> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.prestd.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.prestd.com/ai/install-prest-mcp.md).

# Install pREST MCP Adapter

Install `prest-mcp`, the official stdio adapter for pREST’s HTTP MCP endpoint. Use it when your MCP client expects a **stdio** process instead of calling `/_mcp` over HTTP directly.

Repository: [prest/prest-mcp-adapter](https://github.com/prest/prest-mcp-adapter) · Homebrew: [prest/homebrew-tap](https://github.com/prest/homebrew-tap)

Requires pREST **v2.1.0+** with `/_mcp` available. The adapter is a transport bridge only — tools and SQL live in pREST ([MCP Overview](/ai/mcp-overview.md)).

***

## Homebrew (recommended on macOS)

```sh
brew install prest/tap/prest-mcp
```

Or tap first:

```sh
brew tap prest/tap
brew install prest-mcp
```

Step-by-step: [Install adapter with Homebrew](/postgres-to-ai-agent/install-prest-mcp-homebrew.md). For `prestd` itself, see [Start with Homebrew](/get-prest/start-with-homebrew.md).

***

## Go

```sh
go install github.com/prest/prest-mcp-adapter/cmd/prest-mcp@latest
```

Ensure `$(go env GOPATH)/bin` is on your `PATH`.

***

## Docker / OCI

```sh
docker pull ghcr.io/prest/prest-mcp-adapter:0.1.3
```

Run against pREST on the host (Docker Desktop):

```sh
docker run --rm -i \
  -e PREST_MCP_URL=http://host.docker.internal:3000/_mcp \
  ghcr.io/prest/prest-mcp-adapter:0.1.3
```

***

## MCP Registry

Published name: **`io.github.prest/prest`**

Use this identifier when installing from the [MCP Registry](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/registry) or clients that resolve registry packages.

***

## Environment variables

| Variable               | Required | Default | Description                                                           |
| ---------------------- | -------- | ------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `PREST_MCP_URL`        | yes      | —       | URL of the pREST HTTP MCP endpoint, e.g. `http://localhost:3000/_mcp` |
| `PREST_MCP_TOKEN`      | no       | —       | Bearer token when pREST auth is enabled                               |
| `PREST_MCP_TIMEOUT_MS` | no       | `30000` | HTTP timeout in milliseconds                                          |

***

## Local usage

```sh
PREST_MCP_URL=http://localhost:3000/_mcp prest-mcp
```

With a JWT (when [auth](/api-reference/auth.md) is enabled):

```sh
PREST_MCP_URL=https://api.example.com/_mcp \
PREST_MCP_TOKEN=secret \
prest-mcp
```

Protocol messages are newline-delimited JSON-RPC on stdin/stdout. Logs go only to stderr.

***

## MCP client configuration

Minimal stdio server entry (Cursor, Claude Desktop, and similar clients):

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "prest": {
      "command": "prest-mcp",
      "env": {
        "PREST_MCP_URL": "http://localhost:3000/_mcp"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

VS Code / Copilot uses `"servers"` and `"type": "stdio"` instead — see [Use with VS Code and Copilot](/ai/vscode-copilot.md).

Add `PREST_MCP_TOKEN` when auth is enabled. If `prest-mcp` is not on `PATH`, set `"command"` to the absolute binary path (Homebrew: typically `/opt/homebrew/bin/prest-mcp` on Apple Silicon, `/usr/local/bin/prest-mcp` on Intel Mac).

Client walkthroughs:

* [Use with Cursor](/ai/cursor.md)
* [Use with VS Code and Copilot](/ai/vscode-copilot.md)
* [Use with Claude Desktop](/ai/claude-desktop.md)
* [Other AI tools](/ai/other-clients.md)

***

## Troubleshooting

| Symptom                                              | Likely cause                                                                                                             |
| ---------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Adapter exits immediately mentioning `PREST_MCP_URL` | Environment variable not set                                                                                             |
| Client shows server disconnected / failed to start   | `prest-mcp` not on `PATH`, or wrong absolute path in config                                                              |
| `401` / `403` from tools                             | Auth enabled but `PREST_MCP_TOKEN` missing or invalid                                                                    |
| Connection refused / timeout                         | pREST not running, wrong host/port, or Docker networking (`host.docker.internal`)                                        |
| Empty tool list                                      | ACL hides all tables — see [Permissions](/get-started/permissions.md) and [MCP over HTTP](/get-started/mcp-over-http.md) |

***

## Next steps

* [MCP Overview](/ai/mcp-overview.md)
* [Read-only PostgreSQL for AI](/ai/read-only-postgres.md)
* [PostgreSQL to AI agent](/postgres-to-ai-agent.md)
* Protocol reference: [MCP over HTTP](/get-started/mcp-over-http.md)

## Related documentation

* [Start with Homebrew](/get-prest/start-with-homebrew.md)
* [Distribution channels](/get-prest/distribution.md)
* [v2.1.0 release notes](/releases/v2.1.0.md)
* [prest-mcp-adapter](https://github.com/prest/prest-mcp-adapter) · [homebrew-tap](https://github.com/prest/homebrew-tap)