file-read
Read content from one or more files within the project directory structure
LABSCO SUMMARY
Any command you run in a terminal becomes a tool the assistant can call, declared in YAML.
Tests, migrations, linters, deployments — you describe the command once and the AI can trigger it, with a schema when it needs arguments. Paired with the multi-project list, that is what makes a change spanning three microservices a single conversation rather than three. Custom tools are opt-in and time-limited, which is the right default for something that shells out.
What it is
CTX: an MCP server plus a context generator, shipped as a single dependency-free binary. It gives an assistant filesystem access across the projects you list, and lets you turn your own commands into tools.
What you get
- Filesystem tools — read and write files, and text or regex search across the codebase with context lines
- Directory exploration with filtering by pattern, date, size and content
- PHP structure analysis: class hierarchy, interfaces and dependencies
- Custom tools defined in context.yaml — give a command an id, a description and an optional JSON-schema argument list, and the AI can run it
- Multi-project setup, so several microservices are visible in one session and a cross-cutting change spans them
- Context documents generated from files, git diffs, GitHub repositories and URLs into clean markdown, for copy-paste workflows
- Full JSON Schema for the config, so an assistant can write and edit it for you
Requirements
The binary, installed with the shell or PowerShell script — no Node.js, no Python, no runtime. ctx mcp:config detects your OS and writes the client configuration, or add the ctx server command yourself, with -c and a path to pin it to one project. ctx init creates context.yaml. Custom tools are gated by MCP_CUSTOM_TOOLS_ENABLE, and a command's runtime is capped by MCP_TOOL_MAX_RUNTIME, which defaults to 30.
Setup effort
One command — curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/context-hub/generator/main/download-latest.sh | sh
USE CASES
01
Working across several services at once
List the projects in config and let the assistant see and edit all of them in one session.
02
Letting the AI run your test suite
Declare the command as a custom tool, and it can run tests and read the result instead of asking you to.
03
Getting started with no toolchain
Download one binary and run ctx mcp:config — nothing else to install.
04
Preparing context for a chat that has no MCP
Generate markdown documents from files, git diffs and URLs, and paste them in.
27 tools
Listed in project code.
file-write
Write content to a file (mostly new files, use apply-path for updates if possible). Can create parent directories automatically.
file-replace-content
Replace a unique occurrence of text in a file with exact matching.
file-insert-content
Insert content at specific line number(s) in a file. Supports single or batch insertions with automatic line offset calculation.
file-delete-content
Delete specific line(s) from a file. Supports individual lines or ranges.
file-search
Search for text or regex patterns in files. Returns matches with surrounding context lines and line numbers. Useful for finding code patterns, function definitions, or specific content across the codebase.
directory-list
List directories and files with filtering options using Symfony Finder. Always ask for source path.
php-structure
Analyze PHP file structure and relationships. Returns class/interface/trait signatures with links to related files (extends, implements, use statements, type hints). Use depth parameter to follow relationships recursively.
context-request
Request a context document using JSON schema, filters and modifiers
context-get
Get a specific context document from the project context config
context
List all contexts in the project context config
library-search
Search for available documentation libraries in Context7
find-docs
Find documentation for a specific library
projects-list
List all registered projects with their paths, aliases, and configuration details. Also shows whitelisted projects available for the "project" parameter in tools.
project-switch
Switch to a different project by path or alias
research-templates-list
Retrieve all available templates for creating researches
research-create
Create a new research from an existing template with validation and proper initialization
researches-list
Retrieve a list of user's researches
research-get
Retrieve a single research by ID
research-update
Update existing research properties including title, description, status, tags, entry directories, and memory entries
research-entry-create
Add new content entries to research categories
research-entries
Retrieve a list of entries from a research
research-entry-read
Retrieve detailed information about a specific entry
research-entry-update
Update existing research entries with new title, content, status, or tags while preserving entry metadata
git-status
Show the working tree status - displays paths that have differences between the index and the working tree, between the index and HEAD, and paths that are untracked
git-add
Add files to the staging area for the next commit. Stages changes in the working directory to be included in the next commit
git-commit
Create a new commit with staged changes. Records changes to the repository with a commit message. Use git-add tool first to stage files, or use stageAll option to stage all tracked files automatically
BEFORE YOU INSTALL
What to know first
Tools you get
27 tools registered in the project's code. That is the default set. MCP_PROMPT_OPERATIONS adds prompt-get and prompts-list; MCP_FILE_OPERATIONS, MCP_CONTEXT_OPERATIONS, MCP_DOCS_TOOLS_ENABLED, MCP_PROJECT_OPERATIONS and MCP_GIT_OPERATIONS each switch their group off; every custom tool you declare in context.yaml adds one more.
Requires
ctx on PATH
INSTALLATION
Connect your client
Server setup
TERMINAL
curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/context-hub/generator/main/download-latest.sh | shMCP Clients
Claude Desktop, Cursor, Cline
JSON
{
"mcpServers": {
"ctx": {
"command": "ctx",
"args": [
"server"
]
}
}
}Any MCP client — auto-detect
ANY MCP CLIENT — AUTO-DETECT
ctx mcp:config
