Switchboard

Name: Switchboard
Author: wkoverfield

by wkoverfieldversion 0.2.3i★ –iRuns on your computer

Registry nameio.github.wkoverfield/switchboard

Install

Overview

Description from the maker (original English)

One firewall and password manager for all your AI coding agents' MCP servers and secrets.

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: Other

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).
The registry lists no key to fill in.

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": {
    "switchboard": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@switchboard-mcp/cli",
        "mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Run this in your terminal

claude mcp add switchboard -- npx -y @switchboard-mcp/cli mcp

Open in Cursor

Or copy the settings yourself

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "switchboard": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@switchboard-mcp/cli",
        "mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

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": {
    "switchboard": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@switchboard-mcp/cli",
        "mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

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.

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 7, 2026

✓ Pass
Maker matches the repo
The registry name was verified with the GitHub account wkoverfield, 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 Otheri

More stars than 0% of the other 32545 servers in this category
Published to the registry more recently than 63% of the other 32545 servers in this category
Basic checks equal to or better than 100% of the other 32545 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 Switchboard 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?

The registry does not list a required key, though some servers ask you to sign in on first use.

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 (0.2.3) reached the registry 23 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: Spec Driven Development, Remote Desktop Commander, Python 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

Spec Driven Development

by formulahendry

MCP Server that facilitates spec-driven development workflows, not just Vibe Coding.

Runs on your computer★ 440MITUpdated 14 months ago

Install

Remote Desktop Commander

by desktop-commander

Remote Desktop Commander: use files, terminal and processes on your own computers from any AI app.

Runs in the cloud★ 211Updated yesterday

Install

Python MCP

by Files-com

Local-only Python MCP server for the Files.com API.

Runs on your computerUpdated today

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.

Switchboard

A firewall and password manager for your AI coding agents.

Switchboard controls what Claude Code and Codex can reach in a repo. It finds the MCP servers and tokens your agents can already touch, gets secrets out of plaintext config and behind named keychain refs, and puts each agent on a scoped pass that expires on its own.

Everything runs locally. No account, no hosted service, no telemetry.

What it does

switchboard scan shows which MCP servers and tokens agents can reach in this repo, and which routes bypass Switchboard entirely.
switchboard import consolidates scattered Claude/Codex MCP config into one Switchboard route, with timestamped backups and exact rollback commands.
Secrets live in your OS keychain as named refs. Config files carry secretRef: "github/ci/token", never the token itself.
switchboard grant puts the agent on a pass: named tools reachable, everything else denied, gone in a few hours.
switchboard status answers whether a pass is live right now. switchboard revoke ends one early.
Every tool call routed through Switchboard lands in a local audit log. switchboard logs reads it.

Install

npm install -g @switchboard-mcp/cli

Or without installing:

npx -y @switchboard-mcp/cli@latest scan

Requires Node 22 or newer. Daily use is on macOS, CI runs on Linux, and a Windows keychain backend exists but gets less exercise.

Quickstart

Start in a repo where your agents already work:

$ switchboard scan

This looks like acme-app.

Detected:

Codex Switchboard route missing
Claude Switchboard route missing
Claude direct MCP server "github" detected

Authority bypasses: high claude:github (github; direct-mcp-server, secret-env-name)

Warnings:

1 direct MCP bypass finding(s), including 1 high-risk finding(s), were detected.

That high-risk finding is a GitHub token sitting in plaintext in .mcp.json. Move it behind Switchboard:

switchboard import --dry-run          # see the plan first

switchboard import --write --cleanup-client switchboard secrets set # store the token; import prints the exact command switchboard install claude --write # route the agent through Switchboard

Import rewrites client config to a single Switchboard route, replaces the plaintext token with a named keychain ref, and leaves a backup plus the exact rollback command. Import never reads secret values itself; the secrets set step is where the token actually enters your keychain. Then scope the agent:

switchboard grant --for 4h

You get the pass above. When you want it gone early:

$ switchboard revoke

Revoked pass grant-main (main). The agent's scoped access is off now.

switchboard doctor tells you the next thing to fix at any point. If a repo has no MCP config yet, switchboard setup github-ci starts from a safe provider template instead.

What Switchboard does not do

It is not a sandbox. Switchboard governs the paths routed through it: Switchboard MCP endpoints and switchboard run. An agent with raw shell access, a provider CLI, a browser session, or a direct MCP route can bypass it. switchboard scan reports those bypass routes so you can clean them up or accept them deliberately.
Backups keep your old config exactly as it was. If a token was in plaintext before import, the backup still contains it. Rotate old tokens after migrating, and keep backups private.
A pass only binds routed agents. switchboard grant says so itself when no client is wired up yet, and switchboard install closes the gap.
It is alpha software. Local-first workflows, conservative claims, rough edges. The pass and audit contracts are versioned JSON, but expect change.

