dex-add-mcp

Purpose

Add a new MCP server the safe way: user scope by default so your custom MCP survives Dex updates.

When to Use

• You want to add an MCP server without touching .mcp.json
• You want it to work across all projects (user scope)
• You are not sure which scope to pick

Default Behavior (Recommended)

Use user scope unless you explicitly want to share with a team.

User scope (recommended)

claude mcp add --scope user <server-name> -- <command> <args>

Why: Survives Dex updates and applies across all projects.

Project scope (team-shared)

claude mcp add --scope project <server-name> -- <command> <args>

Why: Stored in .mcp.json and shared with everyone on this repo.

Examples

Add a local stdio MCP (user scope)

claude mcp add --scope user gmail --transport stdio -- node .scripts/mcp/gmail-mcp.js

Add a remote HTTP MCP (user scope)

claude mcp add --scope user notion --transport http https://mcp.notion.com/mcp

Add a project-shared MCP (explicit)

claude mcp add --scope project github --transport http https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/

Guardrails

• If you are not sure, use user scope.
• Only use project scope if everyone should get the server.
• Do not add personal MCPs to .mcp.json.