AI agents and MCP

From the command line

• Self-describing: exactcli --help, exactcli <command> --help, exactcli metadata <resource>.
• Machine output: --output json, --jq, --fields.
• Deterministic exit codes: a 77 means "sign in" or "add --allow-writes".
• exactcli doctor --output json checks the setup, exactcli quota --output json the budget.
• --dry-run previews any write without a flag.

MCP server

exactcli mcp runs a Model Context Protocol server over stdio. It exposes seven generic tools that cover every resource of the catalogue (exact_resources, exact_metadata, exact_list, exact_get, exact_probe, exact_me, exact_quota) plus one tool per typed list.

claude mcp add exact -- exactcli mcp
claude mcp add exact -- exactcli mcp --division 123456

Or in .mcp.json or claude_desktop_config.json:

{ "mcpServers": { "exact": { "command": "exactcli", "args": ["mcp"] } } }

The server is read-only unless it starts with --allow-writes, which adds exact_write (create, update and delete, with dry_run and confirm). Each tool call runs exactcli under the profile and the division of the server, so the profile guards still apply.

Two resources carry the docs an agent should read first: exactcli://docs/recipes (the verified flows) and exactcli://docs/coverage (which calls have a typed command, which writes were verified live).