MCP Client Setup

MCP client setup

The server speaks MCP over stdio. Any MCP-compatible client can launch it. The one command that works everywhere, with uv installed:

uvx --from "lcf-strain-life[mcp]" lcf-mcp

If you installed the package with pip instead, the command is just lcf-mcp. The step-by-step setup guide covers the same ground for non-programmers.

Claude Desktop

Settings, Developer, Edit Config, then add to claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "lcf": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["--from", "lcf-strain-life[mcp]", "lcf-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop afterward.

Claude Code

claude mcp add lcf -- uvx --from "lcf-strain-life[mcp]" lcf-mcp

Or add the same mcpServers block as above to .mcp.json in the project.

Cursor

Add the same mcpServers block to .cursor/mcp.json, either in the project or in your home directory for all projects.

VS Code, Copilot agent mode

VS Code uses the key servers, not mcpServers, in .vscode/mcp.json:

{
  "servers": {
    "lcf": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["--from", "lcf-strain-life[mcp]", "lcf-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Google Antigravity

Open the agent panel's MCP configuration and add the same server entry, command uvx with the arguments above.

Check it works

Ask the assistant something like "What lcf tools do you have?". It should list tools such as fit_strain_life, predict_life, and analyze_test_csv. Then try the worked prompt in Getting Started.

Where results go

Computed results are saved for recall in a local store directory. Set the LCF_STORE_DIR environment variable in the server entry to choose the location, otherwise it defaults to .lcfstore in the client's working directory.