AppCrane

Name: AppCrane
Author: gitayg

by gitaygversion 1.8.1i★ –iRuns on your computer

Registry nameio.github.gitayg/appcrane

Install

Overview

Description from the maker (original English)

Deploy and manage apps on your own AppCrane instance, the self-hosted PaaS for AI-built apps.

PopNx MCP’s three pillars

These three are never merged into one score: opinions, measurements and popularity are different things.

User voiceiNo reviews yetReviews open together with accounts in a later step
Our basic checksi1 of 1 passedChecked from public information; code not scanned yet
UsageiNot measured yet★ –

What you can do with it

We have not written a plain-language summary for this one yet. Below are the facts we read from the registry.

Connection: Runs on your computer
Transport: stdio
Category: Developer tools
You need to fill in: APPCRANE_KEY, APPCRANE_GITHUB_TOKEN

Install

Pick the AI app you use, then copy the settings.

Before you install

Basic checks: 1 of 1 passed
Runs on your computer with your user’s permissions (files, network, apps).
You fill in yourself: APPCRANE_URL, APPCRANE_KEY, APPCRANE_GITHUB_TOKEN

Values marked secret are keys to your account. Never share them or paste them into a chat.

You need

npmNode.js installed (for the npx command)

Which app do you use?

ClaudeClaude CodeCursorVS CodeChatGPT

Pick your app above. We remember it, so next time the button says “Install in …”.

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config, and paste this into claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "appcrane": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "appcrane-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "APPCRANE_URL": "your-value",
        "APPCRANE_KEY": "your-value",
        "APPCRANE_GITHUB_TOKEN": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Run this in your terminal

claude mcp add appcrane --env APPCRANE_URL=your-value --env APPCRANE_KEY=your-value --env APPCRANE_GITHUB_TOKEN=your-value -- npx -y appcrane-mcp

Fill in the empty values before running it.

Open in Cursor

Or copy the settings yourself

Paste into .cursor/mcp.json in your project, or ~/.cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "appcrane": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "appcrane-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "APPCRANE_URL": "your-value",
        "APPCRANE_KEY": "your-value",
        "APPCRANE_GITHUB_TOKEN": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Your browser asks to open the app, then the app shows the settings and asks you to confirm. Key values are left empty for you to fill in.

Open in VS Code

Or copy the settings yourself

Paste into .vscode/mcp.json in your project

{
  "servers": {
    "appcrane": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "appcrane-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "APPCRANE_URL": "your-value",
        "APPCRANE_KEY": "your-value",
        "APPCRANE_GITHUB_TOKEN": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Your browser asks to open the app, then the app shows the settings and asks you to confirm. Key values are left empty for you to fill in.

This one runs on your computer, and ChatGPT can only connect to servers on the internet. Pick another app.

Your choice stays on this device in a cookie; no account needed.

Values you fill in

APPCRANE_URL env
Base URL of your own AppCrane instance, e.g. https://crane.example.com. Without it the connector still starts and answers tools/list from the bundled catalog, but cannot execute tools.
APPCRANE_KEY secret env
Your AppCrane API key, sent to the instance as the X-API-Key header. Required to execute tools.
APPCRANE_GITHUB_TOKEN secret env
Optional GitHub personal access token, sent as X-Github-Token, to unlock the github_* passthrough tools.

These settings are generated from the maker’s registry entry. If the README says otherwise, follow the README.

What it can do

Runs on your computer; the tool list appears in your AI app after you install it.

Basic checksi

We check information anyone can see; we have not read the code. Checks that do not apply are left out of the count. · Checked Nov 6, 2026

✓ Pass
Maker matches the repo
The registry name was verified with the GitHub account gitayg, which owns the repo
… Not checked yet
Still maintained
We have not read this repo from GitHub yet
… Not checked yet
Has a licence
We have not read this repo from GitHub yet
– Not applicable
Endpoint responds
This one runs on your computer; there is no internet endpoint
– Not applicable
Sign-in with OAuth
Runs on your computer and uses local settings instead
… Not checked yet
No hidden instructions in tool descriptions
Runs on your computer; we can only read tool lists from internet endpoints

Compared with others in Developer toolsi

More stars than 0% of the other 1389 servers in this category
Published to the registry more recently than 87% of the other 1389 servers in this category
Basic checks equal to or better than 100% of the other 1389 servers in this category

Compared with every active server in this category in the registry. Stars count only when the publisher owns the repo.

Common questions

Is AppCrane safe?

It passed 1 of 1 applicable basic checks. We have not read the code. Before adding a key or token, see what access the server asks for and use a key with only the permissions you need.

What keys or codes does it need?

You need to fill in: APPCRANE_KEY, APPCRANE_GITHUB_TOKEN

Does it run on my computer or in the cloud?

It runs on your computer. Your AI app starts it when needed, and data does not pass through the maker’s servers (unless it calls an online service itself).

Is it still maintained?

The GitHub repo last changed –, and the latest version (1.8.1) reached the registry 6 days ago.

Which apps can use it?

Apps that support MCP, such as Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor and VS Code. You also need Node.js on your computer.

What can I use instead?

In the same category: GitHub, Desktop Commander, Cloudflare MCP

Alternatives

Servers in the same category from other makers, sorted by stars.

Reading a card:★ GitHub starsiThree pillars: reviews · checks · usageiUpdated = latest version published to the registryi

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Install

README from the maker

Open the README

Copied from the maker’s repo as written. PopNx MCP has not reviewed or endorsed it. HTML, images and scripts are removed. Links lead off this site.

appcrane-mcp

The standalone MCP connector for [AppCrane](https://glick.run/appcrane.html) — the self-hosted deployment platform for AI-built, agent-deployed apps.

