Add `claude mcp restart` command
Resolved 💬 2 comments Opened Mar 20, 2026 by noelweichbrodt Closed Mar 20, 2026
Feature request
Add a claude mcp restart <name> command to restart a running MCP server process.
Motivation
When developing an MCP server locally, the typical workflow is: edit source → rebuild → need the running server to pick up changes. Currently the only way to restart is:
claude mcp get my-server # copy the full config
claude mcp remove my-server -s user
claude mcp add ... my-server ... # re-add with all env vars, args, etc.
This is error-prone (env vars with special characters, easy to miss flags) and tedious for a common development workflow.
Proposed solution
claude mcp restart <name>
claude mcp restart # restart all
This would kill the running server process and re-launch it with the same configuration.
Alternatives considered
- A file watcher that auto-restarts on
dist/changes — heavier, not always desired - Documenting the remove/re-add workaround — works but shouldn't be necessary
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