# Connect a read-only conda server

This tutorial installs `conda-cli-mcp` in an isolated environment, connects a
generic stdio MCP client, and inspects the tools discovered from the target
conda installation.

## Prerequisites

- conda `>=26.7,<27`
- an MCP client that can start a local stdio server

## Prepare the server

Install the server without modifying the target conda environment:

```console
conda create --yes --name conda-cli-mcp --override-channels --channel jezdez --channel conda-forge "conda-cli-mcp>=0.2"
conda activate conda-cli-mcp
```

This installs from the [`jezdez` channel on
Anaconda.org](https://anaconda.org/jezdez/conda-cli-mcp). The version
constraint prevents the incompatible 0.1.0 console command from being
installed with this guide.

Confirm the server and target conda are available:

```console
ccm --version
conda --version
```

Find the absolute executable paths that the MCP client will use.

::::{tab-set}
:::{tab-item} POSIX

```console
python3 -c "import shutil; print(shutil.which('ccm'))"
python3 -c "import os, shutil; print(os.environ.get('CONDA_EXE') or shutil.which('conda'))"
```

:::
:::{tab-item} PowerShell

```powershell
py -c "import shutil; print(shutil.which('ccm'))"
py -c "import os, shutil; print(os.environ.get('CONDA_EXE') or shutil.which('conda.exe'))"
```

:::
::::

On Windows, select `conda.exe`. Batch launchers ending in `.bat` or `.cmd` are
not supported.

## Configure the MCP client

Add a stdio server entry using the two paths from the previous step:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "conda": {
      "command": "/absolute/path/to/ccm",
      "args": ["--conda-exe", "/absolute/path/to/conda"]
    }
  }
}
```

The surrounding configuration and restart procedure depend on the client. Keep
the server arguments read-only for this first connection.

## Inspect the discovered interface

Start or restart the MCP client, then list the server's tools. The list should
contain generated tools such as `conda_info`. Exact tools depend on the target
conda installation and its installed plugins.

Read the `conda://capabilities` resource. Confirm that:

- `target_executable` is the selected conda path
- `conda_version` is in the supported range
- `generated_tools` contains the structured tool names
- `plugins` describes external conda entry points visible at startup

The resource also contains the immutable startup command catalog and a
discovery fingerprint.

## Run a read-only tool

Call `conda_info` with an empty input object:

```json
{}
```

The result contains a short text summary and structured fields. A successful
call has `exit_code` set to `0`, preserves conda's output in `stdout`, and sets
`parsed_json` when stdout is exactly one complete JSON document.

Mutation tools can still appear in the list. The default policy rejects their
execution before conda starts.

## Next steps

- [Configure the server](../how-to/configure-the-server.md) for another conda
  installation or different resource limits.
- [Enable operations](../how-to/enable-operations.md) only when the client
  needs write or process execution access.
- Read the [MCP interface reference](../reference/mcp-interface.md) for the
  complete resource, tool, and result contracts.