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The Ultimate Codex CLI MCP Guide: From Beginner to Advanced

 included in AI Technology
   1360 words   7 minutes 

Have you ever encountered this situation: your AI assistant is powerful enough, but still falls short in certain specific scenarios? For example, it cannot access real-time information, directly operate browsers, or connect to specific databases?

Don’t worry! Today I’m going to introduce you to a game-changer—Codex CLI’s MCP (Model Context Protocol). It’s like installing “USB-C ports” for AI, allowing it to connect to various external tools and services, instantly doubling your AI assistant’s capabilities!

🚀 What is MCP? Why is it so Important?

Understanding MCP Simply

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open protocol that, simply put, serves as “USB-C ports for AI.” Just as our computers can connect various peripherals through USB interfaces, AI can connect to various external tools and services through MCP.

Imagine:

  • 🔌 Plug in browser plugin → AI can directly operate web pages
  • 🔌 Plug in database interface → AI can query and analyze data
  • 🔌 Plug in document retrieval tool → AI can quickly find relevant information
  • 🔌 Plug in development tools → AI can directly operate code repositories

Why MCP is a Game Changer?

  1. Breaks AI’s Information Silos: Allows AI to access real-time information, private data, and professional tools
  2. Infinite Extension Possibilities: Theoretically can connect any MCP-compatible tool
  3. Standardized Interface: Learn once, use everywhere
  4. Rich Community Ecosystem: Numerous ready-to-use MCP servers available

🛠️ Quick Start with Codex CLI Basic Commands

Before diving deep into MCP, let’s quickly understand the basic operations of Codex CLI:

Installation and Login

# Install Codex CLI
npm install -g @openai/codex@latest

# Login to your account
codex login

# Check version information
codex --version

Common Commands

# Start interactive mode
codex

# View help information
codex --help

# Check status information
codex /status

🔧 Detailed MCP Configuration

Configuration File Location

First, find your Codex configuration file:

  • macOS/Linux: ~/.codex/config.toml
  • Windows: C:\Users\<Username>\.codex\config.toml

If the configuration file doesn’t exist, you’ll need to create it manually.

Basic Configuration Structure

[mcp_servers.server_name]
type = "stdio"  # Transport type
command = "startup_command"  # How to start this MCP server
args = ["param1", "param2"]  # Parameters passed to the startup command

# Optional configurations
env = { "ENV_VAR_NAME" = "env_var_value" }  # Environment variables
startup_timeout_ms = 20000  # Startup timeout (milliseconds)

Transport Types Explained

MCP supports multiple transport types:

Type Description Use Cases
stdio Standard Input/Output Local processes, most common
sse Server-Sent Events HTTP long connections
streamablehttp Streamable HTTP RESTful APIs
websocket WebSocket real-time communication Scenarios requiring bidirectional communication

🌟 Practical Example: Adding Chrome DevTools MCP

Let’s demonstrate the complete configuration process using Chrome DevTools MCP server as an example.

# Add Chrome DevTools MCP server
codex mcp add chrome-devtools -- npx chrome-devtools-mcp@latest

Method 2: Manual Configuration File

Edit the ~/.codex/config.toml file:

[mcp_servers.chrome-devtools]
type = "stdio"
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "chrome-devtools-mcp@latest"]
startup_timeout_ms = 20000
env = { NODE_OPTIONS = "--dns-result-order=ipv4first" }

Verify Configuration

# Restart Codex or reload configuration
codex

# Check MCP server status
codex /status

If everything is normal, you should see the chrome-devtools server in running state.

🎯 Recommended Common MCP Servers

1. Web Operation Tools

Chrome DevTools

[mcp_servers.chrome-devtools]
type = "stdio"
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "chrome-devtools-mcp@latest"]

Purpose: Web automation, screenshots, performance analysis

Puppeteer

[mcp_servers.puppeteer]
type = "stdio"
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "@puppeteer/mcp-server"]

Purpose: Web scraping, automated testing

2. Data Processing Tools

Database MCP

[mcp_servers.database]
type = "stdio"
command = "uvx"
args = ["database-mcp@latest"]
env = { "DATABASE_URL" = "your_database_url" }

Purpose: Database querying and analysis

File System

[mcp_servers.filesystem]
type = "stdio"
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "/path/to/allowed/directory"]

Purpose: File system operations

3. Development Tools

GitHub

[mcp_servers.github]
type = "stdio"
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"]
env = { "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN" = "your_token" }

Purpose: Repository operations, Issue management

Git

[mcp_servers.git]
type = "stdio"
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-git", "--repository", "/path/to/repo"]

Purpose: Git version control operations

🚨 Common Issues and Solutions

1. Windows Environment Configuration Issues

Problem: Path and command execution issues on Windows

Solution:

