

The remote server requires an X-API-Key header with a PlanExe API key obtained from an account at home.planexe.org. When running locally via Docker with default docker-compose settings, authentication is disabled.

Can I run PlanExe MCP locally instead of using the hosted service?

Yes. Clone the repo, set an OPENROUTER_API_KEY in a .env file, run `docker compose up --build`, and connect your MCP client to http://localhost:8001/mcp.

How reliable is the plan output from PlanExe?

The README describes it as a first-draft scaffold with correct terminology and logical structure, but notes that budgets are assumed, timelines aren't grounded in real constraints, risk mitigations are generic, and legal/regulatory details are plausible but unverified — so output should be treated as a starting point, not a final deliverable.

README (reference)

Source of truth, from the repository.

<p align="center"> <picture> <source media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)" srcset="docs/hero/planexe-hero-v1-grid-dark.svg"> <img src="docs/hero/planexe-hero-v1-grid-light.svg" alt="The PlanExe icon is the P character and E character" width="100%"> </picture> </p> <p align="center"> <strong>Turn your idea into a comprehensive plan in minutes, not months.</strong> </p> <p align="center"> <a href="https://app.mach-ai.com/planexe_early_access"> <img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/%F0%9F%9A%80%20Try%20PlanExe%20in%20your%20browser-Generate%20a%20free%20plan-2ea44f?style=for-the-badge" alt="Try PlanExe in your browser — generate a free plan" height="48"> </a> </p> <p align="center"> Describe your idea, hit submit, and PlanExe returns a ~40-page plan in about 15 minutes. </p> <p align="center"> <a href="https://home.planexe.org/"><strong>Create an account</strong></a> &nbsp;|&nbsp; <a href="https://planexe.org/examples/"><strong>See example plans</strong></a> &nbsp;|&nbsp; <a href="https://docs.planexe.org/getting_started/"><strong>Getting started guide</strong></a> </p>

Example plans generated with PlanExe

What is PlanExe?

PlanExe is an open-source tool and the premier planning tool for AI agents. It turns a single plain-english goal statement into a 40-page, strategic plan in ~15 minutes using local or cloud models. It's an accelerator for outlines, but no silver bullet for polished plans.

Typical output contains:

  • Executive summary
  • Gantt chart
  • Governance structure
  • Role descriptions
  • Stakeholder maps
  • Risk registers
  • SWOT analyses

PlanExe produces well-structured, domain-aware output: correct terminology, logical task sequencing, and coherent sections. For technical topics (engineering programs, regulated industries), it often gets the vocabulary and structure right. Think of it as a first-draft scaffold that gives you something concrete to critique and refine.

However, the output has consistent weaknesses that matter: budgets are assumed rather than derived, timeline estimates are not grounded in real resource constraints, risk mitigations tend toward generic advice, and legal/regulatory details are plausible-sounding but unverified. The output should be treated as a structured starting point, not a deliverable. How much work it saves depends heavily on the project. For brainstorming or a first outline, it can save hours. For a client-ready plan, expect significant rework on every number, timeline, and risk section.


Model Context Protocol (MCP)

PlanExe exposes an MCP server for AI agents at https://mcp.planexe.org/

Assuming you have an MCP-compatible client (Claude, Cursor, Codex, LM Studio, Windsurf, OpenClaw, Antigravity).

The Tool workflow

  1. example_plans (optional, preview what PlanExe output looks like)
  2. example_prompts
  3. model_profiles (optional, helps choose model_profile)
  4. non-tool step: draft/approve prompt
  5. plan_create
  6. plan_status (poll every 5 minutes until done)
  7. optional if failed: plan_retry
  8. download the result via plan_file_info

Concurrency note: each plan_create call returns a new plan_id; server-side global per-client concurrency is not capped, so clients should track their own parallel plans.

