/mcp command shows "No MCP servers configured" despite project-level .mcp.json being active

Resolved 💬 3 comments Opened Mar 23, 2026 by schinalex Closed Mar 27, 2026

Description

The /mcp slash command in-session reports "No MCP servers configured" even though a project-level .mcp.json exists and claude mcp list confirms all servers are configured and most are connected.

Steps to Reproduce

  1. Have a project-level .mcp.json with MCP servers defined (e.g. 15 servers)
  2. Open Claude Code in that project directory
  3. Run /mcp in the session
  4. Observe: "No MCP servers configured. Please run /doctor if this is unexpected."
  5. Run claude mcp list in the terminal
  6. Observe: All servers are listed and most show ✓ Connected

Expected Behavior

/mcp should display the same server list as claude mcp list, reflecting the active project-level configuration.

Actual Behavior

/mcp shows "No MCP servers configured" — a false negative that suggests nothing is set up when servers are in fact connected.

Environment

  • Platform: Windows 11 (win32)
  • Shell: bash
  • MCP config location: .mcp.json (project-level, in working directory)
  • claude mcp list confirmed 10/15 servers connected successfully

Additional Context

Running /doctor and dismissing it did not resolve the issue. The discrepancy between /mcp (in-session command) and claude mcp list (CLI command) suggests the in-session command may not be reading the project-scoped config, or there is a timing/initialization issue where the config is not yet loaded when the session starts.

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