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codex - 💡(How to fix) Fix MCP CLI should expose validation, tool listing, and enable/disable management [1 comments, 2 participants]

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openai/codex#20195•Fetched 2026-04-30 06:32:16
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codex mcp can add/list/get/remove/login/logout MCP server entries, but it does not expose the rest of the management operations users need for a practical MCP setup: validate a server, inspect discovered tools/resources, enable/disable a server, or self-register the local codex mcp-server entry.

Root Cause

Because the CLI does not expose validation or toggles, users have to hand-edit ~/.codex/config.toml and start a full session to discover whether a server starts and which tools/resources it exposes.

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Summary

codex mcp can add/list/get/remove/login/logout MCP server entries, but it does not expose the rest of the management operations users need for a practical MCP setup: validate a server, inspect discovered tools/resources, enable/disable a server, or self-register the local codex mcp-server entry.

Evidence

Observed in local checkout /Volumes/VIXinSSD/codex-main at 2be9fd5a93.

codex-rs/cli/src/mcp_cmd.rs defines only these subcommands:

  • list
  • get
  • add
  • remove
  • login
  • logout

The underlying config/runtime already has several pieces needed for richer management:

  • McpServerConfig.enabled exists and the connection manager filters on it.
  • enabled_tools / disabled_tools, default_tools_approval_mode, required, startup/tool timeouts, OAuth fields, and streamable HTTP transport are represented in config.
  • The runtime can list tools, list/read resources, and list resource templates through McpConnectionManager and the list_mcp_resources / list_mcp_resource_templates / read_mcp_resource helper tools.

Because the CLI does not expose validation or toggles, users have to hand-edit ~/.codex/config.toml and start a full session to discover whether a server starts and which tools/resources it exposes.

Expected behavior

Add focused MCP management commands such as:

  • codex mcp validate <name>: start the configured server, perform initialize/list calls, and report auth/startup/tool discovery failures.
  • codex mcp tools <name> or codex mcp inspect <name>: list discovered tools, resources, and resource templates without starting an agent turn.
  • codex mcp enable <name> / codex mcp disable <name>: mutate the existing enabled flag instead of requiring manual TOML edits.
  • Optional: codex mcp add-self to register codex mcp-server as a local stdio MCP server for other clients.

Acceptance criteria

  • Users can validate a configured MCP server from the CLI without launching an interactive session.
  • Users can inspect discovered MCP tools/resources/templates from the CLI.
  • Users can toggle configured MCP servers on/off through codex mcp.
  • Config writes preserve existing MCP server options such as approval settings, timeouts, OAuth fields, and tool filters.

extent analysis

TL;DR

Implement additional subcommands in codex mcp to expose richer management operations, such as validate, inspect, enable, and disable.

Guidance

  • Review the existing McpServerConfig and McpConnectionManager to understand the available configuration and runtime capabilities.
  • Implement new subcommands in codex-rs/cli/src/mcp_cmd.rs to support the desired management operations, such as validate, inspect, enable, and disable.
  • Ensure that the new subcommands preserve existing MCP server options, including approval settings, timeouts, OAuth fields, and tool filters.
  • Consider adding a codex mcp add-self command to register the local codex mcp-server as a stdio MCP server.

Example

// Example of a new subcommand for validating an MCP server
pub fn validate(submatches: &clap::ArgMatches) {
    let name = submatches.value_of("name").unwrap();
    // Start the configured server, perform initialize/list calls, and report auth/startup/tool discovery failures
    // ...
}

Notes

The implementation of the new subcommands will require careful consideration of the existing configuration and runtime capabilities, as well as the desired user experience.

Recommendation

Apply workaround by implementing the additional subcommands in codex mcp to expose the richer management operations, as this will provide the desired functionality and improve the user experience.

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FAQ

Expected behavior

Add focused MCP management commands such as:

  • codex mcp validate <name>: start the configured server, perform initialize/list calls, and report auth/startup/tool discovery failures.
  • codex mcp tools <name> or codex mcp inspect <name>: list discovered tools, resources, and resource templates without starting an agent turn.
  • codex mcp enable <name> / codex mcp disable <name>: mutate the existing enabled flag instead of requiring manual TOML edits.
  • Optional: codex mcp add-self to register codex mcp-server as a local stdio MCP server for other clients.
#embedding generation#cache error#pipeline error#runtime error#dependency conflict

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