AppCrane exposes an MCP server at /api/mcp that requires an X-API-Key. This package is a thin stdio MCP server that:

Serves the full appcrane_* tool catalog for `tools/list` introspection with zero configuration — it ships a bundled catalog.json, so registries and sandboxes (e.g. Glama) can start it in a container and introspect it offline.
Proxies real `tools/call` to your own AppCrane instance once APPCRANE_URL and APPCRANE_KEY are set.

It runs anywhere Node 20+ is available, via npx appcrane-mcp.

Licensing: this connector is MIT. The AppCrane platform it talks to is a separate

project and is AGPL-3.0. Installing this package does not pull the platform in — the

connector is a client that talks to an AppCrane instance you host yourself.

How you connect

There is no hosted service and no AppCrane account. The flow is entirely your own:

You self-host AppCrane (AGPL) somewhere you control.
You issue an API key from that instance.
Your agent runs this connector locally over stdio (npx -y appcrane-mcp).
The connector forwards each tools/call to ${APPCRANE_URL}/api/mcp with your X-API-Key. Your key stays in your own MCP client config; it is never sent anywhere except the instance URL you set.

Install / run

npx appcrane-mcp

With no environment variables it still starts and answers tools/list from the bundled catalog (74 tools). To actually invoke tools against your instance, set:

Env var	Required	Description
`APPCRANE_URL`	for calls	Your instance base URL, e.g. `https://crane.example.com`
`APPCRANE_KEY`	for calls	Your AppCrane API key (sent as `X-API-Key`)
`APPCRANE_GITHUB_TOKEN`	optional	A GitHub PAT (sent as `X-Github-Token`) to unlock the `github_*` passthrough tools

MCP client configuration

This is a stdio command server (not an HTTP endpoint). Add it to your MCP client config like this:

"mcpServers": { "appcrane": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "appcrane-mcp"], "env": { "APPCRANE_URL": "https://crane.example.com", "APPCRANE_KEY": "your_api_key", "APPCRANE_GITHUB_TOKEN": "ghp_optional_for_github_passthrough" } } } }

Claude Code CLI:

claude mcp add appcrane \

--env APPCRANE_URL=https://crane.example.com \ --env APPCRANE_KEY=your_api_key \ -- npx -y appcrane-mcp

How it works

`tools/list`
If APPCRANE_URL + APPCRANE_KEY are set → connects to ${APPCRANE_URL}/api/mcp (StreamableHTTP, header X-API-Key, plus X-Github-Token when the GitHub token is set), fetches the live, auth-filtered tool list, and returns it. If the instance is unreachable it falls back to the bundled catalog.
If not configured → returns the bundled static catalog (catalog.json). This path needs no env vars, which is what a registry's introspection sandbox hits.
`tools/call` → requires APPCRANE_URL + APPCRANE_KEY; forwards the call to the backend and returns its result. Without configuration it returns a clear "not configured" error.

Docker

docker build -t appcrane-mcp .

Introspection only (no config) — starts and serves tools/list:

docker run -i --rm appcrane-mcp

Full use:

docker run -i --rm \ -e APPCRANE_URL=https://crane.example.com \ -e APPCRANE_KEY=your_api_key \ appcrane-mcp

Development

npm install

npm run build # tsc -> dist/ npm run gen:catalog # regenerate catalog.json from the AppCrane platform source npm run check:catalog # fail if catalog.json has drifted from that source node scripts/test-list.mjs # smoke test: spawn over stdio, assert tools/list

Both catalog scripts import the platform's own getToolCatalog() from a sibling deployhub checkout; set APPCRANE_SRC to point at its server/services/mcpTools.js if yours lives elsewhere.

Releasing

Bump version in package.json, commit, then push a matching tag:

git tag v1.7.1 && git push origin v1.7.1

.github/workflows/publish.yml publishes it to npm with npm Trusted Publishing: no npm token and no one-time password, and npm attaches provenance (the commit it was built from). The workflow refuses a tag that does not match package.json, and checks the catalog against the platform's current main before publishing, so a stale catalog.json cannot ship. (It has rotted silently before: 22 tools behind the platform, 35 advertised against 57 real.) Run npm run check:catalog locally first to find out before CI does.

The same tag then lists the version in the official MCP Registry as io.github.gitayg/appcrane, also by OIDC. Bump version and packages[0].version in server.json together with package.json: the workflow refuses a tag that does not match all three. (The listing sat at 1.0.0 while npm moved on, until this was automated.)

The bundled catalog.json is generated from the real tool definitions in the AppCrane platform (deployhub/server/services/mcpTools.js) and reflects the AWS-aligned tool vocabulary (appcrane_set_secret, appcrane_get_secret, appcrane_cp, and the stage parameter). It is committed so the package ships self-contained.

About AppCrane

AppCrane is a self-hosted home for AI-built and AI-deployed apps. This connector is MIT-licensed to maximize adoption; the platform itself is AGPL.

This connector (MIT): https://github.com/gitayg/appcrane-mcp
Platform (AGPL-3.0): https://github.com/gitayg/appCrane
Product page: https://glick.run/appcrane.html

AppCrane

Overview

PopNx MCP’s three pillars

What you can do with it

Install

Before you install

Values you fill in

What it can do

Basic checksi

Maker matches the repo

Still maintained

Has a licence

Endpoint responds

Sign-in with OAuth

No hidden instructions in tool descriptions

Compared with others in Developer toolsi

Common questions

Alternatives

GitHub

Desktop Commander

Cloudflare MCP

README from the maker

appcrane-mcp

How you connect

Install / run

MCP client configuration

How it works

Docker

Introspection only (no config) — starts and serves tools/list:

Full use:

Development

Releasing

About AppCrane