OneTool MCP MCP Server
io.github.beycom/onetool-mcp
One MCP server with 250+ tools as Python code—97% fewer tokens, no context rot.
What is the OneTool MCP MCP server?
OneTool MCP is a single Model Context Protocol server that exposes 250+ developer tools (search, databases, files, diagrams, vision, memory) as a Python API instead of traditional tool definitions. By letting agents write code to call tools rather than selecting from JSON definitions, it reduces token usage by 97% and eliminates context degradation from connecting multiple MCP servers.
OneTool consolidates the functionality of dozens of MCP servers into one, addressing the token-cost and context-rot problems of traditional tool-call interfaces. Instead of re-sending tool definitions on every request (3K–30K tokens each), agents write explicit Python code like `__onetool brave.search(query="...")`. This approach scales to unlimited tools while keeping token usage flat (~2K tokens), supports batching and chaining, and works with Claude Code, Cursor, and any MCP client.
How to install OneTool MCP
Copy-paste configuration for popular MCP clients.
No machine-readable install method is published for this server in the registry. Check the repository or website for setup instructions.
Tools & capabilities
Tools this server exposes to the agent.
brave— Web search, news, image, and video search with batch modesgoogle-grounded— Google-grounded search with sources and batch modestavily— AI-native search and extraction with batch modescontext7— Library documentation searchwebfetch— Web content extraction with format controlsfile— File operations with path boundaries, read/write/edit/grep/slice/tocexcel— Full Excel control including read, write, formulas, and table creationdb— SQL database query, schema inspection, and samplingconvert— Document conversion (PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel to Markdown)ripgrep— Fast code search with file and type filteringwhiteboard— Live Excalidraw canvas with Mermaid-compatible DSL and auto-layoutdiagram— Mermaid, PlantUML, and D2 diagram rendering via Krokiarch— Architecture models to draw.io-editable SVGot_image— Image vision and analysis on a dedicated modelot_llm— LLM-powered transforms and delegated processingmem— Persistent memory with semantic and keyword search, history, and rollbackknowledge— RAG knowledge bases with hybrid search and AI enrichmentlocalhist— Git-backed local history snapshots with diff and restoreot_context— Smart context store for large outputs with search and slicingot_secrets— Encrypted secrets management backed by OS keychain
Use cases
- Search the web, documentation, and code repositories with a single tool interface instead of managing multiple MCP servers
- Extract and transform documents (PDFs, Word, Excel) to Markdown and query databases without context bloat
- Build persistent memory and knowledge bases with semantic search while keeping agent context small
- Create and edit diagrams (Excalidraw, Mermaid, PlantUML) and architecture models interactively
- Wrap existing MCP servers as Python namespaces and control them at runtime without client restarts
OneTool MCP MCP server FAQ
OneTool is a single MCP server that exposes 250+ developer tools (search, databases, files, diagrams, vision, memory) as a Python API. Instead of traditional tool-call JSON, agents write explicit code like `__onetool brave.search(query="...")`, reducing token usage by 97% and eliminating context rot.
OneTool is open-source under GPLv3. Most built-in tools (file ops, diagrams, memory, vision) are free. Some require API keys (Brave, Google, Tavily, Context7) which have free tiers; AWS and database access require your own credentials.
Run the bootstrap script (`curl -LsSf https://onetool.beycom.online/install.sh | sh` on macOS/Linux or the PowerShell equivalent on Windows), then run `onetool init mcp-config --client cursor` (or `claude-code`, `claude-desktop`, `vscode`) and paste the output into your client config.
OneTool initializes with optional API keys for search services (Brave, Google, Tavily, Context7) and AWS. Secrets are age-encrypted and stored in your OS keychain. Many tools (file ops, diagrams, memory, vision) work without any authentication.
Yes. Wrap any existing MCP server in YAML config and call it as a Python namespace (e.g., `__onetool my_server.tool_name(...)`). Proxied servers can be enabled, disabled, and restarted mid-conversation without restarting your client.
OneTool reduces input tokens by ~97% compared to connecting 10+ traditional MCP servers. Measured example: 47,660 tokens (18 MCP servers) → 1,131 tokens (OneTool). At Claude Opus 4.5 pricing, this saves ~$30/month per traditional MCP server.
README (reference)
Source of truth, from the repository.
The Problem
Every MCP server re-sends its tool definitions on every request: 3K-30K tokens each. Connect 5 servers and you've burned 55K tokens before the conversation starts. Connect 10+ and you're at 100K.
The math is brutal: Claude Opus 4.5 at $5/M input tokens, 20 days × 10 conversations × 10 messages × 3K tokens = $30/month per MCP server - even if you never use the tools.