[mcp_servers.example]
type = "stdio"
# Use full npx path
command = "C:\\Program Files\\nodejs\\npx.cmd"
args = ["-y", "package-name@latest"]

2. Network and Timeout Issues

Problem: MCP server startup timeout or network connection failure

Solution:

[mcp_servers.example]
type = "stdio"
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "package-name@latest"]
startup_timeout_ms = 60000  # Increase timeout to 60 seconds
env = {
    "NODE_OPTIONS" = "--dns-result-order=ipv4first",
    "HTTP_PROXY" = "http://proxy.company.com:8080"
}

3. Permission and Security Issues

Problem: MCP server cannot access specific resources

Solution:

  • Check file system permissions
  • Configure appropriate environment variables
  • Use absolute paths
  • Ensure API tokens are valid

4. Port Conflict Issues

Problem: Multiple MCP servers using the same port

Solution:

[mcp_servers.example]
type = "stdio"
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "package-name@latest", "--port", "3001"]

💡 Advanced Usage Tips

1. Batch Management of MCP Servers

# List all configured MCP servers
codex mcp list

# Remove specific MCP server
codex mcp remove chrome-devtools

# Reinitialize all connections
codex mcp reinitiate --all

2. Using Bridge Tools

For MCP servers that don’t support stdio, you can use mcp-proxy:

[mcp_servers.sse-server]
type = "stdio"
command = "mcp-proxy"
args = ["--endpoint", "https://your-mcp-server.com/sse", "--transport", "sse"]

3. Environment Variable Management

Create a .env file to manage sensitive information:

# .env
GITHUB_TOKEN=ghp_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://user:password@localhost:5432/db
OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Then reference in configuration file:

[mcp_servers.github]
type = "stdio"
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"]
env = { "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN" = "${GITHUB_TOKEN}" }

🎪 Practical Demo: Building an Intelligent Web Analysis Assistant

Let’s combine multiple MCP servers to build an intelligent assistant that can automatically analyze websites.

Configure Multiple MCP Servers

[mcp_servers.chrome-devtools]
type = "stdio"
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "chrome-devtools-mcp@latest"]

[mcp_servers.filesystem]
type = "stdio"
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "/Users/yourname/projects"]

[mcp_servers.github]
type = "stdio"
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"]
env = { "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN" = "your_github_token" }

Usage Example

Now you can tell Codex:

Please help me analyze the website https://example.com:
1. Use Chrome DevTools to get page screenshots
2. Analyze page performance metrics
3. Save analysis results to the file system
4. If performance issues are found, create a GitHub Issue

Codex will automatically coordinate multiple MCP servers to complete this complex task!

🔮 MCP Ecosystem Development Trends

Current Hot Directions

  1. Development Tool Integration: IDEs, debuggers, version control
  2. Data Processing: Databases, data analysis, visualization
  3. Cloud Service Integration: AWS, Azure, Google Cloud
  4. AI Toolchain: Model training, inference, deployment

Future Outlook

  • More Standardized Tools: As MCP protocol becomes popular, more official and third-party tools will support it
  • Enterprise Solutions: MCP servers specifically designed for enterprise scenarios
  • AI Agent Collaboration: Multiple AIs working together through MCP
  • Edge Computing Support: Running lightweight MCP servers on edge devices

📚 Learning Resources and Community

Official Resources

Community Resources

  1. Beginner Stage: Master basic concepts and configuration methods
  2. Practice Stage: Try configuring 3-5 common MCP servers
  3. Advanced Stage: Learn to create custom MCP servers
  4. Expert Stage: Participate in community contributions, develop new MCP tools

🎯 Summary

Through this detailed guide, I believe you now have a comprehensive understanding of Codex CLI’s MCP. MCP is not just a technical protocol; it’s a bridge connecting AI with the real world.

Key Points Recap:

✅ MCP is AI’s USB-C port, allowing AI to connect to various external tools ✅ Configuration is relatively simple, mainly modifying TOML configuration files ✅ Rich ecosystem, with numerous ready-to-use MCP servers available ✅ Huge potential, can significantly expand AI’s capability boundaries

Next Step Recommendations:

  1. 🚀 Try Immediately: Choose an MCP server you’re interested in and start configuring
  2. 🔧 Hands-On Practice: Follow the examples in this article for actual operations
  3. 📚 Continuous Learning: Pay attention to the latest developments in the MCP ecosystem
  4. 🤝 Community Participation: Share your experience and help other developers

Remember, the charm of MCP lies in its openness and extensibility. Don’t be afraid to try new tools and configurations—that’s the fun of technological progress!

Which MCP server is your favorite? Or do you have any unique use cases? Share your experience in the comments! 🚀

This article is continuously updated. If you discover new MCP servers or usage tips, feel free to leave a comment and add them!

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Updated on 2025-10-22
 Codex CLI, MCP, Model Context Protocol, AI Tools, Configuration Guide
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