Turn any REST API into an MCP server. No code required.

APIFold reads an OpenAPI 3.x or Swagger 2.x specification and generates a live, production-ready MCP server endpoint. AI agents — Claude, Cursor, Copilot, or any MCP-compatible client — can connect immediately. Tool calls execute real HTTP requests to real upstream APIs with securely stored credentials. No stubs, no mocks, no glue code.

Table of Contents:

• Installation
• Self-Hosting
• Getting Started
  • Using the Transformer Library
  • Connecting an AI Agent
• Architecture
• Contributing
• Security
• License

Installation

Before running the installation command, make sure you have Node.js 20+, pnpm 9+, and Docker installed on your machine:

git clone https://github.com/Work90210/APIFold.git
cd APIFold
pnpm install

Self-Hosting

APIFold is designed to run in a containerized environment. Running your own instance is as easy as running one command from your terminal:

Development

cp .env.example .env
docker compose -f infra/docker-compose.dev.yml up -d
pnpm dev

Open http://localhost:3000 to access the dashboard.

Production

cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your production values (database, Redis, vault secret)
docker compose -f infra/docker-compose.yml up -d

The production stack includes Nginx reverse proxy, Next.js web app, Express MCP runtime, Postgres 16, and Redis 7 — all behind a single command. For advanced configuration, check out the environment variables and self-hosting guide.

Getting Started

Using the Transformer Library

The core conversion logic is published as a standalone MIT-licensed npm package. You can use it in your own tools without any AGPL obligations:

npm install @apifold/transformer

import { transform } from "@apifold/transformer";

const tools = transform(myOpenAPISpec);
// Returns MCP-compatible tool definitions

Connecting an AI Agent

Once you've imported a spec and created an MCP server through the dashboard:

Claude Desktop — add to your claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "my-api": {
      "url": "http://localhost:3001/mcp/my-api/sse"
    }
  }
}

Cursor — add the same endpoint URL in Cursor Settings > MCP Servers.

Available Commands

Command	Description
pnpm dev	Start all services with hot-reload
pnpm build	Build all packages
pnpm test	Run tests
pnpm lint	Lint all packages
pnpm typecheck	Type-check all packages
pnpm format	Format all files with Prettier
pnpm db:migrate	Run database migrations
pnpm db:seed	Seed development data
pnpm db:studio	Open Drizzle Studio

Architecture

graph LR
    Spec["OpenAPI / Swagger\nSpec"] --> Transformer

    subgraph MT["APIFold"]
        Transformer["Transformer\n(MIT lib)"]
        Transformer --> Runtime["Runtime\nExpress + SSE"]
        Web["Web App\nNext.js"] --> DB["Postgres 16\nRedis 7"]
        Runtime --> DB
    end

    Runtime --> Upstream["Upstream API\n(Stripe, GitHub, etc.)"]
    Agent["AI Agent\nClaude, Cursor,\nCopilot, etc."] -- "MCP / SSE" --> Runtime

Loading

APIFold uses a monorepo architecture built with Turborepo and pnpm workspaces:

Component	Path	Description
Transformer	packages/transformer	Core conversion library. Spec in, MCP tools out. Pure functions, no side effects. MIT licensed.
Runtime	apps/runtime	Express server hosting live MCP endpoints over SSE. Handles credential decryption and upstream proxying.
Web App	apps/web	Next.js 14 dashboard. Import specs, configure servers, manage credentials, test tools, inspect logs.
Types	packages/types	Shared TypeScript type definitions.
UI	packages/ui	Design system and component library.

You can learn more about the architecture in the Architecture Decision Records.

Contributing

All code contributions, including those of people having commit access, must go through a pull request and be approved before being merged. This is to ensure a proper review of all the code.

We truly ❤️ pull requests! If you wish to help, you can learn more about how you can contribute to this project in the contribution guide.

Security

For security issues, please refer to our security policy for responsible disclosure guidelines. Do not post security vulnerabilities as public GitHub issues.

License

This repository uses a dual-license model:

• @apifold/transformer is available under the MIT License. Use it anywhere, no strings attached.
• Everything else is available under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0.

This is the same model used by Grafana, Plausible, and PostHog.