FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Short, honest answers. For detail, follow the links to the full pages.
Common questions
What is Aki MCP Server?
A local-first, open-source MCP server you run locally. Local IDEs (Postman, Cursor, Claude Code, AGY, Codex) connect directly over 127.0.0.1 (offline, no tunnel); web AIs (Claude, ChatGPT, Grok, Notion AI) connect over an optional ingress. All safely use your files, shell, browser, git and SQLite, gated by OAuth 2.1 / Bearer auth.
Is it free?
Yes. It is open source under the MIT license and free to self-host.
Which AI clients are supported?
Local (direct over 127.0.0.1): Postman, Cursor, Claude Code, AGY, and Codex. Web (over optional ingress): Claude web, ChatGPT and Grok are dependable; Notion AI connects with the passphrase too; Gemini is experimental and not recommended.
Do I need to keep my computer on?
For remote use, yes: your machine must be powered on with the server running. Closing the terminal stops it.
What can the AI access by default?
By default the file root is your whole home folder plus ~/.aki and ~/.claude, and the shell allowlist is inspection-first with a few pre-approved dev helpers that can write. Narrow the folders and review the allowlist in the panel on a sensitive machine.
Do I need a desktop app?
No. It connects your existing web AI clients, with no desktop app and no device lock-in.
What operating systems does it run on?
Windows, Linux and macOS with Node.js 22. On Windows you also need Git for Windows (or WSL) on PATH.
How is this different from the Claude Desktop app?
It uses your cheaper web/Pro quota, supports multiple accounts by switching browser profiles, and has no device lock-in.
How do I expose it over HTTPS?
Only needed for remote web AIs — local IDEs work over 127.0.0.1 with no ingress. For web AIs, Tailscale Funnel is the zero-config default; you can also use a Cloudflare named tunnel or your own HTTPS origin.
How do I revoke access?
Open panel section 7, press Remove on the client, then Roll token. If a secret may have leaked, use Roll & sign out all clients so every AI reconnects with the passphrase.
Can someone guess my passphrase?
Guessing is throttled: 5 rejected credentials in 60 seconds block that caller for 15 minutes with a 429, and a security log records the attempts. Your own valid token is never blocked. The limits are editable in panel section 7.
How do I see who is connected?
Panel section 7 lists every client with first seen, last approval and last token grant, the addresses active since the last restart, and the newest 200 security log lines.
Does Aki MCP Server log what the AI does?
Yes, panel section 9 (Call log) writes one JSON line per tool call to tool-calls.jsonl in the data folder: time, client, tool and op, window and port, ok or an error code, duration and server version. It never writes the arguments, text, script or URL the AI passed, and it records only the names of request headers, never their values. Basic (the default) keeps a short error code; Detail adds the full error text, the chat acted on and a hash of eval expressions. A file rolls at the size cap (16 MB by default) and old files are deleted after the keep days (40 by default); both are editable in section 9.
How can a local app get the access token?
Send GET /api/access-token to the panel (port 9998 by default) with the per-launch panel token in the x-panel-token header, and it returns the shared access token as {accessToken}. It answers on loopback only and sends no CORS header, so a web page cannot read it. It adds no new capability: whoever holds the panel token can already see the access token in the panel.
How does a stdio client start it?
With npx -y @akinet/akimcp --stdio, which serves the same tools over stdin/stdout with no gateway, tunnel or token, so any client that starts MCP servers itself can spawn it. The package also ships a server.json record (name io.github.lacvietanh/akimcp) that describes it for the MCP Registry and names this command.
How many tools are there?
38 tools, from files and shell to browser automation, git, SQLite, background tasks and Postman control. See What’s new for the latest changes.