And then there's context rot - your AI literally gets dumber as you add more tools (Chroma Research, 2025).
The Solution
OneTool is one MCP server that exposes tools as a Python API. Instead of reading tool definitions, your agent writes code:
__onetool brave.search(query="react 19 server components")
Configure one MCP server. Use unlimited tools - ~2K tokens no matter how many you add.
"Agents scale better by writing code to call tools instead. This reduces the token usage from 150,000 tokens to 2,000 tokens...a cost saving of 98.7%"
97% fewer tokens. 30× lower cost. No context rot. (Measured - 47,660 → 1,131 input tokens against 18 MCP servers.)
Code Is the Interface
Because tools are Python functions, your agent does things tool-call JSON can't: batch, chain, loop, compose.
__onetool
page = webfetch.fetch(url="https://fastmcp.dev/changelog", output_format="markdown")
notes = ot_llm.transform(data=page, prompt="Summarise the breaking changes")
mem.write(topic="deps/fastmcp", content=notes)
Three packs, one request. Intermediate results flow between tools as variables - the page body never touches your context window, and the summarising runs on a cheap model instead of your expensive coding agent.
Every call is explicit and reviewable - __onetool brave.search(query="...") shows you exactly what runs. No tool-selection guessing.
And the runtime is built for how agents actually type:
mem.search(q="auth")works - any unambiguous parameter prefix resolves (q=→query=)wb.draw(...)works - packs have short aliases (wb,ctx,img)github.listRepositories()works on proxied servers - snake/camel/Pascal all resolve- A typo'd tool gets a did-you-mean, a disconnected server names the command that fixes it
- Oversized results come back as a searchable handle instead of flooding the window
Install
Bootstrap (installs uv if missing, installs OneTool, initialises config, prints MCP config):
curl -LsSf https://onetool.beycom.online/install.sh | sh # macOS / Linux
irm https://onetool.beycom.online/install.ps1 | iex # Windows (PowerShell)
Or install manually with uv:
uv tool install 'onetool-mcp[all]' # everything
onetool init --config ~/.onetool
Then print ready-to-paste MCP client config with resolved absolute paths and add it
to your client (claude-code, claude-desktop, cursor, or vscode):
onetool init mcp-config --client claude-code # or omit --client for all four
That's it. All 250+ tools work out of the box.
Verify: onetool init validate --config ~/.onetool/onetool.yaml
Install the ot-ref skill into your agent with vercel-labs/skills - it teaches the call conventions and ships a greppable index of every tool signature:
npx skills add https://github.com/beycom/onetool-mcp --skill ot-ref --agent claude
What's Inside
| Search & docs | Brave, Google-grounded, and Tavily search (each with batch + answer modes), Context7 library docs, web fetch with extraction controls |
| Files & data | File ops with path boundaries, full Excel control, SQL databases, PDF/Word/PowerPoint → Markdown, ripgrep, package versions |
| Context economy | ctx handles for large outputs, partial file reads (toc/slice), image vision on a dedicated cheap model (zero host tokens), LLM delegation (10× savings) |
| Persistent state | mem memory with semantic + keyword search, history and rollback; knowledge RAG bases with AI enrichment; localhist Git-backed project snapshots |
| Visual | Live Excalidraw whiteboard with a Mermaid-compatible DSL and offline auto-layout, Mermaid/PlantUML/D2 diagrams, architecture models → draw.io-editable SVG |
| Runtime | MCP server proxy with runtime enable/disable/restart, direct CLI/API into the running process, ot-ref agent skill, in-conversation tool forging |
| Trust | age-encrypted secrets backed by your OS keychain, AST validation, path boundaries, output sanitisation, runtime stats with estimated savings |
Tools
28 packs, 253 tools ready to use (console in beta):
| Pack | Tools | Extra | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
arch | generate, validate, bundle_solution, … | [dev] | Architecture models → draw.io-editable SVG |
brave | search, news, image, video, search_batch | [util] | Brave web search |
chrome_util | highlight_element, guide_user, … | [dev] | Browser annotations (Chrome DevTools) |
console (beta) | show, display, list, read, clear | Messages to the upcoming onetool-console app | |
context7 | search, doc | [dev] | Library documentation |
convert | pdf, word, powerpoint, excel, auto | [util] | Documents → Markdown |
db | query, schema, tables, sample | [dev] | SQL databases |
diagram | render_diagram, batch_render, get_template, … | [dev] | Mermaid / PlantUML / D2 via Kroki |
