oak mcp runs a Model Context Protocol server over stdio, so an agent's MCP client can read and, if you allow it, change a repository through Oak. Each tool runs the matching oak command in the checkout the server was started in, so it uses the CLI's usual credentials. Some tool output is reshaped, so it is not byte-for-byte the CLI's --json.
Add it to a client as the command oak mcp, started in the repository. For example, with Claude Code:
claude mcp add oak -- oak mcp
Read-only by default#
With no flags the tools only read: agent state, status, diff, log, branch list, triage and review, and CI status, runs and logs (oak_agent_state, oak_status, oak_diff, oak_log, oak_branch_list, oak_branch_triage, oak_branch_review, oak_ci_status, oak_ci_runs, oak_ci_logs). oak_ci_status reports each CI service on main, never your branch, so it is not evidence about a candidate: for that, use oak ci status --head or oak ci wait RUN_ID --commit FULL_HASH from the CLI. --allow-write also offers three more: oak_commit, oak_desc and oak_push.
oak mcp --allow-write
Merging and closing branches are never exposed, with or without the flag. An agent that should merge does it with oak merge under your control.
Instead of the CLI#
Agents that can run shell commands usually do better with the CLI and the bundled skill (oak skill install; see Working with agents): the commands and their --json output cover the same ground. oak mcp is for clients that can speak MCP but can't run commands.
See the CLI reference.