Overture MCP — Use Cases, Install & Live Demo

Why use it

Key features

Interactive React Flow canvas — pan, zoom, node-level controls
Dynamic inputs (text, number, boolean, secret, file attachment)
Branch comparison with pros/cons before choosing
One-line install across Claude Code, Cursor, Cline, Copilot

Live Demo

What it looks like in practice

overture.replay ▶ ready

0/0

Install

Pick your client

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "overture": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "Overture"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

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

~/.cursor/mcp.json · .cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "overture": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "Overture"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

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

VS Code → Cline → MCP Servers → Edit

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "overture": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "Overture"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

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

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "overture": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "Overture"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

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

~/.continue/config.json

{
  "mcpServers": [
    {
      "name": "overture",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "Overture"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

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

~/.config/zed/settings.json

{
  "context_servers": {
    "overture": {
      "command": {
        "path": "npx",
        "args": [
          "-y",
          "Overture"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to context_servers. Zed hot-reloads on save.

claude mcp add overture -- npx -y Overture

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

Use Cases

Real-world ways to use Overture

Review your agent's plan in a flowchart before it writes code

👤 Anyone running coding agents on real repos ⏱ ~15 min beginner

When to use: You've been burned by an agent confidently writing 800 lines of wrong code — you want a gate.

Prerequisites

Claude Code or equivalent agent — claude.ai/code

Flow

Install

Run claude mcp add overture-mcp -- npx overture-mcp to wire it into Claude Code.✓ Copied

→ Overture web UI reachable at shown URL
Ask for a feature; plan opens in canvas

Implement an auth middleware. Before coding, use overture to produce a plan graph.✓ Copied

→ Nodes for each step appear in the Overture UI
Approve or redirect nodes

Node 3 looks wrong — reject it with a comment 'use existing middleware at ./lib/auth.ts instead'✓ Copied

→ Plan regenerates; agent only codes after you press approve

Outcome: Agent writes code you actually asked for — you caught the wrong assumption at step 3, not commit 3.

Pitfalls

Canvas becomes noisy on huge features — Break feature into sub-plans; Overture supports multi-project tabs

Combine with: claude-code

Compare two implementation approaches side by side

👤 Engineers choosing between designs ⏱ ~20 min intermediate

When to use: You're torn between two approaches (Redis cache vs in-memory) and want the agent to plan both.

Flow

Ask for two branches

Plan this caching feature in two branches: (A) Redis, (B) in-memory LRU. Show pros/cons for each.✓ Copied

→ Overture renders two branches with comparison
Pick and execute

Approve branch B. Execute only that path.✓ Copied

→ Only the chosen branch runs

Outcome: Informed decision between alternatives without committing code to both.

Inject secrets into a plan node without committing them

👤 Anyone scripting deploy plans ⏱ ~10 min intermediate

When to use: A step needs an API key; you want to provide it at run-time, not in the prompt history.

Flow

Mark the node as needing a secret

The deploy node needs DEPLOY_TOKEN as a secret input. Pause until provided.✓ Copied

→ Overture shows a secret field awaiting input
Paste into the UI; node unlocks

(in Overture UI) paste token and click resume✓ Copied

→ Plan continues; secret not in chat history

Outcome: Agents run privileged steps without secrets leaking into transcripts.

Combinations

Pair with other MCPs for X10 leverage

overture + claude-code

Use Overture as the approval layer for every Claude Code task

From now on, for any task estimated >30 min, use overture to plan before coding.✓ Copied

overture + vibe-check

Plan → sanity check → execute

After Overture produces a plan, run vibe_check on it before I approve.✓ Copied

Tools

What this MCP exposes

Tool	Inputs	When to call	Cost
plan_create	goal: str, context?: str	Start of any multi-step coding task	LLM tokens for planning
plan_update	plan_id, node_changes	React to user approve/reject	0
plan_execute	plan_id, from_node?	After user approval	tool calls + tokens
plan_branch	plan_id, from_node, alt_goal	Compare alternatives	LLM tokens

Cost & Limits

What this costs to run

API quota: None — local app
Tokens per call: Planning adds ~1-3k tokens up front; saves more in avoided wrong code
Monetary: Free, open source
Tip: Use plans only for non-trivial features; trivial edits don't need a graph

Security

Permissions, secrets, blast radius

Credential storage: Secrets entered in the UI, stored in local browser storage per plan

Data egress: None by default — runs on localhost

Troubleshooting

Common errors and fixes

Canvas URL returns ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED

Overture UI port (default 3939) not bound; check MCP server logs or set OVERTURE_PORT

Verify: curl http://localhost:3939

Plan generation hangs

Your agent is waiting on LLM; check the agent's own logs for rate limit / token exhaustion

Node rejections not taking effect

Some agents cache plans — explicitly say 'regenerate the plan from node X with my feedback'

Alternatives

Overture vs others

Alternative	When to use it instead	Tradeoff
sequentialthinking-tools	You want a text plan, not a canvas	No visual comparison of branches
shrimp-task-manager	You want persistent tasks, not interactive approval	Different loop — more async, less gated

More

Resources

📖 Read the official README on GitHub

🐙 Browse open issues

🔍 Browse all 400+ MCP servers and Skills