Option A: Remote MCP (fastest path)

Prerequisites

  • An account at https://home.planexe.org.
  • Sufficient funds to create plans.
  • A PlanExe API key (pex_...) from your account

Use this endpoint directly in your MCP client:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "planexe": {
      "url": "https://mcp.planexe.org/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "X-API-Key": "pex_your_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Option B: Run MCP server locally with Docker

Prerequisites

  • Docker
  • OpenRouter account
  • Create a PlanExe .env file with OPENROUTER_API_KEY.

Start the full stack:

docker compose up --build

Make sure that you can create plans in the web interface, before proceeding to MCP.

Then connect your client to:

  • http://localhost:8001/mcp

For local docker defaults, auth is disabled in docker-compose.yml.

MCP docs


Running the Pipeline via CLI (no frontend)

If you have a local Python environment set up and want to invoke the pipeline directly — without the Flask UI — use the planexe CLI script at the repo root.

# Create a plan from a text prompt
./planexe create_plan \
    --plan-text "Small coffee shop in Copenhagen, Denmark" \
    --output-dir ./planexe-outputs/1984-12-31/MyCoffeeShop_v1

# Or: read the plan prompt from a file
./planexe create_plan \
    --plan-file my_plan.txt \
    --output-dir ./planexe-outputs/1984-12-31/MyCoffeeShop_v1

The script creates the run directory if it does not exist and writes:

FileContents
start_time.json{"server_iso_utc": "<current UTC ISO timestamp>"}
plan.txtThe plain-text plan prompt

For AI Agents

PlanExe is designed as infrastructure for AI agents. If you are an AI agent reading this:

  • Discovery: Read public/llms.txt for service metadata, MCP tools, and endpoints.
  • MCP endpoint: https://mcp.planexe.org/mcp — connect with an API key from home.planexe.org.
  • Workflow: Call example_prompts to learn the expected prompt format, draft a detailed prompt (~300-800 words of flowing prose), then call plan_create.
  • Agent guide: See docs/mcp/autonomous_agent_guide.md for the complete autonomous workflow.
  • Key outputs in zip: wbs_level1.json (work packages), wbs_level2.json (tasks), pre_project_assessment.json (feasibility).

<details> <summary><strong> Run locally with Docker (Click to expand)</strong></summary> <br>

Prerequisite: Docker with Docker Compose installed; you only need basic Docker knowledge. No local Python setup is required because everything runs in containers.

Follow these steps

  1. Clone the repo and enter it:
git clone https://github.com/PlanExeOrg/PlanExe.git
cd PlanExe
  1. Provide an LLM provider. Copy .env.docker-example to .env and fill in OPENROUTER_API_KEY with your key from OpenRouter. The containers mount .env and llm_config/; pick a model profile there. For host-side Ollama, use the docker-ollama-llama3.1 entry and ensure Ollama is listening on http://host.docker.internal:11434.

  2. Start the stack (first run builds the images):

docker compose up worker_plan frontend_multi_user

The worker listens on http://localhost:8000 and the UI comes up on http://localhost:5001 after the Postgres and worker healthchecks pass.

  1. Open http://localhost:5001 in your browser, create an account (or log in with the admin credentials from .env), enter your idea, and watch progress with:
docker compose logs -f worker_plan

Outputs are written to run/ on the host (mounted into both containers).

  1. Stop with Ctrl+C (or docker compose down). Rebuild after code/dependency changes:
docker compose build --no-cache worker_plan frontend_multi_user

For compose tips, alternate ports, or troubleshooting, see docs/docker.md or docker-compose.md.

Configuration

Config A: Run a model in the cloud using a paid provider. Follow the instructions in OpenRouter.

Config B: Run models locally on a high-end computer. Follow the instructions for either Ollama or LM Studio. When using host-side tools with Docker, point the model URL at the host (for example http://host.docker.internal:11434 for Ollama).

Recommendation: I recommend Config A as it offers the most straightforward path to getting PlanExe working reliably.

</details>
<details> <summary><strong> Help (Click to expand)</strong></summary> <br>

For help or feedback.

Join the PlanExe Discord.

</details>

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