Hold
The first dedicated CLI package manager for MCP servers — now archived. Use Smithery CLI or install-mcp instead.
Why It Matters
mcp-get (github.com/michaellatman/mcp-get) was the first community-built CLI for installing and managing MCP servers. Instead of manually editing JSON config files, you ran npx @michaellatman/mcp-get@latest install <package-name> and it handled downloading, configuring, and registering the server with Claude Desktop. It supported Node.js, Python, and Go servers. The repository is now archived — the maintainer recommends Smithery (smithery.ai) as the successor.
Strengths (Historical)
- Pioneered the dedicated MCP package manager concept
- Cross-runtime support (Node.js, Python, Go)
- Simple CLI UX:
list,install,uninstall - Handled config file management automatically
Limitations
- Archived — only 232 weekly npm downloads; no updates or new features
- Relied on a curated registry, not npm/PyPI directly
- Primarily targeted Claude Desktop; limited multi-client support
Risks
- This is a dead project — using it means running unmaintained code that will never get security patches
- The archival validates the "small contributor base = sustainability risk" concern that applied to many community tools
- Successor ecosystem is fragmented: Smithery CLI (
npx @smithery/cli install) and install-mcp (npx install-mcp) both exist, splitting the replacement market - The pattern of community tools getting built, gaining traction, then being abandoned is a recurring problem in the MCP ecosystem
- Hold: do not adopt; migrate to Smithery CLI or install-mcp for MCP server management