Nanobot (MCP server) — Use Cases, Install & Live Demo

Why use it

Key features

Minimal dependencies
Single-file readable core
MCP integration
Pluggable tool registry
Multi-LLM
Easy to fork

Live Demo

What it looks like in practice

ready

Install

Pick your client

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json · Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "nanobot-mcp": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "nanobot",
        "serve",
        "--mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config. Restart after saving.

~/.cursor/mcp.json · .cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "nanobot-mcp": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "nanobot",
        "serve",
        "--mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Cursor uses the same mcpServers schema as Claude Desktop. Project config wins over global.

VS Code → Cline → MCP Servers → Edit

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "nanobot-mcp": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "nanobot",
        "serve",
        "--mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Click the MCP Servers icon in the Cline sidebar, then "Edit Configuration".

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "nanobot-mcp": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "nanobot",
        "serve",
        "--mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Same shape as Claude Desktop. Restart Windsurf to pick up changes.

~/.continue/config.json

{
  "mcpServers": [
    {
      "name": "nanobot-mcp",
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "nanobot",
        "serve",
        "--mcp"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Continue uses an array of server objects rather than a map.

~/.config/zed/settings.json

{
  "context_servers": {
    "nanobot-mcp": {
      "command": {
        "path": "uvx",
        "args": [
          "nanobot",
          "serve",
          "--mcp"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to context_servers. Zed hot-reloads on save.

claude mcp add nanobot-mcp -- uvx nanobot serve --mcp

One-liner. Verify with claude mcp list. Remove with claude mcp remove.

Use Cases

Real-world ways to use Nanobot

Learn the agent loop by reading the source

👤 Developers ⏱ ~15 min intermediate

When to use: You want to understand what FastMCP / Upsonic do under the hood.

Flow

Read

Open the main module — single-file core.✓ Copied

→ Mental model
Run

Start the bot; call its MCP tools from Claude.✓ Copied

→ Works
Modify

Add a tool or change the planner.✓ Copied

→ Fork ready

Outcome: Working hackable baseline for your own agent.

Combinations

Pair with other MCPs for X10 leverage

nanobot-mcp + fastmcp-prefect

Prototype with Nanobot; harden with FastMCP for production

Combine nanobot-mcp with fastmcp-prefect: Prototype with Nanobot; harden with FastMCP for production✓ Copied

Tools

What this MCP exposes

Tool	Inputs	When to call	Cost
run	(see docs)	Run a task through the nanobot loop	1 call

Cost & Limits

What this costs to run

API quota: Bound by LLM
Tokens per call: Normal
Monetary: Free OSS
Tip: Keep tool sets small — Nanobot is minimal, not magical

Security

Permissions, secrets, blast radius

Credential storage: LLM keys in env

Data egress: Configured provider

Troubleshooting

Common errors and fixes

Planner gets stuck

Add a step budget; minimal planners need explicit halts

Alternatives

Nanobot vs others

Alternative	When to use it instead	Tradeoff
FastMCP	Production server	More framework

More

Resources

📖 Read the official README on GitHub

🐙 Browse open issues

🔍 Browse all 400+ MCP servers and Skills

Nanobot