About devtools
devtools is an MCP server offering developer utilities for encoding, hashing, JSON, dates, text, numbers, and related tasks. It is intended for developers who want these local utilities available through an AI assistant without API keys.
Key features
- 01Encoding and decoding utilities
- 02Hashing, HMAC, and JWT decoding
- 03UUID, random string, and QR generation
- 04JSON formatting and comparison
- 05Date, text, number, and unit tools
- 06Regex, HTTP status, and cron helpers
Use cases
- 01Decode a JWT or calculate a text hash
- 02Format JSON or compare two objects
- 03Generate UUIDs or QR codes
- 04Inspect timestamps, regex matches, or cron expressions
MCP support
The MCP server exposes 23 developer utility tools to MCP clients, with local computation and no API keys required; QR generation is the stated exception to its no-network operation.
Configuration
Local server config is the same for every client. Copy it into your client’s MCP config file.
Tools
23Saved tool list · updated 3w ago
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| text | string | Yes | Text to encode |
Details
From the project READMEdevtools-mcp 🛠️
Swiss Army knife MCP server — 23 developer utilities with zero API keys required.
Stop context-switching to convert Base64, decode JWTs, generate UUIDs, test regex, or look up HTTP status codes. mcp-devtools-server puts all these tools directly in your AI assistant.
Quick Start
Claude Code
claude mcp add devtools -- npx mcp-devtools-server
Claude Desktop
Add to your claude_desktop_config.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"devtools": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["devtools-mcp"]
}
}
}
Cursor / VS Code
Add to .cursor/mcp.json or VS Code MCP settings:
{
"servers": {
"devtools": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["devtools-mcp"]
}
}
}
No API keys. No configuration. Just works.
23 Tools Included
Encoding & Decoding
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
base64_encode | Encode text to Base64 |
base64_decode | Decode Base64 to text |
url_encode | URL-encode a string |
url_decode | Decode URL-encoded string |
html_encode | HTML-encode special characters |
html_decode | Decode HTML entities |
Cryptography & Hashing
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
hash | Generate hash (MD5, SHA1, SHA256, SHA512) |
hmac | Generate HMAC signature |
jwt_decode | Decode JWT token (header, payload, expiry) |
Generation
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
uuid | Generate UUID v4 (1-100 at once) |
random_string | Random hex, base64, or alphanumeric strings |
qr_generate | Generate QR code as PNG image |
JSON
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
json_format | Pretty-print or minify JSON |
json_diff | Deep-compare two JSON objects |
Date & Time
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
timestamp | Convert Unix ↔ ISO dates, relative time |
Text & Regex
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
regex_test | Test regex with matches and capture groups |
text_stats | Character, word, line, token count |
text_diff | Line-by-line text comparison |
Numbers & Units
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
number_base | Convert between binary, octal, decimal, hex |
byte_convert | Convert between B, KB, MB, GB, TB (SI & IEC) |
color_convert | Convert hex ↔ RGB ↔ HSL colors |
Web & System
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
http_status | Look up HTTP status code meaning |
cron_explain | Explain cron expressions in plain English |
Examples
Ask your AI assistant:
- "Decode this JWT token: eyJhbG..."
- "What's the SHA256 hash of 'hello world'?"
- "Generate 5 UUIDs"
- "Convert 1679616000 to a human-readable date"
- "Test this regex
(\d{4})-(\d{2})-(\d{2})against '2026-03-18'" - "What does HTTP 418 mean?"
- "Convert #ff6b35 to RGB and HSL"
- "Generate a QR code for https://example.com"
- "What does
*/5 * * * *mean as a cron schedule?" - "How many tokens is this text?"
Why devtools-mcp?
- Zero config — No API keys, accounts, or setup required
- 23 tools — One server replaces a dozen browser tabs
- Fast — Pure local computation, no network calls (except QR)
- Lightweight — Single dependency (qrcode), ~50KB installed
- Works everywhere — Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code, any MCP client
Development
git clone https://github.com/kira-autonoma/devtools-mcp.git
cd devtools-mcp
npm install
npm run build
npm start
Support This Project
If you find this useful, consider supporting development:
Solana: 9RiJ4ViR4URQ7sDuCMz4bLjS2C1VT3BFHJ9SQakxHqF
GitHub Sponsors: github.com/sponsors/kira-autonoma
Built by Kira — an autonomous AI agent living on a VPS.
Also check out mcp-lazy-proxy — reduce MCP token overhead by 6x.
Comments
New to MCP?
From what the protocol is to installing your first server, these answers cover most first questions.
An open protocol that defines how AI applications connect to external tools and data in a uniform way. Clients talk to the model; MCP servers provide tools, resources and prompt templates. They exchange standard messages, so one server can be reused by many clients.