Commands

Command	What it does
`switchboard scan`	Show what agents can reach in this repo, including bypass routes
`switchboard import`	Consolidate Claude/Codex MCP config into one guarded route
`switchboard grant` / `revoke`	Give the repo's agent an expiring scoped pass, or end it now
`switchboard status`	Is a pass live right now, and which config is active
`switchboard doctor`	Check the setup and print the next thing to fix
`switchboard setup`	Guided setup from a provider safety template (`switchboard presets list` shows them)
`switchboard auth`	Store the provider token for a preset in the keychain
`switchboard secrets`	Set, list, remove, and doctor named secret refs
`switchboard run`	Run an allowed provider command with pass-scoped credentials and audit
`switchboard install`	Route Claude Code or Codex through Switchboard (add `--scope user` for one server across every repo)
`switchboard pass`	Create and inspect task-scoped passes with leases, gates, handoffs
`switchboard approvals`	Review and decide approval-gated tool calls
`switchboard tools`	List the tool surface a pass exposes
`switchboard logs`	Read the local audit log
`switchboard dashboard`	Local read-only dashboard: live passes, denials, audit stream
`switchboard audit`	Repo authority posture report, exportable as JSONL

Commands that report state take --json for scripts and harnesses, with versioned schemas. switchboard --help has the rest.

How it works

Switchboard reads layered YAML config (global, then .switchboard.yaml, then .switchboard.local.yaml). Each profile names an upstream MCP server and the secret refs it needs. At runtime, Switchboard mounts permitted profiles as one MCP endpoint, resolves secret refs from the OS keychain only at launch, and namespaces every tool so a pass can allow github_ci_* and deny everything else. Passes, approvals, and audit entries are plain local files that reference secrets by name, never by value.

Secret storage uses OS keychain backends by default. Plaintext fallbacks exist for dev machines and CI, and require an explicit SWITCHBOARD_ALLOW_UNSAFE_SECRET_BACKENDS=1 opt-in.

For harnesses and subagent systems

switchboard pass create --from github-ci --json returns a workspaceLease.mcpLaunch payload: the exact command to launch a pass-scoped stdio MCP endpoint, plus the pass policy and lease. Switchboard grants and audits authority; your harness owns scheduling, retries, and agent processes. JSON contracts are documented in docs/use-cases/harness-json-contracts.md.

Alternatives

Project MCP config alone works, but it is static wiring with tokens in files. Switchboard imports that wiring, moves the tokens, and adds scoped expiring access on top.
Docker MCP Gateway and MCP runtimes run and package MCP servers well. Switchboard is the local authority layer above them, deciding which profile, tools, and lease an agent gets for a task. A gateway can be an upstream behind a Switchboard profile.
Hosted tool platforms (Composio, Arcade) offer managed OAuth and broad SaaS coverage. Switchboard is local-first for coding-agent repos: local secrets, local audit, no hosted dependency.
Just giving the agent a token is fast until the token is broad, live, or copied into the wrong file. That is the failure mode Switchboard exists for.

Development

git clone https://github.com/wkoverfield/switchboard.git

cd switchboard pnpm install pnpm build pnpm switchboard --help pnpm test

Contributions are welcome; see CONTRIBUTING.md, and report vulnerabilities privately per SECURITY.md.

Smoke tests and fresh-agent evals live in scripts/; CI runs the full set. The top demo is a VHS tape: brew install vhs && pnpm build && vhs examples/switchboard.tape. Deeper docs: quickstart, threat model, provider safety templates, roadmap.

Agents can read these docs over MCP: npx -y @switchboard-mcp/docs-mcp serves list_docs, read_doc, and search_docs, and llms.txt is kept current. The landing and docs site lives in site/ (static build, pnpm --filter @switchboard-mcp/site build).

License

MIT. See LICENSE.

Switchboard

Overview

PopNx MCP’s three pillars

What you can do with it

Install

Before you install

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 Otheri

Common questions

Alternatives

Spec Driven Development

Remote Desktop Commander

Python MCP

README from the maker

Switchboard

What it does

Install

Quickstart

What Switchboard does not do

Commands

How it works

For harnesses and subagent systems

Alternatives

Development

License