Installation

Set up the Thunder Client MCP server in your AI tool in a few minutes.

Requirements

Node.js 22 or later.
The Thunder Client extension , installed and up to date.
The Thunder Client CLI version 2.1.0 or later, installed globally:

CLI Installation


npm install -g @thunderclient/cli@latest

Verify: Run tc --version to ensure the Thunder Client CLI is installed correctly.

Add the MCP Server

Choose your AI tool below and follow the steps.

Claude Code

Run the following command in your terminal:


claude mcp add thunderclient -- npx -y thunderclient-mcp

Verify: Restart Claude Code, then run /mcp in a session. thunderclient should be listed as connected.

Codex

Run the following command in your terminal:


codex mcp add thunderclient -- npx -y thunderclient-mcp

Verify: Restart Codex, then run codex mcp list in your terminal. thunderclient should be listed.

Copilot CLI

Run the following command in your terminal:


copilot mcp add thunderclient -- npx -y thunderclient-mcp

This adds the server to ~/.copilot/mcp-config.json. Alternatively, run /mcp add in a Copilot CLI session and follow the prompts.

Verify: Run copilot mcp list in your terminal. thunderclient should be listed.

To use Copilot Chat in VS Code instead, see the Copilot Chat tab.

Copilot Chat

Add the following to ~/.copilot/mcp-config.json to enable it across your workspaces. If you already added the server for Copilot CLI, it’s in this file and you can skip this step.


{
  "mcpServers": {
    "thunderclient": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "thunderclient-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Then open Copilot Chat, switch to Agent mode, and enable the Thunder Client tools from the tools menu.

Verify: Reload the VS Code window, open the Command Palette, and run MCP: List Servers. thunderclient should be listed as running.

Cursor

Add the following to .cursor/mcp.json in your project, or to ~/.cursor/mcp.json to enable it for all projects:


{
  "mcpServers": {
    "thunderclient": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "thunderclient-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Verify: Restart Cursor, then go to Cursor Settings → Tools & Integrations → MCP Tools. thunderclient should show a green status indicator.

Antigravity

Add the following to ~/.gemini/config/mcp_config.json, or to .agents/mcp_config.json in your project to enable it for that workspace only:


{
  "mcpServers": {
    "thunderclient": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "thunderclient-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

To open the file from Antigravity, click … at the top of the agent panel, select MCP Servers → Manage MCP Servers, then click View raw config.

Verify: In Settings, find Installed MCP Servers and click refresh. thunderclient should be listed and enabled.

Kiro

Add the following to .kiro/settings/mcp.json in your project, or to ~/.kiro/settings/mcp.json to enable it for all projects:


{
  "mcpServers": {
    "thunderclient": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "thunderclient-mcp"],
      "disabled": false,
      "autoApprove": []
    }
  }
}

Verify: Restart Kiro, then open the MCP Servers panel in the sidebar. thunderclient should show a green checkmark.

Build from Source

To run the MCP server from source, clone and build the repository:


git clone https://github.com/thunderclient/thunderclient-mcp
cd thunderclient-mcp
npm install
npm run build

In your AI tool’s configuration, replace npx -y thunderclient-mcp with node /path/to/thunderclient-mcp/dist/index.js.

npm install also installs the latest Thunder Client CLI globally. If you use a local build of the CLI, run npm install --ignore-scripts instead.

Verify: Follow the verification step for the AI tool you configured.

Test the Connection

Once the server is connected, ask your assistant:


Check that Thunder Client is set up for my project.

The assistant reports the CLI version, the data path, and your collections and environments. If anything is missing, see Troubleshooting.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Solution
`tc` not found	Install the CLI globally with `npm install -g @thunderclient/cli`, and make sure the npm global `bin` directory is on your `PATH`. Restart your AI tool afterward.
`No JSON output from CLI`	Your CLI is older than version 2.1.0. Update it with `npm install -g @thunderclient/cli@latest`.
`projectDir must be an absolute path`	Give the full path to your project, such as `/Users/john/my-project`, not a relative path like `./my-project`.
No collections found	Ask the assistant to check your setup. Confirm that the reported data path matches where Thunder Client saves your data. If you use workspace settings, see VS Code Settings.
`{{varName}}` values don’t resolve	Create an environment in Thunder Client → Environments, add the variable, and set it as active.
Server not listed in your AI tool	Check the configuration file for JSON syntax errors, then fully restart the AI tool.

Next Steps

Review the Available Tools.
Try the Example Prompts.