Pare Cmake

Community

Structured CMake/CTest build system operations as typed JSON.

How to install ↓ Compare GitHub source repository ↗

Category: Dev Tools #430 of 438
Stars: ★ 138 Popular
Transport: stdio (local process)
Runtime: Node.js 20+
Credentials: No credential needed
License: MIT
Last commit: 53 days ago

24FMRS · D

Pare CMake server provides structured CMake/CTest output, ideal for agent integration, but be aware of potential system impact from build commands.

Strongest · Maintenance 10/20 Weakest · Reliability 2/20

Reliability

2/20

Security and permissions

4/20

Maintenance

10/20

Documentation

3/20

Setup experience

5/20

Why each score

Reliability 2/20: The manifest is syntactically a valid MCP server declaration with an npm package and stdio transport, and the README claims typed JSON output. However, no source files, committed tests, or CI workflow for packages/server-cmake were provided to verify a clean start or tool-list handshake. The README's tool table omits CMake/CTest from the Wraps column, adding inconsistency. Missing execution evidence forces a very low score (well below the 12 static cap).
Security and permissions 4/20: No red-line behavior (malware, token exfiltration, irreversible destructive defaults, fake identity) is visible in the supplied material. However, this server wraps CMake/CTest, which can execute arbitrary project-defined commands and writes build artifacts; the material discloses no sandboxing, confirmation prompts, least-privilege constraints, or outbound network/credential handling. Because security-relevant behavior is undocumented and unverifiable, the score is low but not in the red-line band.
Maintenance 10/20: The repository is not archived, carries an MIT license, shows a versioned package (0.22.0), and CI/coverage/best-practice badges in the README suggest ongoing activity. Deductions: no commit history or issue-response evidence for this specific server, and the README's per-server release/update path is not documented. This matches an 'active but governance/versioning gaps' profile.
Documentation 3/20: The repository README is broad and detailed for the full Pare ecosystem, but for the CMake server specifically the only supplied documentation is a one-sentence manifest description. There are no tool lists, parameter schemas, response examples, limits, or troubleshooting entries for CMake/CTest. The README table fails to list CMake/CTest under the Wraps column, an internal inconsistency that reduces confidence.
Setup experience 5/20: The manifest gives a clear npm identifier (@paretools/cmake), version, and stdio transport, so installation is plausibly as simple as running npx -y @paretools/cmake. The README includes generic setup guidance and environment-variable tool filtering, but no CMake-specific client config example, no note about requiring CMake/CTest on PATH, and no platform-specific instructions. Without execution evidence, the score stays well below the 15 static cap.

Static review · not runListed 2026-08-07

Read the FMRS scoring method →

Fit and risk

What it can accessReads local filesWrites / deletes local filesRuns commands or code

Best for

C/C++ projects using CMake build system.
AI coding assistants needing reliable, programmatic access to build status.

Not for

Not applicable for projects without CMake or CTest.
Not suited for scenarios requiring GUI or interactive build tools.

Required permissions

Executes CMake and CTest commands, potentially reading/writing project directories.
Receives commands via stdio and returns JSON output.

Risks and side effects

Executing build commands may modify the file system or run long tasks.
Misconfiguration or faulty build commands could lead to build failures or resource consumption.
As a third-party tool, there is supply chain risk; verify package authenticity.

Setup

Before you start

Runtime：Node.js 20+

Other optional settings (1)

PARE_TOOLS optional Universal tool filter across all Pare servers in server:tool format; optional, nothing to obtain.

Add the following JSON to your MCP client configuration (e.g., Claude Desktop):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pare-cmake": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@paretools/cmake"]
    }
  }
}

Ensure Node.js >= 20 and restart your client session.

claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pare-cmake": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@paretools/cmake"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Shown for Claude Desktop. Other clients may use a different file or key (VS Code uses "servers") — the configurator below converts it.

.vscode/mcp.json

{
  "servers": {
    "pare-cmake": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@paretools/cmake"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Goes in your project's .vscode/mcp.json (VS Code uses a "servers" key).

Terminal

claude mcp add pare-cmake -- npx -y @paretools/cmake

Run it in a terminal; replace any <…> placeholders with your own values first.

Generate and validate client config

Check that it works

After restarting the client, the tool list should show the CMake/CTest tools registered by pare-cmake; alternatively ask the client to 'build and test this CMake project' — a structured JSON result proves the connection works.

Troubleshooting

If npx is not found, verify Node.js is installed and PATH is set.
If startup is slow, pre-cache by running `npx -y @paretools/cmake` once.
If MCP connection times out, increase client initTimeout or set MCP_TIMEOUT.
Check Node.js version is >= 20.

Things to try

Once connected, you can ask your AI assistant things like:

Configure and build this CMake project and tell me whether the build succeeded
Run the CTest suite for this project and summarize pass/fail counts
Reconfigure the CMake build directory and report which generator was used
Clean the build directory and rebuild from scratch

Use cases

Let AI agents safely execute CMake configure and build steps.

Run CTest tests and fetch structured results within agent workflows.

Reduce token consumption and errors from parsing command-line output.

Supported clients

Claude Desktop

Claude Code

Cursor

VS Code

Windsurf

Cline / Roo Code

Codex

Gemini CLI

Zed

Continue

Listed from the project's documentation, not tested by this site.

Overview

Pare CMake is an MCP server within the Pare project that wraps CMake and CTest build tools, converting brittle command-line output into schema-validated JSON for AI agents to consume directly without parsing terminal text. Built in TypeScript, it communicates via stdio and offers token-efficient structured responses.

Similar servers

Context7 80 · B

Upstash's official server providing up-to-date third-party library docs for AI coding assistants

★ 62.9k · Tools 2 Compare with this →

NPM Sentinel MCP Server 79 · B

AI-powered NPM package analysis MCP server

★ 18 · Tools 19 Compare with this →

MartinLoop MCP Server 79 · B

An independent control layer that gives AI coding agents budgets, brakes, and receipts

★ 410 Compare with this →

GitHub MCP Server 76 · B

GitHub's official MCP server for managing repos, issues, PRs, and workflows via natural language

★ 33.5k · Tools 15 Compare with this →

Compare with other MCP servers

More servers from this repository

Source revision 57e1980e8375 Data synced 2026-10-12 Read the FMRS scoring method