excel | read, write, formula, create_table, … (24 tools) | [util] | Full Excel control |
file | read, write, edit, grep, slice, toc, … (16 tools) | [util] | File ops with path boundaries |
ground | search, dev, docs, reddit, search_batch | [util] | Google-grounded search with sources |
knowledge | search, ask, write, related, … (15 tools) | [util] | RAG knowledge bases (hybrid search) |
localhist | save, diff, restore, autosave_start, … (15 tools) | [dev] | Git-backed local history snapshots |
mem | write, search, ask, history, rollback, … (31 tools) | [util] | Persistent memory with semantic search |
ot | help, tools, stats, status, result, … (18 tools) | Introspection and management | |
ot_context (ctx) | write, read, grep, slice, toc, ask, … (13 tools) | Smart context store for large outputs | |
ot_forge | create_ext, validate_ext | Scaffold new tool packs | |
ot_image (img) | load, ask, clip_ask, summary, … (9 tools) | Image vision via a dedicated model | |
ot_llm | transform, transform_file | LLM-powered transforms | |
ot_secrets | set, encrypt, audit, rotate, … (8 tools) | Encrypted secrets management | |
ot_servers | enable, disable, restart, status | Runtime control of proxied servers | |
ot_timer | start, stop, elapsed, list, clear | Named timers | |
package | pypi, npm, version, audit, models | [dev] | Package versions and staleness |
play_util | highlight_element, guide_user, … | [dev] | Browser annotations (Playwright) |
ripgrep | search, count, files, types | [dev] | Fast code search |
tavily | search, research, extract, search_batch, … | [util] | AI-native search and extraction |
webfetch | fetch, fetch_batch | [dev] | Web content extraction |
whiteboard (wb) | open, draw, layout, screenshot, … (22 tools) | [util] | Live Excalidraw canvas |
📖 Complete tools reference — every signature, generated from source
MCP Server Proxy
Keep the MCP servers you already use. Wrap them in YAML and call them explicitly - as Python namespaces, without their tool tax:
# .onetool/onetool.yaml
servers:
local_tools:
type: stdio
command: npx
args: ["-y", "some-mcp-server@latest"]
private_api:
type: http
url: ${PRIVATE_MCP_URL}
auth:
type: bearer
token: ${PRIVATE_MCP_TOKEN}
__onetool private_api.read_resource(path="README.md")
Proxied servers can be enabled, disabled, and restarted mid-conversation with ot_servers - no client restart.
Secrets You Can Commit
onetool init walks you through encrypted secrets: values in secrets.yaml are age-encrypted, the private key lives in your OS keychain, and decryption happens transparently at load.
# secrets.yaml - safe to inspect, safe to commit
brave_api_key: age1enc:YWdlLWVuY3J5cHRpb24ub3JnL3YxCi0+IFgyNT...
Use from the CLI
Works as an MCP server and as a direct CLI bridge into the same running process - loaded config, secrets, and proxy connections stay warm. Useful for agent harnesses, scripts, and automation:
# Recommended local MCP root mode: stdio
onetool serve --config .onetool/onetool.yaml
# URL-based MCP root mode for containerized clients
onetool serve --transport http --config .onetool/onetool.yaml --host 127.0.0.1 --port 8767 --path /mcp
# Enable the MCP-owned direct API in onetool.yaml:
# direct.host.enabled: true
# Start OneTool as MCP, then use the port printed in startup logs.
onetool direct run --port 8765 "ot.packs()" --format json | jq '.[0].name'
onetool direct run --port 8765 "brave.search(query='latest AI news')" --format raw
Extending
Drop a Python file, get a pack. No registration, no config:
# .onetool/tools/wiki.py
pack = "wiki"
def summary(*, title: str) -> str:
"""Get Wikipedia article summary."""
import httpx
url = f"https://en.wikipedia.org/api/rest_v1/page/summary/{title}"
return httpx.get(url).json().get("extract", "Not found")
__onetool wiki.summary(title="Python_(programming_language)")
Documentation
- Quickstart - 30 seconds to first tool call
- Installation - All platforms
- Configuration - YAML schema
- Tools Reference - All 253 tools
- Security - The layered security model
- Extending - Build your own
- Dev Docs - Internal developer documentation
- Specifications - OpenSpec specifications index
References
- Code Execution with MCP - Anthropic Engineering
- Context Rot - Chroma Research
Telemetry
OneTool sends anonymous startup pings (event type, version, OS). No personal data. Opt out: export DO_NOT_TRACK=1 or set telemetry.enabled: false in onetool.yaml. Details
Issues
Check for existing issues first:
- Browse the tracker: github.com/beycom/onetool-mcp/issues
- Search with GitHub syntax:
is:issue repo:beycom/onetool-mcp <keyword>
Raise a new issue: github.com/beycom/onetool-mcp/issues/new
Support
If you find OneTool useful:
License
GPLv3
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