CLEO MCP Server

2-gateway CQRS interface for CLEO task management protocol

📚 Quick Start | Usage Guide | Workflows | API Docs

Overview

CLEO MCP Server exposes CLEO's CLI and library capabilities through two gateway tools using a CQRS (Command Query Responsibility Segregation) pattern:

• cleo_query - query operations (read-only)
• cleo_mutate - mutate operations (state-changing)

Current implementation operation matrix is maintained in:

• src/gateways/query.ts (EXPECTED_QUERY_COUNT=56)
• src/gateways/mutate.ts (EXPECTED_MUTATE_COUNT=51)

Total implemented operations: 111 (core contract plus parity extensions).

Token efficiency: 2 tools (~1,800 tokens) vs 65 tools (~32,500 tokens) = 94% reduction

Features

• Full CLEO Access: 111 implemented operations across 9 domains
• Protocol Enforcement: RCSD-IVTR lifecycle with exit codes 60-70
• Anti-Hallucination: 4-layer validation (schema → semantic → referential → protocol)
• Safety by Design: Read operations cannot mutate state
• Minimal Token Footprint: 0.9% of 200K context window

Installation

npm install @cleocode/mcp-server

Quick Start

Option A: Auto-Configure (Recommended)

CLEO's CLI auto-detects your installed AI tools and writes configs:

cleo mcp-install              # Interactive: detect and configure
cleo mcp-install --all        # Non-interactive: configure all detected tools
cleo mcp-install --dry-run    # Preview changes without writing

Supported tools (12): Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kimi, Antigravity, Windsurf, Goose, OpenCode, VS Code, Zed, Codex

See cleo mcp-install --help for all options.

Option B: Manual Configuration

Add to your tool's MCP config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cleo": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@cleocode/mcp-server"]
    }
  }
}

| Tool | Config Location | |------|----------------| | Claude Code | .mcp.json (project root) | | Claude Desktop | claude_desktop_config.json (OS-specific) | | Cursor | ~/.cursor/mcp.json | | Gemini CLI | ~/.gemini/settings.json | | VS Code | .vscode/mcp.json (key: servers) | | Zed | ~/.config/zed/settings.json (key: context_servers, JSONC) | | OpenCode | ~/.config/opencode/.opencode.json (key: mcp, array command, JSONC) | | Goose | .goose/config.yaml (YAML format) | | Codex | ~/.codex/config.toml (TOML format) |

Goose YAML config example:

# .goose/config.yaml
extensions:
  cleo:
    args:
    - -y
    - '@cleocode/mcp-server'
    cmd: npx
    enabled: true
    name: cleo
    type: stdio

For local development installs:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cleo": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/cleo-todo/mcp-server/dist/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Usage Examples

Task Management

// Find tasks
await cleo_query({
  domain: "tasks",
  operation: "find",
  params: { query: "authentication" }
});

// Create task
await cleo_mutate({
  domain: "tasks",
  operation: "create",
  params: {
    title: "Implement authentication",
    description: "Add JWT-based auth system",
    priority: 1
  }
});

// Complete task
await cleo_mutate({
  domain: "tasks",
  operation: "complete",
  params: {
    taskId: "T2405",
    notes: "Completed successfully"
  }
});

Session Management

// Start session
await cleo_mutate({
  domain: "session",
  operation: "start",
  params: {
    scope: "epic:T2400",
    name: "Feature Development",
    autoFocus: true
  }
});

// Set focus
await cleo_mutate({
  domain: "session",
  operation: "focus.set",
  params: { taskId: "T2405" }
});

Orchestration

// Initialize orchestration
await cleo_mutate({
  domain: "orchestrate",
  operation: "startup",
  params: { epicId: "T2400" }
});

// Generate spawn prompt
await cleo_mutate({
  domain: "orchestrate",
  operation: "spawn",
  params: {
    taskId: "T2405",
    skill: "ct-task-executor"
  }
});

Domains

cleo_query (Read-Only)

• tasks - get, list, find, exists, tree, blockers, deps, analyze, next, relates
• session - status, list, show, focus.get, history
• orchestrate - status, next, ready, analyze, context, waves, skill.list
• research - show, list, query, pending, stats, manifest.read
• lifecycle - check, status, history, gates, prerequisites
• validate - schema, protocol, task, manifest, output, compliance.*
• system - version, doctor, config.get, stats, context, metrics, health, config, diagnostics, help, job.*, dash, roadmap, labels, compliance, log, archive-stats, sequence

cleo_mutate (Write Operations)

• tasks - create, update, complete, delete, archive, unarchive, reparent, promote, reorder, reopen, relates.add
• session - start, end, resume, suspend, focus.set, focus.clear, gc
• orchestrate - startup, spawn, validate, parallel.*
• research - inject, link, manifest.*
• lifecycle - progress, skip, reset, gate.*
• validate - compliance.record, test.run
• release - prepare, changelog, commit, tag, push, gates.run, rollback
• system - init, config.set, backup, restore, migrate, sync, cleanup, audit, job.cancel, safestop, uncancel

Configuration

Create .cleo/config.json in your project:

{
  "mcp": {
    "enabled": true,
    "transport": "stdio",
    "features": {
      "queryCache": true,
      "queryCacheTtl": 30000,
      "auditLog": true,
      "strictValidation": true
    }
  },
  "lifecycleEnforcement": {
    "mode": "strict",
    "allowSkip": ["consensus"]
  }
}

Protocol Enforcement

CLEO enforces the RCSD-IVTR lifecycle pipeline:

Research → Consensus → Specification → Decomposition
    ↓
Implementation → Validation → Testing → Release

Exit codes 60-70 indicate protocol violations:

• 60: Research protocol
• 61: Consensus protocol
• 62: Specification protocol
• 63: Decomposition protocol
• 64: Implementation protocol
• 65: Contribution protocol
• 66: Release protocol
• 68: Validation protocol
• 69/70: Testing protocol

Error Handling

All responses include actionable error information:

{
  "success": false,
  "error": {
    "code": "E_VALIDATION_FAILED",
    "exitCode": 6,
    "message": "Title and description must be different",
    "fix": "Provide a unique description",
    "alternatives": [
      {
        "action": "Use generated description",
        "command": "..."
      }
    ]
  }
}

Requirements

• Node.js: >=18.0.0
• CLEO: v0.70.0+ installed and initialized
• Project: .cleo/ directory must exist

Documentation

Getting Started

• Quick Start ⚡ - Get started in 5 minutes
• Usage Guide 📖 - Comprehensive guide with examples
• Workflows 🔄 - Real-world scenario examples

Complete API Documentation

• Documentation Index - Complete documentation navigation
• API Overview - Gateway design and concepts
• Error Codes - Complete error reference
• Protocols - RCSD-IVTR protocol enforcement
• Examples - Complete workflows

API Reference

• Gateways: cleo_query | cleo_mutate
• Domains: tasks | session | orchestrate | research | lifecycle | validate | release | system

External Resources

• Full Specification
• CLEO Documentation
• MCP Specification

Development

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build
npm run build

# Watch mode
npm run dev

# Test
npm test

# Lint
npm run lint

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

Support

• Issues: GitHub Issues
• Documentation: CLEO Docs

Credits

Built by the CLEO Development Team for solo developers and AI coding agents.